Which Ones?

[12th Sunday after Pentecost, Mat 19:16-26]

Prescriptions.  They are written instructions from a doctor given to us so that we might follow them and be healed from whatever malady caused us to seek their help.

Some prescriptions carry little in the way of difficulty, such as bad taste, or side effects that cause other unpleasant physical things to occur.  Some carry significant side effects.  Some (like chemo) make us very ill in the process of trying to cure us.

Today, a young man comes to Jesus, the ultimate Physician, and asks for the “prescription” for eternal life.  Given the huge implications for the subject of the request, you might expect a complicated and detailed answer.  But the Lord’s reply is short, and quite simple.  Keep the commandments.

Our initial response to this reply is predicated on our backgrounds and personal histories.  For us as Christians, we immediately snap to the Ten Commandments.

For Jews, it gets more complicated, for there are 613 ‘commandments’.  To us, this seems excessive.  These ‘commandments’ in fact include the Ten, but are also what we might interpret as ‘rules of piety’, such as, Honor the old and wise, Imitate God’s goodness, Affix the mezuzah to the doorposts of your house.  (I encourage all to go do your own search on mezuzah to understand its relationship with piety)

So the young man’s question can be understood to be quite sincere!  I believe that he sincerely wanted Jesus to outline “What’s important?” so that he could, in good faith, follow and attain eternal life!

Inside of the Lord’s answer to the man, there is no reference to “the 613” - instead, Jesus returns to essence.  “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Now that the Lord has framed the discussion, the young man performs his own self-righteous self-evaluation.  “I’m good to go!”, we can hear his thoughts.

We know what the Lord meant, where the young man does not.  We know the content of Matthew Chapter 5!  You have heard that it was said of old, ‘You shall not murder…’, But I say to you that whoever is angry without cause is in danger of judgment.  Jesus also said, Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.  He also said, You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.  Jesus is proclaiming a “higher standard” for the commandments, a standard tied to the heart, not the mind, to the spirit and not to the intellect - or the flesh.  This view of the commandments has been totally missed by today’s young man.

Jesus knowing this seeks still to give the man the means to attain eternal life.  In fact Jesus gives him two blessings.  Blessing 1:  You can seek perfection by divorcing yourself from the world—get rid of your possessions, your ‘things’.  Blessing 2:  Here’s the invitation to become a disciple—Come, follow Me!

The young man couldn’t do it.  Could I?  Have I?  Will I, before it’s too late???