Mike Bonem
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:17-22, NIV)
You have undoubtedly preached on, studied, or heard sermons about this passage many times. I wonder, however, if you’ve considered the story of the “rich young man” through a leadership development lens.
The membership of most churches includes people whose leadership abilities or wealth greatly exceed that of their pastor. These women and men have the potential to make substantial contributions, and not just financial, to the well-being of a church. But pastors are often unsure how to relate to them.
This familiar story offers four important insights:
- The man “ran up to [Jesus] and fell on his knees before him.” We often think that “successful” people have it all together and don’t have any needs. This couldn’t be further from the truth – they just have different needs and may have learned to keep them hidden. The man in the story reveals a desperation and hunger, something that lies just beneath the surface for many of the successful people in our congregations.
- “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Some ministry leaders have an unconscious (or conscious) resentment or even disdain toward successful people. They may be seen as not giving enough to the church, being out of touch with the plight of normal people, or making fame and fortune their gods. Jesus saw a struggling human being, a child of his Father, and loved him. The rest of Jesus’s response flowed out of that love.
- Jesus spoke truth to him. The man said that he had kept the commandments since he was a boy. Today’s equivalent would be someone who said, “I tithe, come to worship whenever I’m in town, live a clean life, and volunteer in a ministry.” So how would you respond? Many pastors today, not wanting to offend a high-capacity leader, would say, “That’s great. Keep it up. Maybe you can add a spiritual discipline as a next step.” Jesus went straight to the heart and spoke the hard truth to the man.
- Jesus didn’t run after him. After sharing the truth in love, Jesus allowed the man to make his decision. Jesus didn’t seem concerned about being “rejected” or losing the potential support of a wealthy follower. He trusted that God would send the right people at the right time with the right resources for the work that needed to be done. Sometimes a high-capacity person is God’s gift to your church; at other times you need to let them leave.
How might your ministry change if you related to successful individuals like Jesus did in this story?
