belonged to these very children the disciples saw simply as an annoyance. To Jesus, these nobodies had a quality that was not only kingdom-worthy, it had escaped the richest, the most righteous, and the most productive members of society. In light of this, it follows that Jesus would draw the rich, young ruler into this quality of nothingness in order to embrace God’s true kingdom. But the only way for the man to get there was by getting rid of what had previously given him significance. Actually, this is what Jesus wants from all of us—to be nobodies! Nobodies cannot come to God offering their contributions. Nobodies cannot tell God who they are. Nobodies have no claim on their lives. Nobodies do not rely on trivial marks of identity; their significance comes from something deeper. They find their meaning in the life and identity of Jesus. For the rich, young ruler, that proved impossible. He could not embrace an existence in which he had nothing to bring to the table. He could not stomach the crisis of nothingness; so he missed the true blessing of having Jesus offer him significance in something deeper than his job or title. Can you hear the voice of Jesus from the pages of Scripture? Can you feel His hands trying to pry your clenched fists from whatever is keeping you from true poverty and, thus, true wealth? Listen to Him as He calls out . “Go, sell your self-righteousness.” “Go, sell your dreams of fame and fortune.” “Go, sell your popularity.” “Go, sell your efforts to secure a comfortable future for yourself.” “Come, and trust me, for I love you.”
24
session 1 “You have to give up everything”