(This message series is inspired and excerpted from He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobsen.)
The Businessman and the Beggar
“When we accept ownership of our powerlessness and helplessness, when we acknowledge that we are paupers at the door of God’s mercy, then God can make something beautiful out of us.” – Brennan Manning, THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL
Two men, each in dire need, approached Jesus for help. Clearly, Jesus extended his favor to both of them, but as we shall see, only one received it. The other retreated from his moment with Jesus, his countenance shattered, grieved because he had misunderstood the offer Jesus made to him.
Watch each of them carefully. Why did one receive and the other did not? If you’re like me, you’ll see yourself in both of them at various times in your life. But now you’ll know which example shows how you respond to God, and which takes your best intentions and turns them against you. (pp. 60-61)
The Businessman – Caught in the Doing
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” [17] And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” [18] He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, [19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [20] The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:16-20 ESV)
“Was the young man lying? Not necessarily. Though he had not kept the Law, what was most critical in this exchange was that he genuinely thought he had. Since he was a little child he had worked hard to obey the Law in hopes of earning his place in God’s kingdom.” (p. 61) So, where is he missing Jesus’ point?
“The ‘I’ and the ‘do’ gave him away: ‘What must I do . . . ?’ He was focused on himself, his ability and resources, trying so hard to earn what Jesus wanted to give him.” (p. 62)
[21] Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” [22] When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:21-22 ESV)
“But honestly, was that Jesus’ point? Who would have come to this kingdom if those were the terms? When I first went forward at a Billy Graham crusade, all I was asked to do was repent and believe in him. If he’d asked me to sell everything I owned and give it to the poor, I doubt I would have gone forward. I doubt anyone else would have either. In fact, I’ve never met one person who ever came to Christ on those terms nor many who would stay if he required it of them today! [Would you?]
To condemn the man for not doing so is not only arrogant of us but misses Jesus’ point entirely. He was not offering the man the opportunity to buy his salvation. He only wanted him to discover what his attempts to keep the Law already should have— that he didn’t have enough in himself to meet any standard of qualification for God’s life.” (pp. 62-63)
Are you prone to being “caught in the doing”?
The Beggar – “Lord, Have Mercy!”
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. [47] And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” [48] And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” [49] And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” [50] And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. [51] And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” [52] And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52 ESV)
“Notice that he did not ask what he needed to do to see again. He did not barter based on any qualification he might have had to make him worthy. He simply put all of his confidence in the mercy of the man from God. And that was enough. Jesus didn’t ask him to sell all he had. Jesus healed him and noted that Bartimaeus’s simple focus was all that was needed. “Go; your faith has made you well” (NASB). Not only did he receive healing, but salvation as well. Jesus did not love the beggar more than the businessman, nor did he give to one and not the other. For he graciously gave to both of them. It’s just that one recognized it and one did not; the difference between the two contains all we need to know to find life in God. (pp. 64-65) What do you think life would be like if you could trust God’s mercy for you every day?
“When you are tempted to stake your relationship with God on your own goodness or your sacrifice, don’t even try. Picture the bar so high that you’ll never find a way to clear it. Approach God on the basis of your own efforts, and you will always go away disappointed and disillusioned. But that is not bad news.
What it means is that God has fulfilled in himself everything he would ever require of us. Abandoning our own attempts to establish our own worthiness is central to the power of the gospel. Learn that, and a door stands before you that will lead you to the very heart of a loving Father. This is the way to know that he delights over you with joy and is able to transform you into the fullness of his glory.
He absolutely, completely loves you. Discovering how much will revolutionize your relationship with him and your life in this world. (pp. 65-66)
If there was a “man in the middle” of our two examples it might be Matthew.
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. [11] And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [12] But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13 ESV)
Take a minute to speculate what Matthew understood that enabled him to rise and follow, leaving his wealth behind. Pray that you’ll learn the difference between mercy and performance.
For Your Personal Journey
Spend some time with God considering your own relationship with him. Do your requests of God look more like those of the businessman or the beggar? Do you begin everyday aware of your performance or the lack thereof, or is your awareness focused on God’s mercy and His affection for you? We’ve all been taught that life in God is something we earn with diligent effort, and this isn’t easy to unlearn. Ask Him to help you understand His mercy and how you can stop trying to jump over a bar you’ll never reach.
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