who chooses you is

In the middle of the Gospel of Mark, and something in ch10 caught my eye. v17 begins the story of the rich, young ruler, and many when reading this story cue up their best haughty Pharisee voice when reading his lines before he leaves in sadness. But a little detail in v17 that I don't ever recall seeing gives me pause in my quick judgment. v17 says that the young man runs up to Christ and kneels before Him. That position on his knees doesn't quite jibe with haughty voice, now does it?

It's easy for us to look down on this man as going away and choosing riches over Christ, and that is not the picture being painted here. I've written about this story before, and pointed out that we all struggle with choosing things above Christ. This is a lesson about our personal idols.

The v17 detail points out what a tough choice it is to make. This is a rich, young ruler not accustomed to kneeling in front of anyone methinks. And to do so before Christ shows his heart for God. And the fact that he goes away sorrowful only means he is distressed that it's an either/or situation here, and he needs to rethink his commitments and priorities. And from the outside looking in we think this is an easy choice, that God always wins without hesitation, but really, have you examined your life lately?