Invitation to Obedience

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:16-28 KJV)

This passage in Matthew is one of the 'hard sayings' of Jesus, sayings that are difficult to understand on the basis of cultural, historical or theological difficulties. In this passage, Jesus is calling a rich young man to discipleship, but the command is confusing, and how does it apply to our present day? Author and speaker Margaret Feinberg wrestles with the issue of obedience in her book The Organic God.

Despite God's wildly infallible nature, I don't always choose to obey him. The book of Matthew tells of a rich young tycoon who approaches Jesus for his perspective. He asks Jesus a simple but penetrating question, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?'!
Only when the tycoon presses Jesus with deeper questions does he uncover his own heart issue. He loves the goods - his material possessions - more than God.
The tycoon really wanted to know what Jesus thought. He wanted instruction from the rabbi. He wanted his perspective, but he didn't want it bad enough to actually do something with it once he got it.

The Scripture abounds with God's wildly infallible wisdom and insights, and like the tycoon, God wants to answer our questions as we pursue him through study and prayer. Yet it's possible to ask God about an issue that could change us forever, and after receiving the answer, still walk away from the transformation process. That's why Romans 12:2 reminds us to not be conformed to this world but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. You can know God's perspective and still not do anything with it. This kind of thinking leads to the worst possible religious life - one that welcomes hypocrisy and self-righteousness.

I wonder how often I am like the tycoon. I pursue God through prayer, asking what's really going on in a situation, but once I uncover the core issue, I move on in a been-there, done-that, non-transformational kind of way. Or worse, I wonder how often I'm like all those who followed Jesus from a distance and never bothered to ask for his perspectives at all!

I'm slowly discovering that God's wild infallibility is actually an invitation to obedience; in fact, his infallibility makes me want to obey him all the more. His perfection exposes my own imperfections, his wisdom uncovers my own foolishness, and his infallibility reminds me of just how fallible I am.

He alone can be trusted. It's the entryway into the best possible and most costly life - the one he designed from the beginning of time. Like the tycoon, we are given insight into what God thinks so that we will think like him. He invites us to action. God's truth, if taken seriously, will not just transform our minds and hearts but also our behavior. It will become action points for obedience.