September 12

Secret Idols

Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. — Mark 10:21-22 BSB

How many people know in their hearts what they ought to do but fail to act because they are hiding some forbidden thing. They refuse to move with the current of God’s will because they are secretly anchored to a sandbank. They go from one teacher to another, appearing to seek eternal life, but never follow through because they are unwilling to give up their secret idol.

In the case of this young man, his idol was the love of money. “He had great possessions.” There is nothing wrong with money itself—it is a gift from God—but it is hard to own it without coming to see it as one’s own, forgetting that we are only stewards. That’s why our Lord posed this supreme test. St. Francis of Assisi believed these words applied to all and founded the Franciscans, an order committed to poverty. But it seems more in keeping with the Gospel to see this as a specific test for this man, meant to reveal his true self.

The law of love is not only negative, forbidding us from wrongdoing, but also positive, urging us to do good. The essential condition for each of us is to be willing, like another young man living at that time, to “count all things loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil 3:8). If you are prepared to follow Christ and give up everything for love’s sake, you may find yourself entrusted with much more, for Christ knows you will serve as His steward without clinging to what passes through your hands.

We must guard against making an idol of money or possessions. While riches can open many doors, they will not unlock the gates of Heaven. Let us always act as stewards of God’s property, living in constant fellowship with our Master, who, though He was rich, became poor for our sake so that we might be made rich through His poverty. He says to us too, “Come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

Prayer

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee. Amen.