Thursday, 14 October 2021
Title: Money Can’t Buy
Pr Mark Tan
Mark 10:17-27
The rich man’s question to Jesus is the question of a lifetime: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” What intrigues me in today’s reading is not the question itself, but the person who is asking as well as the person who is expected to give an answer. The rich man, as the title suggests, was rich. Verse 22 notes that he possessed great wealth. He would not have the worries of common people, in fact he wouldn’t have had any worries at all, except for the great equalizer of all mankind: death. As someone said before, “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a Ferrari.” This saying, though funny and rings with some truth, does have its limitations: Money can never buy you another life, nor can it prolong your existence one day more than what fate has planned.
So the rich man, seeing the great knowledge and power of Jesus, went up to him and asked the question which would solve his one and only problem: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ answer is not only heart-breaking for the rich man, it is also telling of what our hearts and attitudes must be like, in order to receive eternal life:
- We must recognize Jesus as God. Notice Jesus’ first response wasn’t an answer but another question and a revealing statement “Why do you call me good? There is none good but God”. Jesus was affirming the rich man that he was asking the right person for help, but it isn’t because Jesus was a “good teacher”, and since Jesus just said only God is good, He was affirming to the Rich Man that Jesus is God.
- We must recognize that we cannot achieve God’s impossible standards. After revealing implicitly that He is God, Jesus continues to set the standard of God’s holiness i.e. we must be perfect and holy in order to have eternal life. Now, the rich man probably didn’t understand this because he replied to Jesus that he had kept God’s standards since he was a young boy. So, to test the Rich Man, Jesus told him to sell everything he had, and then, to follow Him. Why? Because if he was perfect, he would have known who Jesus is and what a Saviour must do: give up his life for another person.
- We must recognize that we can only depend on Jesus. The rich man, hearing Jesus’ answer, disappointingly left, because he could not give up his wealth. It should sadden us as well because it proves that no one can ever be good enough to gain eternal life on his own. But thankfully for us, Jesus did not just give an answer, He is the answer to eternal life. Put your trust in Jesus and you will receive eternal life, for “all things are possible with God.”
I hope the rich man’s story doesn’t end here. I hope he had the chance to discover eternal life: to know the only True God, and Jesus the Saviour whom He had sent (John 17:3). Meantime, dear reader, I pray today’s devotion reminds us that Jesus has given something that literally money can’t buy, and for all eternity, we should be grateful and thankful.
PRAYER
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
每日灵粮
2021年10月14日，星期四
题目：金钱买不到
经文：马可福音10:17-27
作者：陈燕靖传道
翻译：吴淑娉姐妹
财主向耶稣提出一个人穷其一生所追求的问题：＂我当作什么事，才可以承受永生？＂在今天的经文中，引起我兴趣的不是问题本身，而是提问和将作答的人，正如题目所显示，那财主很富有，第22节指出他拥有庞大的财富，他应该不会有常人的烦恼，事实上，他可能不会有任何烦恼——除了对世人一视同仁的：死亡！曾经有人这样说：＂金钱买不到幸福，但它可以给你买一辆法拉利跑车！＂这句话饶有意趣，也有些道理，但却不尽然：金钱永远买不到另一条生命，也不能将你的寿命延长一天，超出命运的安排。
看到耶稣的知识和能力，财主走上前，问祂一个可以解决他仅有的一个问题的方法：＂我必须做什么事，才可以承受永生？＂耶稣的答案不仅伤了财主的心，还告诉我们，若要得到永生，我们必须有以下的心态：
- 必须承认耶稣是上帝——请留意耶稣即时的反应不是直接的回答，而是提出另一个问题及一句有启示性的说话：＂你为什么称我为良善的？除了上帝一位以外，再没有良善的。＂耶稣确认财主找对了人来帮忙，但却不是因为耶稣是一个良善的夫子（好老师），而是因为耶稣说只有上帝是良善的，祂正是向财主肯定自己就是上帝。
- 必须承认我们不能达到上帝所定下永不能达到的标准 —— 耶稣含蓄地宣告自己是上帝后，继而为上帝的圣洁定下标准，即我们必须完美、圣洁才能有永生。这可令财主困惑了，因为他已回答耶稣说他从小就遵守上帝的标准。为了试探财主，耶稣吩咐他去变卖所有的，然后跟从祂。为什么？因为如果财主是完美的，他应该已经知道耶稣是谁，并知道一个救主应该做什么：为另一个人舍弃自己的生命。
- 必须承认我们只能依靠耶稣 —— 财主听了耶稣的回答，失望地离开了，因为他不能放弃自己的财富。我们也应为此而感到悲伤，因为这证明了没有人可以靠自己的力量而得到永生，幸而，耶稣不仅给了答案，祂更是获得永生的答案——相信耶稣，你就会有永生，因为上帝凡事都能。
但愿财主的故事并不就此结束；我希望他有机会发现永生：认识独一的真神，认识祂所差来的救主耶稣（约17 ：3）。同时，各位亲爱的读者，我祈祷今天的灵修提醒我们：耶稣给了我们金钱买不到的东西，我们要常存感恩感谢的心。
祷告
主啊，我们祈求祢的恩典永远在我们之前和之后，借着与祢同在、一同掌管的主耶稣基督和圣灵，独一真神，让我们可以继续行善，从今时直到永远，阿们。