It's a curious phrase, tucked into the middle of the story of the man commonly called the "rich young ruler." In Mark 10:21 , we read that after the man had told Jesus he had kept the commandments since his youth "Jesus looked at him and loved him." The answer that followed would not have been viewed as loving by either the Jews of the first century for whom wealth was seen as a sign of God's blessing, nor by a modern Western audience who would think a loving answer would have been something affirming. How could Jesus love this man, yet tell him to give up everything and follow Him?
This is where understanding a truly Biblical concept of love makes a difference. In our society, we tend to think of love in terms of emotional response. We "fall in love" when we are carried away with our passion. We love someone if we think of them fondly and feel good about them. When those emotional responses dry up, we feel fully justified in moving on to the next "love."
Jesus' love wasn't rooted in emotion, but in wanting this young man to realize fully who he was in God's eyes. That could not happen as long as he had his wealth in the pace God should be. Jesus knew that in order to realize himself fully he had to let go of the lesser, temporary consolations of wealth in favor of the genuine, eternal love of God. The love of Jesus would not allow this man to walk away with a vague feeling of success when he was truly in desperate need.
I think that we often let ourselves think that the way to respond lovingly to those who do not know Jesus is to make them feel OK about whoever or whatever they value, and to allow them to think that as long as they live a decent, sincere life they'll be all right. That isn't love. It may well be warm and fuzzy, and it may give us the approval of our society, but it isn't love. Love tells the truth even when it is hard and uncomfortable. Love is not needlessly harsh; Jesus didn't berate the man about his love of wealth, nor make a spectacle of him. Jesus simply laid the reality of the choice he had to make before him, knowing that this young man understood the repercussions.
The man chose, and obviously was disappointed by the choice he had to make. He wanted success on earth and in heaven on his own terms. Jesus offered eternal life, but on Jesus' terms. Notice that Jesus did not make the choice for him; the man made his own choice. However you view the Calvinist/Arminian debate, when we are presented with the claims of Christ we must make what is a real choice in our current circumstances. Jesus allowed the rich young ruler his choice. We have no indication that this man ever came to follow Jesus, despite what some scholars speculate.
This passage gives us pause; if Jesus was not 100% successful in evangelism, how can we hope our witness will make a difference? Jesus answers this in verse 27: "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Don't lose hope as a witness for Jesus Christ. Remember that it is the Holy Spirit's role to convict the heart and bring a realization of the need for Jesus. Be faithful in presenting Jesus to those you meet, and lay the eternal choice before them.
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