This is a devotional with my thoughts added to verses from the Bible. I highly encourage you to dig into the word with your own thoughts. The Daily Devotion series is one way to do this. However, I know that sometimes we want to read other people’s ideas about Bible passages, so I am starting the Everyday series. I hope and pray that these posts will draw you nearer to Jesus.
DAY 1–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 10:13-16 He hugged the children.
They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
In the past, people would frequently request that rabbis bless their children. It is natural for a mother or father to want their children to receive God’s favor. However, the disciples did not view this act as weighty enough to take up Jesus’ busy time. It was their job to screen the people who desired access to Jesus. This was necessary so that Jesus’ time could be reserved for those who desperately needed Him. It is highly probable that the disciples had often been approached by conmen with get-rich quick schemes and foolish people with frivolous requests. These nuisances were turned away with Jesus’ approval, but in rejecting the parents’ request for a blessing, the disciples demonstrated their lack of comprehension of their Master’s wishes. They thought that blessing a child was not significant enough to bring to Jesus’ attention while Jesus viewed this task as one of the most important jobs that He could perform.
Jesus was not just displeased like some translations say; He was furious and indignant. The disciples were probably puzzled by His wrath, but Jesus had already warned them in Capernaum at Peter’s house before they came south that whoever caused a child to sin was in big trouble and that the kingdom of heaven was for children. “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42). He had told them that welcoming a child to Jesus was like welcoming Jesus Himself. “Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and told them, “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:36-37). They should have understood the lesson already, but it had gotten lost in the busyness of life. Now, they were forcibly reminded that Jesus valued children more than the disciples had ever imagined.
Jesus cherishes children and sinners alike. He treasures us for who we are, not our appearance or worldly achievements. However, He indicated repeatedly to His disciples that He preferred the innocence of childhood to the cynicism of adults. There is a part of God that is childlike and full of wonder at the possibilities of life. This side of God remains undiminished even though He knows the depths of degradation that humans immerse themselves in. This innocence is the kind of attitude that He encourages in us also. Unfortunately, we often choose to wallow in our pain and guilt rather than focusing on the blessings of life. The Spirit has to keep reminding us to lift up our heads and laugh because of the possibilities that God has placed in our path. God wants us to have childlike wonder, but our gaze is too often drawn to our own corruption. Allow God to draw your eyes to the delights of the world and away from the pain that has made us cynical and fearful. Become a child again, a child of God.
One last thought: Jesus was physically affectionate. He hugged the children and tenderly blessed them. He did not hurry through the process but spent time with each one. They understood that He thought they were important and enjoyed them. This is how Jesus treats us also. He hugs us and is tender with us and blesses us with good things. He wants to spend time with each of us. How astounding that Jesus believes that you and I are important. He enjoys us. That last idea is difficult for many of us to comprehend. Jesus enjoys us? Yes, He does.
DAY 2–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 10:17-22 Riches
As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not give false testimony,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth.” Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross.” But his face fell at that saying, and he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had great possessions.
Jesus did not intentionally look for a wealthy individual to be His follower. The rich young man came to Jesus of his own accord. This man was drawn to Jesus because he sensed that there was something missing in his life that needed fulfillment. Although the man believed that he was obeying God in everything, he sensed that there was something more, something missing. He sought Jesus hoping to fill the empty space inside his heart, but he was shocked when Jesus told him to first empty himself of his material belongings in order to be full. Unlike many modern religious leaders, Jesus did not claim the man’s wealth for Himself. Instead, Jesus directed the young man to give his treasure to help the poor. Jesus was looking at the needs of the man, not at the needs of His ministry.
On the surface, Jesus’ command was outrageous, but when looked at more deeply, it was incredibly generous. Material wealth is often a distraction and a hinderance to happiness. Jesus wanted the young man to experience true joy. Like the rich young man, many Christians attempt to follow Jesus while still holding on to their worldly ways and belongings. This can be catastrophic because in the end, those faulty ideas and the false security of material possessions will drag a person farther and farther away from Jesus until spiritual treasures are no longer valued.
