Many
people who come to Marc Salem’s stage shows think he can read minds. But he
makes no such claim, saying he is not a psychic or magician, but a close
observer of people. He told writer Jennifer Mulson, “We live in a world that’s
mostly invisible to us because we’re not paying attention to things . . . . I’m
very sensitive to what people give off” (The Gazette, Colorado Springs).
It’s
interesting to note what Jesus saw as He met people. His encounter with a
wealthy young man seeking eternal life is recorded in the gospels of Matthew,
Mark, and Luke. Mark includes this telling detail, “Then Jesus, looking at him,
loved him” (Mark 10:21). Some people may have seen this young man as an
arrogant person (vv.19-20) while others might have envied his wealth, but Jesus
looked at him with love.
We often focus on the man’s sad departure and apparent unwillingness to give up his riches and follow Jesus (v.22). When the disciples wondered aloud about the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom of God (v.26), “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible’” (v.27).
