Humility is a rare virtue in our times, even among spiritual leaders. Today from Chuck Swindoll, William Barkley writes this, there is a strange difference between Jesus and many a famous preacher or evangelist.
It's often next to impossible to get into the presence of one of these famous ones. Jesus was the opposite of that. The way to his presence was open to the humblest person and to the youngest child. Sometimes wealth has a way of blinding people from reality. Their self-perception becomes inflated. Before long, prosperity becomes a tool for elevating oneself above others and keeping a distance from those who fail to measure up. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll invites us to witness a remarkable exchange between Jesus and a rich young ruler. As we observe their spontaneous conversation, we begin to see Jesus expose the emptiness of this man's material gain compared to the joy and peace that comes through heavenly treasures.
Chuck titled today's message, Who has the most toys? Turn to Matthew chapter 19. I want to read for you verses 13 through 22, right from the center of this 19th chapter.
I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Your Bible will read a similar sound and will hopefully capture the two scenes that stand in contrast to each other. First is a brief setting with little children and then is a longer scene where Jesus spends it with a man who is very impressed with himself and comes to Jesus with a question, not expecting the answer he would get. Matthew 19 verse 13. One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, Let the children come to me.
Don't stop them. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children. And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Someone came to Jesus with this question. Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? Why ask me about what is good? Jesus replied. There's only one who is good. But to answer your question, if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.
Which ones, the man asked. Jesus replied, You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. I've obeyed all these commandments, the young man replied. What else must I do? Jesus told him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come follow me. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. You're listening to Insight for Living.
To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. And now the message from Chuck that he titled, Who Has the Most Toys? Education is a wonderful thing. It takes us to places that we cannot otherwise go. And when we're there, we can experience things that we actually will never ever experience.
That is literally. For example, how wonderful it would have been to have been right there with Jesus standing in his shadows. Imagine that. Imagine hearing his voice with your own ears.
Have you ever thought about that? What did his voice sound like? Or feeling his touch on your shoulder or on your hand or arm or on your face? What is touch must have felt like? Looking into those piercing eyes and realizing there were so many things more he could have said, for he knew it all.
And so when he did speak, the words were always carefully measured and chosen for the purpose of the moment. And I'll have to add the way he treated children. You may not know this, but back in the first century, children didn't really matter to anybody all that much.
There was hardly such a thing as a favored child. And yet with Jesus, they had as free an access to him and as comfortable a time in his presence as any adult would have or as any one of the 12 disciples could have had. I love the words of George MacDonald, who writes, no one could be a follower of Jesus if the children were afraid to play at his door. I love that.
They were not afraid to play at his door. If you ever have the chance to go to Oberammergau over in Germany, be sure and go the year that the pageant on the Passion of Christ is being performed. It is all live. It's on stage.
Now it's once every 10 years. And what makes it unique is that those who play the parts in the pageant, all the way from the little children up to the very person of Jesus, they're all people from within the community, right there where you're visiting, right there where you're staying. They're the ones who work the shops and serve the tables and the restaurants and are the cooks and the people who clean and the homemakers and the retirees and all of the people who make up the community of Oberammergau, they're the ones who are the people in the program. We had one of the people in our group when we went there several years ago say it was interesting when he had his meal that he was served by Judas. Said he never thought about that before, but when he saw the play later he came to realize that's the part the man played in it.
Another person said he saw Jesus riding a bike when he was coming to the to the state. All of this brings it down to real life stuff, which I happen to love. I love it when it isn't stuffy and sophisticated. In fact, the way the Oberammergau pageant begins is disarming. You would think it would be rather formal because it's been going on for decades really.
I want to say for centuries. It begins with children. Children come rushing across the stage and they're laughing and they're giggling and they're playing and one of them's got a ball and he's bouncing it as he's running along and wouldn't you know it right behind him is Jesus. The person playing Jesus and he's having just as much fun as they are.
And I found myself wanting to take a picture. Jesus is laughing. You've never seen a picture of Jesus laughing.
He's always. It's got this serious look and I understand his life was serious. I'm not.
Don't write me. I know it's got a very sad ending and all of that except for the resurrection, which was anything but sad. But when you see him on the stage with the children, you want to just go, yes, that's life. That's the way it was. That's how he was. That's the real Jesus. And so when I got to Matthew 19, my mind flashed back over Amigal when I was sitting in the audience looking and for the first time honestly, first time I'd ever really tracked the thought of Jesus playing tag with the children.