It might seem that Jesus was requiring more of this rich young man than He did of poorer individuals at first glance, but a deeper look reveals the truth that Jesus demands the same of all of us. When He came to Peter, James, and John, Jesus told them, “Follow Me,” and they left everything to totally commit to Him. The rich young man did not value Jesus in the same way. Instead, he clung to material objects. In reality, he viewed Jesus as just one more object that he could use to fill his emptiness. Jesus loved the young man, but the young man could not reciprocate. The young man saw the “give up” part of Jesus’ statement instead of the “follow me” appeal. In contrast, Peter, James, and John saw the Rabbi who could fill their every need. Jesus was asking the rich young man for a total commitment to Himself. He was saying, “Come love me as I love you.” What the young man heard was “Deprive yourself and sacrifice yourself so that you can get something that may not be as good as what you are giving up.
The young man could not leave the security of his riches to face an uncertain life of poverty with Jesus. However, the future is only uncertain when you do not trust God to provide not only the necessities of life but also an abundance of blessings. Implied in every sacrifice that God asks a person to make is the assurance of bountiful tokens of love lining the path of life. God does not ask you to leave your security to walk a road alone. Instead, He asks you to give up your false safety to accompany Him on the road to His blessings. It is only by giving up the world and the artificial treasures you depend on there, that you can truly know the joy of heaven and the security that comes from trusting Jesus.
Jesus expects no less from you and me than He did from the rich man and the disciples. Jesus tells us to let go of our earthly possessions and ambitions in order to follow Him. He assures us that He will take care of us. It was impossible for the rich young man to trust Jesus that deeply. Can we?
DAY 3–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 10:23-27 All things are possible for God
Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, “Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.” They were exceedingly astonished, saying to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus, looking at them, said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.”
Jesus had just watched a rich young man with great potential for the kingdom of heaven walk away from the opportunity to be a disciple. Why had the rich young man been so shocked when Jesus told him to give up his riches? Had he never thought of being poor before? He came to Jesus hoping that Jesus could fill the emptiness inside, and he left Jesus thinking that Jesus wanted him to empty himself in unacceptable ways. The young man could not bring himself to even consider giving up his wealth. His wealth was his security and his identity. He could not picture himself as respectable without money and the prestige that went with it. This attitude was shared by the rest of his culture, including the disciples. The poor were held in contempt while the rich were viewed as being the recipients of God’s favor.
Jesus loved the rich young man and longed to bring him closer, but Jesus also desired to bring salvation to all the other wealthy men who He loved but could not draw to Himself because of their attachment to worldly possessions, worldly reputation, and worldly ways. Jesus knew that unless most wealthy men could experience life without their money, they would never be able to see any deeper than the monetary worth of life. He shared His thoughts with the disciples by saying how hard it was for rich men to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus was thinking about how difficult it was for a prosperous person to trust God more than money and how hard it was for a rich person to have the humility necessary to follow God wherever He leads. He was considering the manner in which riches brought pride, arrogance, contempt for others, and a disconnect from those in need. He saw how money could isolate a man from humanity and become a security blanket that blinded the wealthy person from seeing how truly needy he was. The disciples saw the blessings of the rich and privileged. Jesus saw the limitations and barriers that wealth imposed on those people.
The disciples held an idea which is still prevalent in the Middle East today—Wealth is a sign of God’s blessing. Wealth is to be respected. They thought of themselves as lower than rich men because of their poverty. However, Jesus came to change that way of thinking. Jesus told people that the poor were blessed. Jesus said that servants were the leaders of heaven. This was one more instance where Jesus was rearranging His disciples’ understanding of the world. He was trying to push them into seeing their lives through God’s eyes. God is so rich that even the most affluent man is poor by comparison. God sees that true wealth will only come to us through connection to Him, the Creator who can make worlds with a word. Our idea of riches is limited and based on accumulating objects and money for no better reason than to know that we have them when we want them. God desires us to understand that He will provide what we need when we need it, but that material possessions and money have no real value. True treasure is trusting God and knowing that He loves us and will provide for us.