"And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him..." (Mark 10:21).
The episode of the rich young man can be found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, only Mark writes that "Jesus, looking at him, loved him." That tender detail leads to the possibility that the rich young man was Mark himself. We can't say for sure, but the idea is intriguing. And if it was Mark, this exchange with Jesus marked the beginning of an extraordinary transformation of his life.
What we can say for sure is that Jesus, looking at you, loves you. Our Lord alone has the ability to see and love the entire world and yet single you out for His personal attention and love.
But in the case of the rich young man, we cannot separate the love of Jesus from what He then says to him immediately: "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." It was precisely out of love that Jesus spoke this hard word. For in order to follow Jesus and truly love Him back, the rich man needed to part with the one he loved more - his wealth.
Jesus looks at you and knows everything about you. He loves you to the point of laying down His life for your sins. Out of this same love He will tell you when you have placed something in your life ahead of Him. His Spirit will show it to you and provide the power to part with it, and then to follow Jesus on a journey that never disappoints!
