My
wife shared a poll this week. In the poll the question was asked. “What makes
your life meaningful?” 23% of those who took the poll said nothing, nothing in
their life brought real meaning. This group of people didn’t have anything in
their lives, even harmful or ungodly things, that they could point to that
brought significant meaning to them.
Jesus
shares an incident where He encounters a man looking for meaning.
Matthew
19:16
And
behold a man came to Jesus saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have
eternal life?”
The
man was works-oriented. What “good deed” must I do to get eternal life? What
deed do I need to do, what action do I need to take, or what rituals do I need
to do. He wanted something that he could do to earn or deserve eternal life. He
wanted meaning and he wanted to do something to get that meaning.
Matthew
19:17
And
He said to him, “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only one who is
good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Jesus
tells the young man that if he wants life to keep the commandments. This is not
just about eternal life; this is about living with meaning in this life and
having the assurance of eternal life also.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living life with meaning and eternalness.
Matthew
19:18-20
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. Honor
your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The
young man’s question is which commandments do I need to follow. He doesn’t want
to do any more than he has to do. He wants the minimum effort for the maximum
results.
Jesus
shares six commandments and all of them are human to human. They show this
young man is outwardly a very good and moral person. It also shows that he has
no real relationship with God. He lives motivated by what he looks like and how
others view him.
The
young man says that he kept all of these. So, he wants to know what does he
still lack.
He
had done all he knew to do and he knew there was something lacking.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in moral uprightness out of love for
Jesus and the desire to obey Him.
Matthew
19:21
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.”
Jesus
tells him that his riches are what is hindering him from experiencing meaning
in his earthly life and having the assurance of eternal life. Jesus tells him
to go sell his possessions and give to the poor so that he can have treasure in
heaven as oppose to having treasure on earth which will fade away. Then come
follow Jesus. He can follow Jesus because he had gotten rid of what he had put
ahead of God, his wealth.
Jesus
doesn’t tell anyone else in the New Testament they have to do this.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is making Jesus Lord, the sole ruling
authority in your life.
Matthew
19:22
When
the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
The
young man was presented with the chance to put Jesus first in his life and have
an eternally meaningful life. He was given the opportunity to have an abundant
life. He chose to keep his wealth which could not and would not bring meaning
or eternal life.
There
is a world wanting to experience eternal meaning in life. What they are really
looking for is Jesus.
The
question is: Are we who claim to know Jesus going to show the world Jesus or
settle for just being good moral people?
With
Jesus as Lord Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
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