A Lost Bargain
And a certain ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.' “And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But He said, "The things impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:18-27)
I am a wealthy man by most standards. I did not get that way because of good fortune, or a sizable legacy from my father. My wealth was hard earned and well deserved. People who know me will tell you that I started with nothing, except dogged determination and a penchant for hard work. One of my greatest assets is the ability to recognize a bargain. I don’t mean to be able to walk into a market and spot the cheapest fish or least expensive cloth. Often, a bargain is not the cheapest item, but the one that has the greatest value in relation to the cost. I earned my wealth by knowing how to buy low and sell high. It was the discovery of a bargain that set the course for my business career. As a very young man, I traveled to Damascus. My intent was twofold: to get away from my oppressive, demanding father, and to make my own way as a trader of precious stones. Although my father was not a loving and accepting man, he did teach me how to spot value in stones that often eluded the estimation of others. The market place had been a thriving enterprise centuries earlier. Now, even though there were still remnants of a greater time, the Damascus market was not known as a place to find great bargains. I discovered that such was not the case, if you know how to search. I came upon a traveling merchant, specializing in expensive clothing. While rummaging through his wares, I uncovered an emerald, dangling from a corroded chain. When I quizzed the merchant, he claimed to have taken the stone and chain in a trade for some cheap cloth. Even though he seemed proud of his shrewd trading, I could tell he did not realize the true value of the stone. I continued to survey his merchandise, all the while keeping an eye on the precious stone. Finally, I gathered up some rags, their value was of no interest to me, and carried them to the merchant. As we began to negotiate what I should pay for the material, my plan was to get to a position where he would offer to throw in some additional merchandise. That would be my chance to get the emerald. The plan worked, and I walked away from the market with a few pieces of clothing, which I quickly discarded, and the stone I had sought. With the emerald tightly in my palm, I hurriedly located some traders who specialized in precious stones. I knew they would recognize the value of my prize. Just as I had hoped, I was able to secure a sizable price for my treasure, and my career as a successful businessman was underway. I decided that if I was going to be successful, it would be necessary to set up shop in Jerusalem. It is a great city, filled with opportunities for men like me, talented and willing to work. My business grew beyond my expectations, and soon I was a recognized community leader. Although I did not have a strong relationship with my father, he taught me more than just business savvy. He provided careful instruction on religious matters. I knew how to live according to the Torah, and I made it a point to carefully uphold all of God’s commandments. Because of these religious convictions, and my financial success, I was chosen as a leader in the local synagogue. It was a substantial honor to be a recognized leader in the community. There was a lot of talk around the city about a man named Jesus. All of us lived in hope and anticipation that the Messiah would come soon, and some were speculating that it might be Jesus. However, that was just talk among the common people. Those of us in leadership positions knew that Jesus did not meet all the requirements for being the Messiah. I believed, like all the other religious authorities, that Jesus was a good man, perhaps even a prophet, but he was certainly not the long-awaited savior. I want to tell you about Jesus. Until I met him, I had tremendous confidence in my ability to spot a bargain. Like I told you earlier, I knew how to recognize something of value. However, with Jesus, I failed to seize the greatest bargain that would ever pass my way. I actually met Jesus. We had a conversation one day. I wormed my way toward the front of a crowd of people as they listened to Jesus tell stories. I wasn’t sure who he was, but he sure knew how to narrate a story. He could even mesmerize his staunchest enemies with those tales. On this particular occasion, when Jesus finished telling his stories, parents began to bring children so he would touch them. So many uninformed people just wanted to have some connection with this unusual man. If only they understood the truth about God’s law they would not chase after every pretentious prophet who came along. But, there was something about Jesus that seemed to capture attention. I don’t know if it was his confidence, or his communication skills. It was almost impossible to ignore him, or to disregard his words. As I watched him hold the children in his arms, it was apparent that Jesus did not relate to the crowd like most celebrities. It was obvious that he really cared about these people. I realized that his uncompromising love was the attraction. It seemed to validate everything that he said and did. If this man really was a prophet from God, then he might possess insight that I would not be able to find elsewhere. Perhaps he could help me to understand something that had always confused me. For many years, in spite of my success in the business and religious world, I sense that something was