A Tale of Two Men

Content
Key Words
Title
Author

By Ronnie Lowe

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22).

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. (Luke 5:27-29).

Which of these two men are we most like? How would we respond to such a request? Whether we realize it or not, Jesus does make the same request of us today. Why the difference in these two men and their response to Jesus?

One man saw self, while the other saw the Savior. One was concerned about providing personal needs, while the other was more concerned with providing the needs of the Savior and humanity.

One man saw loss, while the other saw gain. One saw the loss of his possessions, while the other saw the opportunities. One could not bear the loss of his possessions which gave him identity, while the other could not bear the lack of gain to be found in being a follower of Jesus.

One man saw today, while the other saw eternity. One considered only immediate needs of the flesh, while the other considered the eternal needs of the spirit. One was rich in perishable, material things, while the other possessed true riches which never perish.

A tale of two men — which are you? What will you do with Jesus? How will you answer His call to leave all and follow Him? Will you put Him first, or forfeit all in serving self? The choice is yours, and yours alone!