Will faith inform our prime minister’s decisions?

Have you ever read the story of the rich, young ruler in the Bible?

You’ll find it in the first 3 Gospels — Matthew 19, Mark 10 and Luke 18. It’s not a parable, but the true story of a conversation Jesus had with a man who is described as “young,” “rich” and a “ruler”. As I read this story I found some striking parallels and vital lessons for our country of Canada today.

The young man begins by asking an all-important question — “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Can you think of a more important question than that? At the end of your life, it won’t be what’s behind you that will really matter, but rather what lies ahead. This man was asking the right question.

In reply, Jesus tells the man to obey the commandments found in the Jewish Torah (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). When the man asks which ones, Jesus lists six of the 10 as examples. The truth is no one can obey all Ten Commandments perfectly. Have you always put God first in your life? Have you always been honest? Have you ever uttered a profanity? Have you always honoured your parents and the Lord’s day? Have you ever been jealous or coveted?

I think you get the point. Before a perfectly holy God, we are all guilty as charged. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious perfection (see Romans 3:23). Surprisingly, the self-righteous ruler replies that he has obeyed them all. Yet sensing something missing he adds, “What do I still lack?”

At this point Jesus lovingly puts his finger on the root problem — materialism. The man was rich and enslaved to his possessions. He didn’t own them; they owned him. So Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and then invited him to be one of his disciples. Just think, there could have been 13 disciples instead of 12. What a glorious opportunity.

How many Canadians are ensnared by materialism? I call it “Canada’s majority religion.” Instead of worshipping God on Sunday morning, most of our fellow countrymen (and women) are sleeping, shopping, sporting or sipping at St. Timothy’s of Horton. They are enjoying the good gifts of life without giving thought to the Giver.

Sadly, the rich young ruler rejected Jesus’ offer and walked away.

So, how would our “rich, young ruler” have responded to Jesus? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who grew up in a wealthy family, is 45 — one of the youngest political leaders in the world today.

Trudeau grew up in a family with a Catholic father and a mother who converted to Catholicism at marriage. In his recent memoir, Common Ground, Trudeau wrote that the tragic death of his brother, Michel, in 1998 prompted him to “welcome God’s presence into my life” and to “reaffirm the core of the Christian beliefs I retain to this day.”

At that time a friend invited him to a 12-week “Alpha” course, which explores the basic teachings of Christianity. Taught by a former lawyer and now evangelical Anglican pastor in England, Nicky Gumbel, this program “came at exactly the right time” (in his words) as Trudeau dealt with his grief and loss.

So how real is this encounter with Jesus to him now 20 years later? Will his faith inform his political decisions or will he say (as so many politicians do) that his faith is a private matter that doesn’t really impact his public policies? Will the possession (and retention) of power become an idol in his life that will cause him as well to walk sadly away from Jesus?

Regardless of your politics, Scripture commands us to pray for our “rich, young ruler” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) so that he will seek God’s guidance, strength and wisdom. If he does, we’ll be able to add the word “wise” to that title as well.