Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Mark 10:17-31

Yesterday we read that Jesus left Capernaum and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."    In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."   And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  This wealthy young man comes to Jesus for advice.  He considers Jesus to be a "good Teacher."  Jesus' answer, my study bible says, doesn't deny that He is the Christ, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  Jesus' first response is to cite the commandments (see Exodus 20:12-16, Deuteronomy 5:16-20).  The young man is devout, and has kept the commandments from his youth, but senses that he still lacks something.  My study bible says that formal observance of the commandments doesn't make one righteous before God.  This man has an earnest desire for eternal life.

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.   He lacks one thing, a willingness to exchange whatever it is that holds him back from taking up the cross, and following Christ for the life He offers.  My study bible says that nothing is gained unless such a sacrifice is given freely.  It adds that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  This follows on the teachings in Tuesday's reading to the disciples, in which Jesus taught that whatever keeps them from proper humility in service must be discarded.  For this young man, wealth had such a grip on his life that his hope is to sell what he has and give to the poor, and be free to follow Christ.  We note that this is presented by Jesus not merely as sacrifice, but exchange:  he will have treasure in heaven.  A commentary by St. John Chrysostom says that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions to this man.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."   There are many commentaries and interpretations of the saying Jesus offers here.  Some say that rather than camel the word used was Aramaic for "rope" (which is similar in sound).  Other suggest that the eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel might be able to squeeze if first all its baggage was stripped, symbolizing wealth and possessions.   There is an expression used in the Talmud "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But my study bible comments that whatever the phrase refers to, it's clearly meant by Christ to display the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  The disciples show by their astonished response how stunned they are by what He teaches, especially when they ask, "Who then can be saved?"  But with God's grace all things are possible.

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  Peter speaks for the apostles when he notes "we have left all and followed You."  My study bible says that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children here.  Rather, it refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family, according to commentary by St. John Chrysostom.  It also means, my study bible adds, that one may have to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  The promise of a hundredfold return (again, in keeping with the language of exchange) of houses and relatives is not meant in a worldly or earthly sense but rather a spiritual one:  the fathers and mothers of the Church, sisters and brothers in Christ, houses of worship and fellowship.

As noted in commentary above, Jesus speaks of an exchange.  There's practically no telling which of our "possessions" will stand in the way of taking up the cross and following Christ.  As we read on Tuesday, Jesus could be speaking of elements of personality, habits, or selfish tendencies that need to be sacrificed for the mission of the Church.  That was in His teaching to the apostles about their own competitive tendencies as they argued for position with one another.  Here, this young man wishes for eternal life and Jesus asks him to exchange his way of life for the one offered in following Him.  He promises him treasure in heaven.   As St. Chrysostom indicates, this advice is specific to the young man.  The things we are asked to give up in exchange for the life Christ offers to us may vary from individual to individual and specific time to specific time.  This is not something that is predictable, but is the product of grace at work in us.  When Jesus says that "with God all things are possible," He's speaking of this steady constant influence upon us when we seek to walk in faith.  One by one, there will be things that come up in our lives for us to make choices over.  Each will present us with a question of what is more important, this thing we hold dear (which could be absolutely anything, from a personal fondness for a way of thinking to parts of our lives to which we are deeply attached, habits, relationships, or possessions) -- or our walk with Christ, our faith and hope and trust in where He leads us.  This is discipleship.  It is the process of life and faith.  None of these things are easy, because what we sacrifice or exchange is something to which we are deeply enough attached that it may form a stumbling block to the fullness of life offered in Christ.  We may need to strip away something before we understand where we're headed, and the fullness of the replacement in exchange.  But in so doing, we find faith increased, as well as dependency upon Christ.  It is always a walk toward something, a journey to the life He offers in exchange.  What would you give for your freedom to follow Him?