.....slow

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me Mark 10:21

Nicodemus was a ruler who came to Jesus slowly, by night, and in the end stood with Him in the daylight. Today we meet another ruler who came quickly, running, kneeling in the open road, and who went away sad.

He had everything a seeker could want: youth, wealth, a clean record, and a sincere question about eternal life. Before Jesus said a single hard word, Mark tells us something we must not miss: Jesus looked at him and loved him. The test that followed did not come from a stern Judge looking for a reason to turn him away. It came from a Saviour who saw exactly what was holding this young man back and wanted him free.

“One thing thou lackest.” Not ten things, only one. His riches had become the place where his heart rested, and Jesus could not give him heaven while his hands were still full of earth. So the call was simple: let it go, and come follow Me. The test was never about money. It was about whether anything would be allowed to stand between his heart and Christ.

You might ask, “Why would a loving Saviour ask for so much?” Ellen White answers: “God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain” Steps to Christ, p. 46. What Jesus asked him to release was the very thing that was keeping him poor. In exchange, He offered treasure in heaven and the company of the Son of God.

But he went away grieved, because he had great possessions. He was not angry and did not argue. He simply loved something else more. Of all the tests in this series, his is the only one we have seen a person walk away from, and he walked away from a Saviour whose love was looking straight at him.

Nicodemus teaches us that grace is patient with the slow. The rich young ruler teaches us that grace still asks for everything, because it wants to give us everything. The question for us is the same one he faced: what is my “one thing,” and will I let Jesus have it?