And he was. Who knows but what he did. When you read of it in Matthew chapter 19 verse 13, you don't read of any resistance. One day parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them.
Let your mind go with that. Don't rush on to verse 14. Don't overlook the feelings in verse 13.
Parents felt the freedom to bring their everyone from newborns all the way to little toddlers playing with their toys and their little well-worn frayed plush toys. I can just see it. Maybe one or two had his pets with him or with her and they're all fiddling around having a great time and here's Jesus.
He's loving it. And the only ones bothered by it are the self-appointed guards called the disciples. Watch them come into the scene. The disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. Stop. Where do we read that they were bothering him?
Only in the minds of those who were thinking that. Children don't bother authentic people. Children don't get in the way and trouble those who are adults. That's why you read in verse 14, let them stop.
Don't do that. Let the children come. Let them come to me. Don't stop them. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children.
They have no agenda. Kids are great. They're just standing around picking their noses. Kids are like that. It's funny when you grow up, you don't pick your nose. When you're little, you can do that. But when you grow up, you can't do that. Well, some do, but that's another story.
I won't get into that. Anyway, look at what Jesus did. He placed his hands on them. Can't you see that? Can't you see him pushing his fingers through their hair or pulling their heads close to his hip or taking that little baby from a mother's arms and holding a baby close?
It's a very, very pleasant scene. William Barkley writes this, there is a strange difference between Jesus and many a famous preacher or evangelist. It's often next to impossible to get into the presence of one of these famous ones.
They have a kind of retinue and bodyguard which keep the public away, lest the great man be wearied and bothered. Jesus was the opposite of that. The way to his presence was open to the humblest person and to the youngest child. And you and I love that.
I love that about him as much as anything. I've told you before that during her last years, Corrie Ten Boom chose to worship in our church when I was serving a church out in Fullerton, California. It was always such an honor to have her in our congregation. And she was always so gracious. Kids, they didn't know Corrie Ten Boom was. She's just another old lady, you know, who shows up and stands around, talks to people. And so our kids were little.
They didn't know who she was. And they're jerking on her dress and they're pulling on her hose and walking on her shoes. And I'm going, Corrie Ten Boom, you know, come on. Back off, you know.
And she was so gracious. These are your children? And I go, these are their mother's children right here. She wasn't bothered by those kids because she's not important to herself. People who are bothered by them are too important to themselves.
They make me sick. Jesus had time for them. They have no agenda. They have no deception.
They have no reluctance. Let the story unfold. Feel it.
Let your imagination run with it. See him as he kneels down and maybe picks out one of the children that's not able to keep up with the others, maybe a little slower, perhaps lame in one of her legs, and pulls her close to him. It's a touching thing. It's a beautiful thing.
I think he loves it because he loves those who have no agenda, who are just what they are, and that's children. May I, for no reason other than caring about you, may I encourage you to take time for your little ones. I know you're busy. I know. And I know you have to make a living.
And I know you have a lot of things to keep up with. And I know you've heard this all through their growing up years, but they're there only once. They'll never have that birthday again. They'll probably never have that very same question to ask you again, unless you're the kind that invites it. Take time for them. One of the great things about grandparenting is it seems as though with that come the pleasure of time. Not necessarily more time than before, but realizing the value of time with things that matter and children matter. Because they are the people in 10 years who lead us. They're the ones who walk ahead of us and shape our cities and make decisions in our schools and teach our young.
Take time for them. Jesus did. Now, there was a man who saw this. He's not named here or in Mount Mark or in Luke, the other two accounts that cover the story. He's an unnamed man. All three of them reveal him as being young. Don't know how young.
Our word today is probably best. He was probably a millennial. Jesus was a millennial. Maybe he's Jesus age. Maybe he was a little taller or maybe a little shorter. But he walked right up eyeball to eyeball to Jesus and he shot him a question.
Stop. What else do we know about him? We know nothing of his background. It's unusual that he's young and also Luke's words very rich. How could he be young and very rich? Maybe inherited money. Maybe a young entrepreneur, we would call him, who had earned his money early. It's a dangerous time to earn a lot of money.
No extra charge for that. But unusual to find the young with a lot of money, except in this particular era in which we live where it's everywhere. But back to our story, this young, and Luke calls him a leader or a ruler. So he has earned some rank among his peers. We never know his name. We know nothing of his background.
We know nothing of his relationship with his mom and dad, though I want to say more about that in a minute. What we do know about him is that he has an agenda. He hides it. He sees in Jesus something he does not have in himself. He identifies it as eternal life. Be careful about turning us into a theological study.
