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Luke Lesson 58 (2010)

TREASURE IN HEAVEN

Luke 18:18-30
Key Verse: 18:22

“‘When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

As Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem where he would face suffering and death on the cross, the main theme of his dialogue and teaching was about the kingdom of God. It means that the ultimate goal of Christ’s death is to bring God’s kingdom. In fact, the word “kingdom” is repeated 43 times in Luke’s Gospel. The kingdom of God is something that God prepared for His loving children. Bible begins with the paradise lost and ends with the paradise restored. The troubled world we live in is not meant to be our eternal dwelling place. The kingdom of God is our eternal dwelling place. The kingdom of God is our inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-4 reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.”

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are given the right to become children of God and citizens of God’s kingdom. During the last few weeks, we have learned a lot about the kingdom of God, including that the kingdom of God is both internal and external (17:21). Since its physical coming would be unpredictable, we should always be ready for it (17:20-37). His disciples should not be discouraged but always pray and never give up (18:1-8) as we wait. We also learned through the prayers of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the story of the little children that humility is the essential quality of God’s children. In today’s passage, we are reminded of the value of God’s kingdom which is worthy of our total investment. Jesus said to the outstanding young man in today’s passage with a gentle voice, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Christian disciples are called to invest their lives in the treasure in heaven. Let’s think about whether or not our investment in this treasure in heaven is wise or not.

Look at verse 18. A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” In Luke 10:25, this same question was asked to Jesus by the expert in the law. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Obviously, it was a very common question among the people in Israel. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, this ruler was young and wealthy. His wealth might have been an inheritance from his rich parents. According to Luke’s account, he was a ruler in Israel. Therefore, he must have been a young synagogue ruler. At that time the synagogue rulers in Israel were not clergy but lay people. He could have been a young and promising entrepreneur who could represent Israel. Many people looked up to him as a role model for young Israelites. Yet his question “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” reveals this young man was admitting honestly to himself that something was missing in his life. It’s not easy to admit that you have a problem especially when you are concerned about your prestige. Many people remain in the closet because they are afraid of what people might say and lose their popularity. Recently, a young and famous pro-golfer apologized for his bad behavior. For many years, he had been hiding his secrets. At some point he had no other choice but to reveal all his secrets. His life will never be the same. It’s always good to admit one’s mistakes and inner problem and even better to seek help before it’s too late. Our Lord Jesus is compassionate. He is never judgmental. He is a wonderful counselor who listens and has tremendous compassion for us. Hebrews 2:17-18 describes Jesus, “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” When this young man came to Jesus, he expected to find an answer to his question from Jesus whom he called “Good teacher.”

Look at verse 19. “‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered, “No one is good – except God alone.’” In all of Jewish literature, no rabbi was ever called good because only God and His law were considered to be good. So the fact that this young man to call Jesus “Good teacher” was unusual and amazing, as long as it was not mere flattery. We are not sure if this young man considered Jesus as God or the Son of God. He at least had the highest respect for Jesus. According to Mark’s account, unlike other proud Pharisees, when this young man came to Jesus, he ran up to him and fell on his knees before him and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus instructed this sincere young man on how to inherit eternal life. First of all, Jesus taught him that God alone is good. By saying this, Jesus wasn’t pretending to be humble or denying his deity. Jesus is the Son of God, being the very nature of God. However, Jesus said that only God is good in order to draw this young man’s attention to God who is good.

We often say, “God is good all the time. All the time God is good.” And we know that God’s intention in creation is good. When we read Genesis chapter 1, we see that God was pleased with His creation and said, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31) the word “good” is repeated seven times in Genesis Chapter 1 (4,10,12,18,21,24,31). God is not only good but also great and beautiful. But in the back of our minds, we say, “Is it really true? Is God really good all the time?” “How can a good God allow evil to exit in the world?” “How can he allow disease, pain, suffering, poverty, hunger, natural disasters, all kinds of violence and oppression to happen in the world?” The questions are endless. Yet, we cannot deny the fact that God is a good and sovereign God , and His ways are better and higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We don’t fully understand everything. Maybe we are not supposed to understand until we go to heaven as Saint Paul described in 1 Cor 13: 12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Even though we don’t understand everything, one thing that comforts us is that we are fully known by God. It means that God knows everything. God is good. He knows what he is doing. God is all knowing-omniscient. Therefore, we need to wait on Him with patience and trust. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

While Abraham was anxiously waiting to have a son who would be his heir, he became impatient after 10 years had passed. God didn’t give him the son he was waiting for. Instead, God appeared to him in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” What God promised to Abraham was not just a son or even many sons and daughters which would form a nation Israel. What God promised to Abraham was God Himself – the source of all blessings, the eternal life and kingdom of God. We want to receive many things from God, such as success, prestige, wisdom, wealth and beautiful family, children and friends. But what good are these if we have no God in our hearts? What makes paradise a real paradise and what makes our life truly happy is God’s presence.

Of course, in response to the young man’s question, Jesus didn’t elaborate why God is good. But Jesus was drawing this young man to acknowledge that God is truly good, and no one else. Perhaps the young man secretly thought that he was good and wanted to find true satisfaction in his goodness.

