Mark 10

Okay, I sat down to read Mark 10 one more time before writing my blog, and I fully intended to write a comparison of the rich young man and blind Bartimaeus. I still may, but this morning one verse jumped off the page at me, and my friend Cindy says we should always pay attention when a particular word leaps at us from God’s Word.

“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. (Mark 10:5) Is my heart so hard against God that I ask Him to let me get by with breaking a commandment? The Pharisees were asking Jesus about divorce, but you and I may ask God about any one of the commands. Is it lawful for me to tell this “little white lie”? Is it okay for me to leave this item out of my tax report? Isn’t it my right to take the life of my unborn child if I choose? Shouldn’t I leave my husband so I can be happy with another man? God, I want her house, her car, and her family, pretty please? Okay. . . just to be clear, I personally am NOT asking these questions of God, but you and I know people who have.

Let me attempt to paint a word picture. I have taught high school business in three different schools since I graduated from the University of North Texas in 1991. During those years a great number of my students have excelled in my classes, making terrific grades, creating fabulous products, and earning awards at contests. At the same time, some of my students did just enough work to get by. Same teacher, same classroom, same expectations. The students who followed the rules, performed the work, and met the expectations were the outstanding students, not only in my classes, but throughout their high school careers and beyond. The students who did not put forth the effort, and who did not turn in their work, were usually the students who asked me to bend the rules for them. “Please, Mrs. Young, give me one more day.” “Do I have to answer all the problems?” “Can’t I skip this one because I don’t understand it? or don’t like it? or don’t agree with it? or don’t want to put forth the effort it will take to finish it well????”

My students earn their grades in my classes. I don’t give grades. Excellent work earns excellent marks. Poor work and poor attitudes earn poor marks. What type of student am I in God’s classroom? Do I strive to please Him and to meet His expectations? Or do I whine, complain, and forget to do my homework? I do not believe a teacher should have to hound a student about completing a project, and I do not believe God will force us to obey His law. He will allow us to choose just to get by in life.

The rich young man in Mark 10 was not willing to put God first in his life, and Jesus allowed him to walk away sad. The rich man was not willing to submit his finances to God. He chose to excel in worldly wealth rather than in godly riches. Blind Bartimaeus was willing to place his trust in Jesus, and he found healing through his faith. He chose to follow Jesus rather than continue to sit by the roadside begging. Which of these students would you have voted as most likely to succeed? Which one is more likely to graduate at the top of God’s faith class?

I don’t know about you, but I want to finish this race as a medal winner, not as the guy who had to hitch a ride on the golf cart. Let’s not cut corners and wimp out on the hard assignments. Let’s rise to meet God’s expectations rather than ask Him to make an exception to the rules for us. I want to graduate with honors. How about you?