"What do I still lack?" Matthew 19:16-26 (March 30 sermon summary and discussion questions)

Sermon Summary

Jesus' most wonderful words, for some people, were his words of invitation: "Come, follow me." those words changed their hearers' lives. But there were a couple of occasions on which people seemed to hesitate to accept Jesus' invitation. And we are told of one time when a person walked away from Jesus, even after hearing those potentially life-altering words. This sad respondent was the rich young man in Matthew 19.

The rich young man came to Jesus with many questions, but his picture of his life was not up for discussion. He wanted eternal life, but he wanted it to come at very little cost. His possessions kept him fenced in, and as a result he missed out on joining Jesus as one of his followers.

Like the rich young man, we may try to find eternal life or even just what we think of as a good life--God's gifts and benefits--without really wanting the living God to become a real presence and participant in our lives. Like the rich young man, we may lack the vision to see our shortcomings, so we may be unaware of the things that really have a hold on our hearts. Like the rich young man, we may hesitate to trust that anything in God's hands is better than everything in our own hands, and therefore we might be afraid to release our grip on many things in our lives (including, but not limited to, our money).

But Jesus' summons, even when it seems demanding, invites us to share in the good work of the kingdom, opens us up to lasting benefits, and includes the promise of his friendship and leading. The opportunity is in front of us; let's not walk away sad, like the rich young man. Readjusting our priorities may be difficult. It may even seem impossible, "but with God, all things are possible."

Discussion Questions

1. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a first century person who hears Jesus' invitation, "Come, follow me." Being as honest as you can, what do you think would be the pros and cons that would lead you to consider accepting or refusing Jesus' invitation?

2. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus says, "If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." How do you think we should think of this in light of the teaching in Ephesians 2:8-9 and other places about being saved by grace, and not because of things that we have done? (See also Romans 3:9-18, Galatians 3:10-12, Titus 3:3-8, James 1:22, a starting places.)

3. In verse 18, Jesus repeats five of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20. How might the young man have been able to keep these commands and still not be in a good place to respond well to Jesus? Is it possible--and if so, how is it possible--for someone to "keep the letter" of the commandments but not really get to their spirit?

4. What are some practices you might adopt to help with getting an honest look at your own heart and motivations before God? Are there some that you have already implemented? How might you be supported in these by sharing accountability or partnership with a friend?

5. In verse 20, the young man imagines he must "lack" something, but in fact, Jesus indicates that he has too much. Do you think Jesus' words to the young man in verse 21 are applicable to everyone? Why or why not?

6. What are some of our biggest challenges today when it comes to releasing control over our possessions or other cares so that we can answer Jesus' call? How might we help each other believe that this loosening of our grip is a good thing?