THE KING’S BUSINESS
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those who- would hinder the coming or bringing of children to Him today as He was with the disciples then; and He has abundant occasion for such indignation. Those mothers knew the heart of Jesus far better than those religious leaders. “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,” cried Jesus. The lan guage is brusque and sharp: Jesus had no patience with those who would stand be tween those coming to Him, especially the little ones, and Himself. Woe to the one who dares to get in the way of a child who is coming to Jesus. Hq may be a disqiple, or apostle, or the D. D., but his censure and condemnation will come sure and swift from .Him who loves the children (Matt. 18:6). Monday, July 19. Mark 10:17-20. The young man who came to Jesus had great possessions (v. 22), position (Luke 18:18), culture, exemplary morality (v. 20), a noteworthy amiability (v. 21), intense earnestness (v. 17), undoubted sincerity (v. 17-21), great moral courage (v. 17), recog nized piety (Luke 18:18), noble aspiration (v. 17), benevolence. Yet all these things together did not save him. They will not save anyone. His question implied that eternal life is to be obtained by something we “do.” No man ever obtained life by his own “doing" (Gal. 2:16). Eternal life must be received as a free gift (Rom. 6:23, R. V.). Jesus by His reply, “Why callest thou me good,” did not mean to imply that He was not good (Jno. 8:46; 14:30; 8:29), but He saw that the young man had no deep sense of the full force of his own words. To say He was good was to, say He was God, for no man is good. But that Jesus really was God the young man did not see. He was superficial, and Jesus sought to bring him to a recognition of his super ficiality. ; Jesus sent the young man to the law because he sought life by doing. The law is the thing to “do," if a man is to get life by doing.” But no man has ever kept the law: he has never done it, so the law
only serves to shut a man’s mouth, and never serves to save him (Rom. 3:19, 20). To have his mouth stopped was exactly what this young man needed, and to have his pride laid in the dust. Jesus always sends the self-confident to the law; those who know that they are sinners He sends to the Gospel (1 Tim. 1:15). Jesus added to His citations from the Ten Command ments Moses’ wonderful summary of man’s duty found in Leviticus 19:18 (cf. Matt. 19:19). The young man replied, “All these things have I observed.” In this, though entirely honest, he was thoroughly mistaken. It did not take Jesus long to show him that he did not love his neighbor as himself, one command brought that out (vs.; 21, 22). That with all the advantages and excel lencies that he possessed the young man was not satisfied, appears very clearly "fr'dm’his question, “What lack I yet?” (Matt. 19:20). Tuesday, July 20. Mark 10:21, 22. “Jesus looking upon him loved him” (R. V.), but Jesus was not pleased with him (cf. Rom. 8:8). There was, however, a winsomeness in his sincerity,, eagerness, earnestness, and honest, though futile, at tempt to keep the law. But Jesus’ love for him did not keep him back from dealing very plainly with him, though that plain dealing caused the young man to turn,his back upon Him. Is our love as true and brave as that? Jesus said to him, \ “One thing thou lackest.” It does not seem to the avetage mind a very serious thing to lack but one thing, but this lesson teaches us that to lack one thing may be fatal. The one thing lacking was a supreme love for Jesus Christ. He was willing to do much at Jesus’ bidding (v. 16), but not anything and everything. There was one thing that he loved more than Jesus, and that he was not willing to give up at Jesus’ bidding. Jesus in bidding him sell what he had, and to give to the poor, was to bring him to see that money was his idol, so Jesus put His finger upon that. He always sees what our idol is, and always puts His finger upon it. But
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