Secondly, Jesus taught the young man that he lacked one thing (20-22). Jesus continued to speak to him in verse 20. “You k now the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.” Jesus shared only these commandments which deal with loving others. Jesus didn’t mention the first commandment that deals with loving God and also left out the tenth commandment, “Do not covet.” We wonder why. Perhaps it was to more help the man to find his inner problem more easily. As soon as this young man heard Jesus, he responded with confidence. “Is that all, sir? All these I have kept since I was a boy.” (21) Can we say he was telling Jesus the truth? Was he really sincere? I believe that his sincerity shouldn’t be questioned. Jesus didn’t say that he was a liar either. This young man was a good man according to human standards. I can understand this young man very well. When I was young, I thought I was very good. I was honest and sincere. I obeyed my parents and my teachers from my heart. I was my parents’ favorite child among 7 siblings. Most of my teachers loved and praised me for my good conduct and high academic performance. I was ambitious to get ahead of everyone in everything. I even volunteered to organize many activities to help poor students in school. I was also a faithful member of the Sunday school in the church. I never made any trouble. Can I say that I was good? Not really.

Look at verse 22. “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” According to Mark’s account, when Jesus heard this young man’s respond, he looked at him and loved him. Even though this young man was imperfect and somewhat arrogant, Jesus still loved him. Jesus deeply loved this young man just as he was. He had no critical mind toward this young man. He embraced him just as he was. Jesus told him what he really needed to do to inherit eternal life. He said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The focal point of Jesus’ teaching is to “follow him.” But in order to follow Jesus, this young man also needed to give up his wealth.

How many of us can actually obey what Jesus said to this rich young ruler, especially the portion of selling everything and giving to the poor? Honestly, most of us cannot literally obey this command. I know that many of the early Christians sold their properties and shared with others. But they did it because they believed that Jesus was coming very soon, in less than one or two years. But Jesus didn’t come right away as they expected. In fact, there have been only a handful of people who could actually obey this command literally, like St. Francis of Assisi. Even Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk 19:1-8-9) gave only half of his possessions to the poor, and Jesus was pleased with him and praised him for what he did. So why did Jesus ask this young man to sell everything he had and follow him when he didn’t ask others to do the same?

It’s because Jesus wanted this young man to value the treasure of heaven more than the treasures of this world. He wanted this young man to have a clear spiritual value system for his life. The treasures of this world are really attractive and desirable so many are drawn to them. But those treasures are only temporary ones which will disappear some day. Of course, it’s very hard to overcome our desire for earthly treasures. The heavenly treasure does not look attractive and even desirable, so people are not drawn to it. Last weekend, I stayed in a very attractive hotel near the O’Hare International Airport during our USA/Canada UBF staff conference. But we held our conference there not because it was attractive but it was most affordable and convenient. Yet, when I looked at the charming decoration on ceiling carefully, I found that it was mainly made of plastic and plaster. The beauty and glory of this world are skin deep and can be deceptive. But the treasure of heaven is different. The treasure in heaven is the kingdom of God, which will be our eternal dwelling place and also includes all spiritual treasures of heaven, such as love, joy, peace, all the divine qualities and characters as well as our friends and family members in Christ.

Hebrews 11:24—26 describe Moses’ life of faith, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” In light of this passage, Moses was a wise investor in the treasures in heaven. What Jesus asked of the young ruler in the passage is to live like Moses who gave up everything in order to gain the treasure of heaven.

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, said that he would rather fail in a cause he knew someday would triumph than win in a cause he knew someday would fail. That’s the principle of investment. Christians are called to invest their lives for the treasure in heaven. Success in this world is important but it’s not our goal. Our goal is to gain the heavenly treasure. And that is what Moses did and what Jesus wanted this man young do. Look at verse 23. This young man became sad because he was wealthy.

Look at verses 24-25. “Jesus looked and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” It does not mean that all rich people will go to hell and all poor people will go to heaven. What Jesus said is that material wealth can be a great obstacle to anyone who values it above heavenly treasure. What Jesus said to the young man is a very hard teaching for anyone to obey. I wonder what happened to this young man. Even though he might have been indecisive, Jesus made him think seriously about his life through his word. Sometimes, people do not respond to God’s words immediately, but it does not mean that they are hopeless. We need to wait for them with patience and prayer.

Look at verses 26-27. “Those who heard this asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’” The Jews viewed wealth as a sign of God’s blessing since God had blessed many of these godly people with riches, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, etc. In fact, they were believed to be in the kingdom of heaven. But the truth is that money or wealth were not their idols. They were true worshipers of God and holy pilgrims who lived their lives as faithful stewards of God. Look at verse 28. Peter said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!” Why would Peter say this at this point? He probably wanted to make sure that he made a right decision to follow Jesus.

Look at verses 29-30. “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said to them, ‘No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.’” In saying this, Jesus was assuring his disciples that they made the right decision to follow Jesus. For the believers who followed Jesus as disciples, giving up many good things in the world, there will be a reward, not small but huge, both in this world and the age to come. Of course, Jesus didn’t promise that all Christians would become rich and famous. But he made it very clear that the life of faith as Jesus’ disciples is not just a pointless sacrifice but a wise investment. Our God is ultimately good. In fact, he is the highest and greatest good. He is the source of all other good. He is kind, generous and redemptive. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, so that all men and women who are stuck with sin and evil may be saved and have eternal life. God is good. And he is our eternal inheritance. We are also called to invest our life for this most beautiful, valuable and everlasting possession in heaven. We disciples of Jesus are called to spend time and energy in serving others with prayer, Bible study and counseling, which seem like unwise investments. But Jesus made sure that the disciples are investing their lives for heavenly treasures. Let us devote ourselves to the word of the Lord, fellowship and prayer. Let us share the gospel with young teenagers and college campus students through one-to-one Bible study and in many other ways. Most of all, we should not be discouraged in doing good things, sharing the gospel, serving the needy with prayer and Bible study. May we all live as Jesus’ disciples and disciple-makers, knowing that those who dedicate themselves for the sake of the gospel are wise investors and ultimate winners, not losers. Most of all, let us continue to believe that God who is good and all knowing is our eternal inheritance.