Matthew 19-20; Mark 10; Luke 18: “What Lack I Yet?” May 8-14

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler (detail) by Heinrich Hoffman (1889)

To be a disciple is to pursue a discipline, or in other words to intentionally do things differently than you would do naturally. So it’s not surprising that a number of Jesus’ teachings challenge our default assumptions. He invites us to think non-intuitively at times and to act accordingly. For example:

• “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33).
• “Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30).

Here are a few other examples from this week’s reading:

1. “One thing thou lackest”

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, he must have thought he was almost there. He affirmed that he had kept the commandments all his life, and then asked, “What lack I yet?” (Matthew 19:20). Although he had successfully acquired many possessions, he sensed that he needed to acquire something more.

Jesus’ response challenged this assumption: “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor…” (Mark 10:21; see also Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22). He didn’t need more; he needed less. His beloved possessions were actually blocking his progress, and he needed to discard them to create space for him to move toward his ultimate goal.

Jesus’ subsequent observation—”How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”—is relevant to all of us. It is in our nature to cling to temporal things. The more we own, the harder it may be for us to let them go.

Here are some other lessons from this exchange, along with relevant blog posts:

• It can be painful to give away our earthly baggage, including our sins and our unneeded possessions: Taking up Our Cross.
• We may need to give up things we uniquely value in order to gain things we lack: Having Sealed the Truth of His Words by His Death – Mosiah 17:20.

2. “As a little child”

We place a high value on maturity. “When I became a man,” said Paul, “I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).

Yet when Jesus’ disciples tried to prevent people from bringing their children to Him, He turned the tables on them: “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein,” He said (Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17).

The same principle appears multiple times in the Book of Mormon. An angel taught King Benjamin, “The natural man is an enemy to God…and will be, forever and ever, unless he…becometh as a child” (Mosiah 3:19). Mormon instructed his son, Moroni, “Teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children” (Moroni 8:10). And when Jesus visited the American continent, He said, “Ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:37-38; see also 3 Nephi 9:22).

Some of the most sublime events during the Savior’s ministry on the American continent occurred as He ministered to young children. (See 3 Nephi 17:11-25, 3 Nephi 26:14, 16.)

Here is a blog post about this principle:

• And Becometh as a Child – Mosiah 3:19

3. “Let him be your servant”

In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, Jesus contrasts two prayers: one self-righteous and condescending and the other deferential and unpretentious. Jesus explained, “Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

In the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, He illustrates the damaging effect of comparing ourselves with others and expecting to receive more than people whom we perceive to be inferior. (See Matthew 20:1-16.)

And when His own apostles began to bicker about their relative status in the kingdom of heaven, He instructed them, “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister: and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26-27; see also Mark 10:43-44).

Here are some principles I have learned from this instruction of the Savior:

• Disciples of Christ seek to serve others in a practical and meaningful way: What Does It Mean to Minister?
• A Christlike leader tries to help other people be successful: He Did Administer unto Them – Alma 17:18.
• Christlike leaders are willing to accept correction from the people they lead: And They Were Also Admonished – Mosiah 26:38-39.

4. “He cried the more….”

Jesus reminded us in the Sermon on the Mount that God “knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Why then must we pray? And why must we sometimes ask many times before we receive the needed blessing? In response to this question, Jesus shared the Parable of the Importunate Widow, in which a woman begs a judge repeatedly to address an injury she has suffered. The judge eventually complies, simply because she never stops asking. The Savior concludes the parable with this question: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) His message is clear: we demonstrate our faith and commitment by pleading for a blessing persistently over time.

The healing of the blind beggar (or beggars) further illustrates this principle. As Mark tells the story, a blind man named Bartimæus pleaded with Jesus to have mercy on him. The people around him told him to be quiet, but instead of complying, “he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” In response, the Savior stopped and healed him, saying, “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Mark 10:46-52; see also Matthew 20:30-34, Luke 18:35-43).

It might seem unintuitive to pray persistently over time, but that is one way we demonstrate our faith to God. Here’s a blog post on that topic:

• This Long Time – Ether 1:41-43

Other passages

Here are two other blog posts you might find useful as you study this week’s assignment:

Topic	Passage	Blog Post
Marriage and divorce	Matthew 19:3-12, Mark 10:2-12	“Marriage Is Ordained of God”
Roles of church leaders	Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30	Will We Be Judged by the Apostles?

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