“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 10:21 KJV)
I have used the King James Version of this verse because the Good News Bible left out “take up the cross.” Matthew records it differently. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you want to come with Me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) There is another instance where Jesus uses the same phrase. It happened earlier in Mark after He spoke about His death and resurrection. “Then Jesus called the crowd and His disciples to Him. "If any of you want to come with Me," he told them, "you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34) The incident later recorded in Mark 10 was when He was talking to the rich young ruler who lacked one thing; holding on to his riches. In all these Scriptures Jesus makes references to the cross; the cross He was going to bear. While taking up our cross is a lesson in itself, the Holy Spirit is leading in a different direction.
We can feel the love Jesus had for the rich young ruler. He wanted heaven, but he loved his riches more. How many of us are like this rich young ruler? We have made many sacrifices in this world to get an education, acquire an honorable position, make a good living and achieve accolades for our accomplishments much like this rich young ruler. And in the light of the glory of the Lord we desire to hold on to this earthly, temporal clutter. Unfortunately for most of us who cling to the scraps of earth, we will have to make a decision. “Thy kingdom come…” God’s kingdom has come with Jesus. What many fail to know is that His kingdom is heaven, yes, but it’s in the now, today and here on earth also for those who take up their cross and follow Jesus.
The early church that believed in Jesus practiced what Jesus said. “All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.” (Acts 2:44-45) This was not a government socialist program requiring them to part with what they had. It was agape, sacrificial love in their hearts. They knew they had something better. Why would they burden themselves with what they didn’t need? So, they parted with their possessions as an act of love for Jesus and the brethren. “There was no one in the group who was in need. Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale, and turn it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed according to the needs of the people. And so it was that Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "One who Encourages"), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles.” (Acts 4:34-37)
Paul wrote to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus what to teach the Ephesians. “Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others. In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.” (1Timothy 6:17-19) In other words Paul tells Timothy that as long as they’re clinging to the things of the world, they are placing the importance of the Lord second place. The things of the world can distract us away from the Lord. If we sever ourselves from those things not just physically, but emotionally, we can embrace and cherish the things of the Lord exceedingly.
We have much more to gain when we follow Jesus. “and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for His people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time." (1Peter 1:4-5)
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