Do you remember the story of the rich young ruler? He’s the one who came asking Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. And you remember that this man (though he was a good man who had kept the commandments from his youth) couldn’t part with his money. He left Jesus full of sorrow.
There’s a tiny little detail in one of the gospel accounts that I would like to call to your attention. Before Jesus told this young man to sell all he had, it says in Mark 5:21, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…”
Jesus loved this young man! I want you to think for a moment about some of the implications of this.
Jesus cared for individual souls. In much of Jesus’ ministry we see Him addressing large crowds, but He taught individuals as well. The gospel of John highlights this fact for us especially. In John we see that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus by night (John 3), talked with a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4), encouraged a woman caught in adultery (John 8), revealed His true identity to a blind man (John 9) as He did to Mary and Martha (John 11). The fact that He made time for individuals shows that He cared for them personally. Jesus was moved with compassion for individuals who were lost.
Reaching the lost does not require that you be a great and powerful speaker to preach to the masses. Some of the best work you can do is simply showing love to others; caring for them; praying for them; serving them; and when the opportunity arises, talking with them about their soul. That’s what Jesus did. Jesus cared for individuals.
Jesus was brokenhearted when individuals turned from Him. If Jesus cared for individuals, then He must have grieved when potential disciples (like the rich young ruler) did not respond to Him. If Jesus truly loved this young man, it broke His heart to see him turn away.
Do you get discouraged when a family member or a close friend shuts you out and won’t listen to you anymore? You’re not alone. Jesus felt the same way!
HOWEVER…
Jesus persevered in spite of His personal feelings. This must be true. Jesus had numerous individuals turn away from Him (even His own disciples), and yet He didn’t give up. It hurt him every time a follower left Him, but He kept on praying and loving and healing and encouraging and teaching and preaching. He did not stop!
On the surface, it would appear that the reason we quit evangelizing is because we don’t care, but it’s not really that simple. Often the reason we get so discouraged is because we do care. We care so much that it hurts when those we love won’t listen to what we’re telling them. But Jesus loved people too much to give up on them. He worked on those frustrating disciples for over three years and never quit on them.
I used to have the following story pinned up in my office. I hope it will encourage you…
Two men were walking toward each other on an otherwise deserted beach. One man was in his early 20s, the other obviously much older. The smooth damp sand was littered with starfish, washed onto the land during high tide. They were stranded there when the tide ebbed. Thousands of starfish were doomed to die in the warm morning sun.
The younger man watched the older man pick up starfish one at a time and toss them back into the ocean, giving them a chance to survive. The young man thought, “Why is he doing that? How foolish. He can’t save them all.” As they came near one another, the younger one felt compelled to point out to the older man the futility in his action. “You know,” he said, “you can’t save them all. Most of them will die here on the sand. What you are doing really won’t make any difference.”
The older man studied the young man for a moment. Then he bent down, picked up a starfish and tossed it into the water. He smiled at the young man and said, “It made a difference to that one.”
Then he walked on, picking up starfish and tossing them back into the sea.
~ by David Maxson