missing. I knew there had to be more to life than what I had accomplished. Yet, it seemed like I had attained everything there was to attain. If this Jesus was anything close to what people thought, he might have some insight for me. I decided to approach him in the midst of the crowd. If he was a man from God, and he gave a good answer, then everyone would know, and I would get credit for moving his career along. However, if he did not have an answer, people would realize he was a fraud, and I would put an end to the mindless speculation. So, I squeezed my way to the front of the crowd, cleared my throat in order to be heard and understood, and asked, ““Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”Eternal life – that was an issue that would get everyone’s attention. In fact, it did. An eerie silence fell over the crowd, and it seemed that people pressed closer. They wanted to hear what Jesus would say. I could tell this was going to be a moment that people in Jerusalem would remember for a long time. As soon as I spoke, Jesus knew me. I don’t mean that he saw my lips move, or that he knew my name. I don’t know how to explain it, but it seemed like he knew everything about me. It is like we had been friends for life, even though we had never met. His eyes pierced through my heart like the sun blazing through a thin cotton curtain. Jesus looked me in the eye and said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” I thought I was a good bargainer – but, Jesus was sharp. With that one statement he forced me to deal with the issue of his identity. I had slipped up and referred to him as, “Good teacher.” I should have just said, “Rabbi.” Everyone knew that the implication of the word “good” was that Jesus was really from God. Before I could fashion a response, Jesus proceeded. “You know the commandments, ‘do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’” See what I mean about seeing right through me. He was aware that I knew the commandments. I felt that he knew my answer, even before I did. If eternal life is just a matter of keeping the commandments then I didn’t need Jesus, or anyone else. I was pretty good at living by the law. In fact, I made it very clear to Jesus, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”I did not lie nor exaggerate. I kept the law of God as good as anyone, and I was proud of my record. Everyone who knew we would give the same testimony about me. That is why I was so respected, and chosen to be a religious ruler. When I spoke those words to Jesus, I’m sure my chest was sticking out, and my eyes were ablaze with pride. I started to think that perhaps I had already found the secret to eternal life, and didn’t know it. Perhaps the emptiness in my soul was just a mirage. Maybe there was nothing more to life than what I already had. Jesus did not allow me to think like that for very long. He tore down my wall of pride and self-confidence as he said, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”In my heart, I knew that eternal life was not earned by keeping the commandments. As I said, if that were the case then the longing in my soul would have disappeared long ago. I kept the commandments! However, even though I would never admit it to another person, I had come to the conclusion that the nagging, internal hunger could be satisfied by money. Nobody ever says it out loud, but everyone believes it. Money is all we need. Any problem we ever have can be solved with money. We all believe it – that’s what makes the world go ‘round. So, Jesus laid it on the line. He challenged my belief, everyone’s belief. I heard him very clear, there was no mistake. If I wanted to have eternal life then I had to give away all my money. Not only that, I had to follow him. I’m sure he meant that rag tag group of men who tagged along after him all over the countryside. How did he expect me to believe that these men would get me to eternal life? When Jesus spoke those words I wanted to laugh. Then, I wanted to scream at him, or defend myself. But, I couldn’t. I had nothing to say. My mind was rapidly rehashing my vocabulary, searching for words, for some way to respond – but there was nothing. I really was speechless. I stood there for the longest time. Jesus didn’t say anything else because he knew that I understood. He didn’t need to add any words, because his message was clear. If I wanted eternal life then I had to give away everything and follow him. My silence finally gave way to despair. My eyes fell to the ground, and with my head bowed low, I turned and walked away. The crowd said nothing. I don’t know if they understood or not. It doesn’t matter – I understood! If I wanted eternal life then I had to give away everything and follow him. Everything I had done, my entire life, up to that moment, was in vain. All the laws I had kept, every precious stone I had collected, every business transaction in my history, meant nothing. They could do nothing for me. If I wanted eternal life then I had to give away everything and follow him. I have already told you that I have a gift for being able to recognize a bargain. The ability to identify and seize a bargain has made me a very wealthy and influential man. Yet, the one time in my life when it mattered the most, I failed. The biggest bargain of all time was within my grasp, and I walked away. There it was, out in the open at the marketplace – eternal life. Mine for the taking. Jesus presented me with the bargain of a lifetime. A prize with a value that is incalculable. All it cost was to open my hands and let go of everything – but I couldn’t do it. 