THE VALUE OF OUR IDENTITY

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. WHAT DO I STILL LACK?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, GO, SELL WHAT YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR, AND YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN; AND COME, FOLLOW ME.’ ” (Matthew 19:16-21)

Jesus wanted to teach this young man a very important lesson in maturity and value. He wanted him to know and appreciate the value of his own life and identity. Jesus knew the young man had acquired his education and wealth at a sacrifice of time and money and that those things were not the reason his life had value, but the young man did know this.

When we painstakingly acquire a possession like a beautiful diamond ring or an art piece, we do not want to lose it. We will hold on and protect it with an insurance policy and a burglar alarm because we value this possession because of the work and money it cost to acquire it.

The young man had said to Jesus that he wanted to be perfect. This perfection means growth in maturity, and he wanted to know what he still lacked to have eternal life. He recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and he saw himself as a good religious man because he said he had always obeyed the law, but he was asking a deeper question caused by a searching of his spirit. He was asking this question: “Lord, now that I have the life of God in me, how can this life mature into a full understanding of your kingdom and its power? What do I still lack to have it all?”

He asked a searching question that revealed a lack of fulfillment in his relationship to God. He sincerely believed that the value of his life was measured by what he could acquire or learn about God, and he went away unhappy, unable to do what Jesus required of him.

In His Love,
      Sigi

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