S163P2 – The mind of Christ: trading up
Mk. 10:20-22
And [the rich young ruler] answered and said to [Jesus], “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
I came to Christ the way I think many people come to Christ. I was not living in a godly manner at all, and I had a lot of things to change. However, I did not necessarily view it as change. Instead, I viewed it more like loss. When I thought about everything in my life that should be different if I were to follow Christ, I began to think of all the things I would lose. Sure, I had wanted so much of my life to change for so long, but there was comfort in some of those things. I had built a life after all, and I would have to leave some of that behind me. Unfortunately, that included leaving some people behind me. From my perspective, I was concentrated on what I would lose instead of what I would gain.
This young man who wanted so desperately to follow Jesus was faced with a characteristic of Christ that made him uncomfortable. Jesus was not concerned in the least with what He could gain here. He was concerned with the joy set before him, which could come only at the culmination of his ministry. His eyes were wise as they focused on the treasures above awaiting him, which surely made the treasures below look worthless. This young man was focused not on what Jesus could make available for him. He was too concerned with what he already had, and parting with that appears to have been too painful or risky for him. He did not know that Jesus asks us to trade what we have now for what He can bring us.
Taking up one’s cross is about sacrifice, which is about giving. Whether we are sacrificing our money, our relationships or our lives, we do this because we are trading those things for something greater to come. The heavenly treasures which await those who are not attached to earthly treasures are unimaginable to us. They are beyond any description understood by the human mind. The problem is that we can see and feel the treasures down below, so they seem so real to us. To have the mind of Christ is to recognize the illusion that they are. Father, give us the sacrificial spirit of your Son, that we would take up our crosses gladly in this life because we know that the greatest treasures await us.