Scripture - Mark 10:17-22

When He had traveled on, a young man came and knelt in the dust of the road in front of Jesus.

Young Man: Good Teacher! What must I do to gain life in the world to come?

Jesus: 18 You are calling Me good? Don’t you know that God and God alone is good? 19 Anyway, why ask Me that question? You know the Commandments of Moses: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not slander, do not defraud, and honor your father and mother.”[a]

Young Man: 20 Yes, Teacher, I have done all these since I was a child.

21 Then Jesus, looking at the young man, saw that he was sincere and responded out of His love for him.

Jesus: Son, there is still one thing you have not done. Go now. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor so that you will have treasure in heaven. After that, come, follow Me.

22 The young man went away sick at heart at these words because he was very wealthy,

The Gist

The young man in these verses is the only person in the Gospels (outside the disciples) Jesus personally invited to follow him. He is also the only one in the Gospels to walk away from Jesus's invitation.

Today, we discuss what we can learn from the young man and how we are actually very similar to him. This story illustrates the difference between following commandments and following Jesus.

The tragedy of the story wasn't that the young man had wealth, but that his wealth had him! The only thing worse than being far from God. . . is being close enough to hear His voice, feel His love, and still choose something else over Him.

Digging Deeper

What part of my identity would I struggle to live without?

Is there anything I've quietly decided is "off limits" to God?

Where am I slowly walking away from God, not outright, just not stepping fully toward Him?

Three GREAT Small Group Questions to answer regularly:

1) Where have I said "yes" to God? 2) Where have I said "no" to God? 3) Where have I seen God at work in my life?