"Jesus looked at him and loved him."

Mark 10: 17-22:
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’^d”20“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Pastor David talked last night about falling back in love with the Lord, and I thought of these verses. When I read this passage, I have to say that I didn't initially feel sympathy for the rich young man-he reminds me of someone who sucks up to the teacher in class, but is really just trying to show off to the teacher (and the other students) how much he/she knows. In fact, I think Jesus' first comment about no one being good but God alone is a sarcastic remark meant to illustrate that it's silly for the rich young man to think of Jesus as just a "good teacher."

And yet, even right after the rich young man makes the absurdly arrogant statement that he's kept all the commandments since he's a boy(really? never violated any of them even once?), Jesus looks at him, and loves him. That really touched me, and brought home to me how unconditional God's love for us really is.