In ancient times the coming of a king was preceded by special preparation. A herald was sent ahead in order to prepare the road on which the king would be traveling. Low areas and holes were filled in, high rough places that would be a hindrance were cut down and made smooth, and crooked areas straightened. We've seen this in recent times when Queen Elizabeth II visited the Bahamas. In preparation for her coming the roads she planned to be traveling were completely resurfaced. While there could be many different actions taken to meet the specific needs in the roads' preparation, it essentially boiled down to two categories that were needed. In one case the road had low areas and holes that needed to be filled in, risen up, and made smooth. In the other case all hindrances would be removed. High areas would be leveled, trees would be cut down, stones would be removed, and crooked areas made straight. This provides us with a useful picture of two responses Jesus had toward peoples' inquiry of eternal life during his public ministry.
1. Filling the low areas- The Gospel of Luke 23: 26-43
During Jesus' crucifixion there were two criminals, one on each side of him. All three were nailed to their crosses and awaiting certain physical death. The two criminals were mocking Jesus along with the crowd. As the hours wore on one of the criminal's conscience is pricked. His fellow criminal jeers at Jesus, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" The newly conscientious criminal then rebukes his counterpart. "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he turned toward Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Then Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." We don't know the name of the criminal that went to Paradise with Jesus that day. We can probably profile him somewhat successfully as a man who had never been baptized, he probably was not in a good standing within a religious community. He may have never even been in a synagogue or been literate enough to read scripture. He wasn't a "good person." All we have are his few comments and actions prior to his physical death. This simplicity however speaks volumes. The first happening is the miracle of the criminal's conscience being awakened. He ideologically pulled away from the crowd and stopped mocking Jesus. He realized that he and his criminal counterpart deserved death for the criminal activities they willfully engaged in. He also realized that Jesus is pure and does not deserve the punishment that he is taking. He then showed a belief in the afterlife and Jesus' right as God to rule over it. His request to be remembered was a plea for mercy which further reflects his simple understanding that he has no hope in his own goodness. His salvation was utterly dependent on divine grace and that the distribution of that grace was Jesus' power. This awareness of utter hopelessness apart from Jesus is the conscientious criminal's awareness that he is a pot-hole that needs to be filled. Once he asks for the filling, Jesus immediately fills him and raises him up. Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." The King entered in.
2. Leveling the high areas- The Gospels of Matthew 19: 16-22 / Mark 10: 17-22 / Luke 18: 18-23
One day Jesus was taking local children in his arms and speaking blessings to them. As he began to set out on his journey a man ran up to him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' " And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Jesus' response to the young man is very different than the response he would later give to the convicted criminal crucified beside him. What we know about Jesus from his own words lets us know that his overarching goal for these men was the same. So why such mercy to the criminal while slamming the young man into the Law of Moses? Firstly the young man's way of addressing Jesus as "Good Teacher" does not recognize Jesus' deity. Instead he sees Jesus as a teacher sent by God who has eternal life and may know how he can acquire it for himself. Jesus response: "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." is not a denial of his deity, rather he was opening the dialogue up for the man to readdress Jesus correctly as Lord or to admit the truth of his own sinful state. Jesus being God incarnate was able to see the man's heart, the very seat of his will, priorities, appetites, affections, and loyalties. He saw that the young man's spiritual hindrance was his inability or unwillingness to admit his own spiritual bankruptcy. So Jesus continued speaking to the need of leveling the high area of pride and self righteousness so that the King may enter in. Jesus was not suggesting that following the Law of Moses was the way to earn salvation. The standards laid out by God in the Law are impossible to perfectly meet. The Law was designed to raise awareness of our need for divine mercy and grace. In love Jesus spoke to the man's need to understand that attempting to accomplish eternal life in his own strength and by his own goodness was futile. Instead of becoming aware, the young man dug his heels in and recommended himself again to Jesus claiming that he had followed the Law perfectly since he was a youth and expected this would earn him salvation. Jesus swiped at the self deceived and exalted heart of the man again: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and come, follow me." This is not Jesus giving philanthropic terms of salvation. This statement is custom fit for this man as Jesus sees his inner-being. Eternal life was not a coin to add to the man's riches.
Essentially Jesus was saying to the man: To have eternal life you must acknowledge the truth of your poverty in spirit while acknowledging me as God, having the exclusive power to extend my saving grace and mercy to you. Once this awareness dawns on you, you would be willing to surrender to me in love and give up anything I commanded. I would have no competitor within you. This is why the rich young man turned away from Jesus sorrowful. He perceived that he had a lot to lose. The tragedy was that he stood to gain infinitely more than he had, yet he walked away spiritually empty and on a trajectory of losing even the temporal wealth he clung to.
Everyone who comes into the kingdom has allowed Jesus to deal with their particular hindrance to his Lordship. No one has anything to bring to the Lord's table of salvation except an empty belly.
Matthew 11:25-30
"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."