(Here’s a quote from the latest edition of the Jerusalem News and World Report)…

“The latest polls are out!  The world is dumbfounded!  According to the Israeli Press Records, Jesus of Nazareth has temporarily lost his number one ranking!  In His evangelistic ways, up until what was recorded in the tenth chapter of Mark, Jesus had never been turned down by a potential recruit!  Up until now, men and women, disciples, people with shady characters, the blind, the crippled – all wanted to beat down His door and join Him in His crusade.  This is no longer true!

Someone has finally said “No” to the Lord God in the form of Jesus!  This is unheard of!  Jesus has been ranked #1 ever since there were polls to do such rankings!  How CAN this be?  It’s a shock!  All season long, it was expected that Jesus would have no problem with such things, but, as we all know, the unexpected can happen to anyone!

The Palestinians are dancing in the streets, turning over carts and setting them on fire!

[Calm down.  All this didn’t really happen – but – if what happens in this Sunday’s Gospel were to happen today, it might.]

A very wealthy man comes to Jesus – interrupts Him on His way – wanting to know what he had to do to inherit eternal life. All of the disciples are smiling, almost giggling, because they’ve asked this same question of Jesus in private, and, they got quite a tongue lashing because it is the wrong question to ask!

As good Lutherans know (and there were some Lutherans amongst those first 12 disciples, I’m sure), you cannot do anything to inherit eternal life!  It is a pure gift of God.

Take a moment and read Mark 10:17-31.  It doesn’t take long.  I’ll wait……good. You’re finished.

The man – dressed in the finest of clothes, jewelry abounding, his entourage immaculately organized – runs to Jesus and falls at His feet.  One of the disicples, I don’t know which one, whispers, “I bet that’s the first time he’s ever had to do that-fall down on the ground before somebody else!”  By the time their conversation ends, the young man is very disappointed.  Jesus told him he needed to sell everything he owns and follow Him.  “My grandfather – and, his grandfather before him – they built up this empire of mine.  I cannot sell it all, they would never forgive me!”    What is learned here is that it’s not about wealth at all.  It’s not about the impossibility of a camel crawling through the eye of a needle (how ridiculous!) – but – it is about what we allow to move into first place in our lives, ahead of God.

Where does God rank in your polls?  On Sunday afternoons, does He take a back seat to your life while you watch a little football?  Or, on Saturdays, is God ever a part of your conversation while you’re out shopping?  Do you talk with your friends about Jesus at the lunch table, or, maybe on the athletic field?

God is a jealous God.  He wants, He expects to be worshipped and respected – ALL the time.  Is that too much to ask?

Only you can answer that question.  Think it over.  Where does God rank in your lives?   Remember, it’s not really about what you have or what you have to do – you’ll figure it out, just like the knuckleheads (the disciples) did.

This is good one to pray over.  You’ll be glad that you did! Remember – God loves you and so do we!