The Lion and the Golden Calves: Why We Can’t Keep Jesus as a Pet

Matthew 19:16–26 

There is a profound difference between seeing a lion at the zoo and encountering one in the wild. Behind the safety of thick glass, a lion is majestic but manageable. He’s predictable. He’s a "sight to see." But if you were walking through tall grass and heard that same roar resonate in your chest, your perspective would shift instantly. You would realize, with every fiber of your being, that you are not in control.

Many of us approach faith like a trip to the zoo. We want a "Zoo Jesus"—majestic enough to inspire us and close enough to bless us, but safely tucked behind the glass of our own terms. We want him to improve our lives without actually having the authority to change them.

But Jesus isn't a pet. He is the Lion of Judah, and He refuses to be kept on a leash.

The Problem with the Checklist

In Matthew 19, a young man approaches Jesus with a question that sounds spiritual but reveals a heart looking for a "managed" god. He asks, "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" He is looking for a checklist. He wants a ladder he can climb—a way to stay in the driver’s seat of his own salvation. Even after Jesus lists the commandments, the man insists he has kept them all, yet he admits something is still missing.

He’s like a person leaning a beautiful wooden ladder against a house. From the street, the ladder looks perfect. But the moment he puts his full weight on the rungs, they snap. Why? Because he was trusting in his own performance to hold him up. Our "Golden Calves"—those things we rely on to feel secure, whether it's our bank accounts, our reputations, or our "good person" status—always snap when we put our full weight on them. They were never meant to carry the weight of our identity.

The Box Under the Bed

When Jesus tells the young man to sell his possessions, He is pointing to this man’s specific idol. For this man, wealth was the thing he couldn't let go of.

Think of it like a parent telling a teenager, "I’ll help you clean your room, but I need to see what’s in that box under your bed." We all have that "box"—the one area of life where we say "No" to God. It’s the thing we think we need in order to be okay.

The young man walked away sad because he wanted a Savior, not a Lord. He wanted the blessing, but he couldn't drop the gold. The tragedy is that he didn't realize that in the hands of the Living God, the gold he was clutching was actually a chain

.

The Hope of the Impossible

Jesus tells His disciples that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom. It sounds impossible—and that’s the point. We cannot willpower our way into freedom. We cannot pry the idols off our own hearts through human effort.

But Jesus offers these life-changing words: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Imagine hiking a narrow trail. To get through a tiny crack in the rocks, you have to take off your massive, overstuffed backpack. Jesus isn't trying to make your life miserable by asking you to "drop your stuff." He is inviting the Holy Spirit to help you unbuckle the heavy pack of ego and self-reliance so you can actually fit through the door to freedom.

Following the Lion

The Lion is roaring today, not to scare you, but to set you free from the things that aren't heavy enough to carry your soul. How do we respond with a heart of Spirit-led piety?

• Identify the Displacement: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your "One Thing"—the Golden Calf you're tempted to trust.

• Practice Spirit-Led Surrender: We don't surrender to prove we are free; we surrender because Christ has made us free.

  
  

  • If it’s money: Give a gift as an act of gratitude, acknowledging that Christ is your true Treasure. Let the act of giving be a physical reminder that you are already fully provided for in Him.

    
    

  • If it’s approval: Rest in the fact that you are already fully known and perfectly loved by the Father. When His "Well done" is the loudest voice in your life, the fear of man begins to lose its power.

• Look to the Lamb: We can trust the Lion because He became a Lamb for us. On the cross, Jesus gave up everything so He could have you. When we see the beauty of His sacrifice, our idols naturally begin to lose their luster.

You cannot keep Jesus as a pet. But when you drop the gold to follow the Lion, you don't end up with less. You end up with Life.

This devotional was based on a sermon preached by Pastor Paul Becker of the First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown.

Listen to the full sermon here: The Lion and the Golden Calves