Eternal life

For the last few days, we have been considering an interaction between Jesus and the rich young man who desired to know how to have eternal life.

The rich young ruler had an urgent question. He asked Jesus how he could somehow grasp eternal life.

The wealthy young man we have been considering over the last few days wanted eternal life but wanted to live life his way until the time came for him to die. Today’s passage records his response to Jesus’ call for a fresh start.

Over the last few days, we have been following a man who was concerned about his soul. He was young and wealthy and claimed he had kept all the commandments since he was a boy. Now, Jesus calls his bluff.

Tiny hands waving about uncontrollably. A shrill cry piercing the damp air of a borrowed cave. A mother’s peaceful smile. A mysterious smile on the face of her husband, who helped deliver a miracle. And the Word became flesh: God confined to an infant.

John the Baptist made his days count. He lived life “plain and simple”–camel hair clothes and a leather belt; roasted locusts (surely, he didn’t eat them raw) and wild honey to eat. But what impresses me most is that John the Baptist was a man who knew his purpose. He was on earth to prepare the world for Jesus, and he never wavered. He lived with a spiritual focus. Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live?

The early followers of Jesus misunderstood. They wanted a better temporal life. Jesus came to deliver eternal life. Subsequently, many of the disciples stopped following Jesus.