Being a follower of Jesus meant seeing lots of people come and go. There were some of us who were always with the pack, like Peter and Andrew and James and John and Ole Buck (that’s me).
Then there were others who came and went, like the man I call the Rich Good Guy. He wore fancy robes and tunics and shiny leather sandals, like a tax collector, but everybody liked him, which wasn’t like a tax collector at all. I think the rich man worked at the temple church, because that’s where we usually ran into him.
I wasn’t allowed to go to church with Jesus and his other friends, but sometimes the Rich Good Guy came out to the hillside by the lake to hear him speak. And there, I always had a front row seat. In fact, I sat right beside him one day while Jesus talked.
After my best friend finished speaking, I could tell the man wanted to meet him, but he seemed a little shy. So, Buck worked his doggy magic. When he stood up, I bit into his purple tunic and pulled him toward Jesus. “Whoa!” said the rich man. But I’m not a horse, so I kept going.
Sure enough, we got Jesus’s attention. “Buck, let go! You’ll tear a hole in this man’s clothes.” he said, sternly.
I turned loose right away, but there was no hole, only a big slobbery spot. The man didn’t seem to mind. He was happy for the introduction. “Good teacher, what must I do to live forever with God?” he asked. “Why do you call me good? Only God is good,” Jesus answered.
If you want to know the kind of person Jesus was, that says it all. He wasn’t a typical pack leader, showing how tough and strong he was all the time. Jesus was so powerful, he didn’t need to prove anything. He never liked being the center of attention, anyway–unless he needed to be.
“You know God’s rules,” Jesus said, looking straight at the man. The Rich Good Guy now had my best friend’s complete attention, and that could make anyone uneasy. “I….I… I’ve kept all of them since I was a boy.”
Jesus kept looking at the man, with the same kind firmness I first saw the night he made water into wine. It was clear, he really cared about this guy, but there was something else. “One more thing,” Jesus said, “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have heavenly treasure. Then, come follow me.”
The man’s face drooped. As he looked at the ground and started to walk away, I fell in right beside him. “What’s the matter?” I whimpered. “I’m too rich… I’m too rich to sell everything I have,” the man whimpered back.
“Let him go, Buck,” said John, Jesus’s other best friend. “Maybe he will think about it and come back.”
I sure hope so. It was sad to see someone come so close to joining God’s pack, only to walk away. But with Jesus, almost isn’t enough. You’re either all in, or you’re not.
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
This piece of historical fiction (the dog part) is dedicated to the memory of the real Buck: a chocolate Labrador who was a gun dog par excellence. That’s him below, sitting in a duck blind watching his owner for the next command. It was his intense gaze (in the photo) that sparked this story. May each of us look to God with the same level of devotion.
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always. Psalm 105:4
*The story of the Rich Young Ruler is from Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18: 18-27.
A special thanks to Beth Alisan, from lessonsfromalab, for helping make this story possible. Here’s a link to her post about Buck: A Moment With Our Creator: Psalm 105:4
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
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