Book Study: Chapter 2, Fear of the Future
Read: Mark 10:17-31
(As a reminder, read the corresponding chapter in Fear and Faith and the passages listed below. The study will be written in such a way that assumes you’ve read the Scripture references. Please note, this is a book study, not a traditional Bible study. Instead of focusing on one particular book of the Bible, we will skip around to highlight various biblical characters and texts. To learn more, visit the Book Study page at http://www.trillianewbell.com/fear-and-faith-small-group-study/.)
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when a rich young man ran to him and knelt. The young man was eager. He knew Jesus was important. He also knew the Law. What he didn’t know, we come to find, is the depths of his own heart.
The young ruler calls Jesus “Good Teacher” and although that indeed is true, Jesus deflects this title and tells him that only the Father is good. Jesus, I believe, is doing two things during the next few verses of Mark 10.
First, he is making sure that the man understands that Jesus is God—if only God is good than Jesus must also be God.
Second, he begins to establish that the rich young ruler, who thinks he is good, is not so good after all. If we think we are good we won’t see our desperate need for saving grace.
The rich young ruler thought he was doing great. Jesus lists the commandments and the young man acknowledged that he had obeyed them all, even since he was a child. Now, of course, we know that he couldn’t have obeyed them all as perfectly as he says, but Jesus, who is all-knowing and all-loving, directed the attention not on whether the young man was accurate, but on what has happening in his heart. He knew the idol beneath the service of this man who stood before him. Jesus wasn’t trying to play “gotcha ya!” Instead, Mark tells us,
“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me’” (v. 21).
Oh, what love! That Jesus would identify the one thing that the young ruler lacked so that he might gain all things in him (2 Peter 1:3).
But we know how the story ends. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful. He did not repent. His possessions were too great — not so much in their material quantity, but in how much they controlled his heart. They ruled him. Giving them up was too hard. He couldn’t imagine life without all his stuff, even if that life meant he had Jesus.
The disciples looking on were shocked. Jesus continued the lesson. It’s hard for people with lots of stuff to enter the kingdom of God, he said. Astonished, the disciples asked, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus reassured them that God can do the impossible in the hearts of man (Mark 10:26–27).
You and Me
I can identify with the rich young ruler, at least in part. I so often find peace and security in stuff, whether that means my health, my husband, or my house. The tangible, visible things of our lives become easy pillars of peace. And any time these things are shaken — when a sickness sets in, or my best friend is unavailable, or a hail storm wrecks the roof — it can feel overbearing.
The Bible calls this idolatry. The rich young ruler had placed his hope and security in his wealth. It was an idol for him. Anything that we value more than God is an idol. Anything that we rest our hope and future in other than God is an idol. The rich young ruler didn’t want to give up his riches because he valued them more than Jesus. He looked to his stuff, his riches, for security, food, fun, satisfaction.
So, where’s your hope? As you look to the future are you fearful because you are holding onto some earthly possession? Do you believe that God will provide for you in deeper ways than by providing you things?
You may have answered No. Maybe you want to say Yes. Maybe you want to believe, but you are honest enough with your heart to know you’re not there. If that is you, be encouraged. Jesus calls us to radically follow him, but it’s not by our own strength. Remember what he told the disciples: what’s impossible for man is possible for God. It’s impossible for us to muster up the faith to believe, but Jesus has the power to provide it.
Today, ask him to give you the faith to believe and trust him for the future. Ask God to help you find your security in him. His promises are true. In him, our future is secure
RELATED CONTENT
Fear held a tight grip on my life. It wasn’t just segmented to one area for me — no, the lies and anxiety of fear spread to so many of my relationships and situations. Pause and think about how fear impacts you. What do you fear specifically, and why does that fear have such power in your life? My own struggle with fear is one of the reasons I wrote Fear and Faith. It’s not a book about a woman who has arrived, rather it’s about how I’ve learned to fight for faith. Fear is ultimately rooted in unbelief, that’s why we need faith. So, Fear and Faith is about God—it’s about his goodness, grace, sovereignty, love, wisdom, and protection. And the book is a reminder that there is One strong enough for all your fears…s