Let it be. He's not a theological mind. He just knows, as he's listened to Jesus teach, how long, we're not told, or where, have no idea. But he walks up to Jesus and he addresses him with a respectful title, teacher. What good thing must I do to get what you've got?
How can I get what you're talking about? Called eternal life. The downer in his question is the word do. He has no concept of grace. He doesn't get that. Most millennials don't.
Most in our day don't. What does he have to do? He's done everything else and he's earned all the money and gotten all the toys.
What do I need to do to get what you've got? Because he saw the patience, which he didn't have. He saw the compassion, which he certainly doesn't have. He saw the touch and he's heard enough to know that he doesn't have that kind of depth in his life.
In fact, I love the way Luke's story ends when Jesus finally confronts the whole issue. It says he went away sad because he was very rich. What an interesting thing to say. How come being very rich means you're sad? Doesn't have to mean that.
You would normally think because he's very rich he had a reason to be glad. But of course, you'll see toward the end, he doesn't have things. Things have him. He doesn't own toys.
Toys own him. So naturally he wants to know what he needs to do. Tell me something I've not yet done that I need to do. Some thing that's good so that I can get in on this.
I want in on what you've got, what you're talking about. Jesus responds, why ask me about what's good? There's only one good, one who is good. But to answer your question, if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments. Now, don't make a walk on all fours. Some of you read that you say, I thought we were saved by grace apart from work. You're reading too much into it.
Let the passage speak for itself. Remember the context. Remember who's speaking. He never makes a mistake with his answers. And remember who he's talking to.
This young entrepreneur says, what do I need to do that I might reach where you are? Jesus says, keep the commandments. So most likely he's Jewish because he asked, well, which ones? If he were not Jewish, he may not even know about the commandments.
So may be raised in a Jewish home. He's heard about the commandments all his life. And now he says to Jesus, which ones?
Name them that I'm supposed to keep. Watch closely. Watch what Jesus says. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not lie or steal. You must not lie. Honor your father, your mother and love your neighbor as yourself.
Stop. Ever looked at the list of Ten Commandments lately? Read Exodus 19 and 20. You'll see the list. These are all from the last part of the list. These are all the horizontal commandments. The first ones are all about a relationship with God.
These are all about relationship with others. Look at them. And you know what the young man thought? Allow me. You must not murder. Check.
You must not commit adultery. Check. You must not steal. Check. You must not lie. Check. You must honor your father, your mother. Check. And you must love your neighbor. Just check.
Now, what do I say it like that? Because of verse 20. Verse 20 is the most significant verse in the whole biography. He has the audacity to say to Jesus, I've obeyed all of those. I've obeyed all these commandments, the young man replied. What else? To which I'll reply.
I'm glad I wasn't there that day. I ought to run him off. But Jesus is so good with him. So Jesus decides to put his finger on the one issue that would touch him at the deepest. So he says to the young man, if you want to be perfect, go and sell your possessions.
You can give the money to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. Well, there's much more teaching from this 19th chapter of Matthew to discover. Chuck Swindoll titled his message with a question, Who has the most toys? This is Insight for Living and by all means make it a point to join us again tomorrow to hear the conclusion of Chuck's presentation. And if you'd like to learn more about this ministry or if you'd like to discover the resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online at insightworld.org. And then right now I'd like to share a brief comment from one of your fellow listeners who spoke about the value of hearing Chuck's teaching. She said, Like so many folks all around the country, I lost a loved one to a drug overdose during this terrible opioid epidemic.
So many people, even right here in my little picture-perfect New England town, have been affected by this awful plague of addiction. Through my loss, hearing Pastor Swindoll's sermons has been an incredible comfort as I process the feelings of shame, loss, and regret, along with mourning. What an incredible blessing to be able to listen to Chuck's messages when I can't sleep and know the miracle of God's healing love will continue to manifest in his words, grace upon grace. Thank you, Insight for Living.
Wow, beautifully stated. And we're so grateful God is using Insight for Living to deliver a touch of his grace in your private moments of grief. Now this is a fitting time to thank our monthly companions and all those who give generously because your consistent financial support allows us to deliver a glimmer of hope to those who feel lost in their darkness. To become a member of our support team, you can sign up as a monthly companion today by calling us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888. That's 1-800-772-8888. You can also sign up online at Insight.org slash monthly companion. Join us when Chuck Swindoll continues his message titled, Who Has the Most Toys? That's Thursday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Who Has the Most Toys?, was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
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