Now, when I attend fairs, I usually end up seeing the same people there. One person in particular is this guy named Ryan. Now, Ryan is brilliant and knowledgeable, but the thing about Ryan is that he loves emotions, feelings, and experiencing things. During our conversation about logic and the Bible, Ryan brought up something different that I had never heard him talk about before.
He talked about a passage from the Bible where Jesus told the rich man to give up all his possessions and then to follow him, but the man went away sad because he had many possessions. I stated, “You know that passage isn’t fully talking about riches, that riches can also mean something else for someone,” and Ryan stated that he was just joking. Honestly, though, I don’t think this was a joke at all. There was a specific reason why Ryan brought up this passage.This is just a snippet of the conversation I had with Ryan, but it really made me question about the people that I talk to at these fairs. Could this be a reason why people choose not to leave such things, knowing that they will lose everything?
The Truth of the Matter:
Let’s look at the passage that Ryan had spoken about. Mark 10:17-22 states, “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
Now, a lot of these people have put a ton of time, money, and energy into believing what they believe. So, to walk away from something that they know is hard. A person can become sad and not want to leave or get rid of the things they have invested in. Even if it is for something better.
Mark 10:29-31 states, “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come, that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.
So, if they choose to leave and give up everything for the gospel, they would gain eternal life, peace, and not have to strive so much. The thing is, there is fear in doing so. Leaving the known, what is comfortable, in order to take a step of faith and follow into the unknown.
It’s a risk, and for some, they don’t want to risk it. That doesn’t mean we, as Christians, give up on them. Galatians 6:9 states, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Meaning, we should not give up on people because one day they may surrender their lives to the Lord; however, that is ultimately their decision.
All we can do is preach the gospel, spreading the good news, in hope that it will touch someone’s heart and draw them closer to God.