Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark 10:21 (KJV)
Follow me – To put this in context, a man asks Yeshua what he must do to inherit eternal life. Yeshua then tells this man that he must keep the commandments. When the man responds that he has kept the commandments from his youth, Yeshua tells this man to sell all he has and follow him.
What do we do with these words from Yeshua? Yeshua doesn’t tell the man to disregard the law. Yeshua doesn’t tell him to recite the sinner’s prayer. He doesn’t tell this man to live spiritually. Yeshua tells him to keep the commandments.
Get ready for this! The man says that he already keeps the commandments. He’s already, without error, obeying the law. And in response to this answer, Yeshua beholding him loved him. Yes, Yeshua loved the man because he was keeping the commandments. And for this, Yeshua gives him an opportunity to fulfill a law of Moses that no one could ever fulfill before Yeshua walked the earth.
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:15)
Follow me. The word “hearken” in Deuteronomy is the Hebrew word shama` ( שָׁמַע ) and means both “listen” and “obey.” Moses instructed Israel that a Prophet would come and the people were to listen and obey Him. This one commandment was impossible for anyone to fulfill until that Prophet came. Yeshua says, Hearken unto me, and sell all your belongings. Yeshua was that Prophet.
And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. (Luke 7:16)
The Prophet’s role was always to encourage sinners to repent and turn them back to the law of God. It still hasn’t changed. Yeshua continually instructs His followers to keep the commandments. This is the first step. Start by keeping the law of God, and that same law will point you to Yeshua. He is the Messiah come to unify His kingdom, the 12 tribes. This is the Gospel preached by His apostles.
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