With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible

 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 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  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 rich young man comes to Christ to seek advice, as if from a good Teacher.  He comes running to Christ, suggesting how deeply he wants this advice.  He kneels before Jesus in respect, but understands Him only as a teacher, not as the Christ.  However, he is sincere, unlike the Pharisees in yesterday's reading (above) who come simply to test Jesus.  We can assume that he comes from a landowning family, perhaps one of the aristocratic class of Jerusalem who formed part of the Council.  My study bible says here that Christ's response to him does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  The commandments given to Moses he has kept all of his life -- but what is made clear by this passage is that formal observance does not make one righteous before God.  My study bible comments that this man had an earnest desire for eternal life, and sensed that he still lacked something.  Therefore he continues to press Jesus for the answer.

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.  Let us note that Mark tells us Jesus loved him.  It gives us a clue as to the man's sincerity in seeking out Christ.  My study bible comments that to be perfect, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ, and that this sacrifice must be made freely.  It's important also that it notes that whatever is specifically asked of each one will be different for each.   Wealth had a great grip on this rich man; my study bible suggests that his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. Chrysostom writes that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  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?"   Note that the disciples are astonished at Jesus' words.  But Jesus emphasizes the point with a vivid metaphor.  My study bible notes the varied interpretations suggested regarding this image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some have stated that the word for camel in Aramaic resembles one meaning "rope" -- and so the analogy with the eye of a needle is closer if one thinks of unraveling the threads that comprise the rope.  Others have stated that the eye of a needle was a city gate, which a camel could barely squeeze through if it were unloaded of all of its baggage.  In the Talmud, my study bible notes, there is a similar expression, "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But however we read this passage, Jesus is clearly conveying the difficulties, even impossibility, for any of us attached to riches.  Considering the wealth and availability of goods pursued in many of our societies today, this remains a strong teaching for all of us.  Again, we note the repeated astonishment of the disciples, asking, Who then can be saved?  The difficulty has always been with us, and emphatically remains so.

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."   Here is another emphatic promise from Christ:  with God all things are possible.  Through God's grace, what is impossible to human beings can come to pass.   The apostles "come to themselves" with Peter speaking for them:   See, we have left all and followed You.  Jesus gives another promise, one of an exchange, receiving a hundredfold in exchange, plus persecutions, and eternal life.  But yet again, He emphasizes the central importance of humility, repeating a teaching from Monday's reading, in which Jesus said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35).

What is interesting about today's passage is that we tend to view it as a scathing indictment about possessions and the wealthy, but in effect, this is not quite what is presented to us.  The text tells us that Jesus loved this rich young man, and the advice to give away what he owned was loving advice -- it was the one thing he lacked.  The emphasis here is on detachment from anything that gets in the way of faith.  That is, there is one thing necessary (Luke 10:42), that comes first (Matthew 22:37).  Today's teaching is quite similar to the earlier ones from the week, in which Jesus gave the apostles images of self-mutilation, suggesting that it is better to enter life maimed and without a hand or foot or eye, rather than harming one of the littlest ones who will be in their charge.  That also was an admonition to detachment, of the strongest kind, using the images of body parts to convey an impression of personal habits or desires that we need to cast off in order to truly follow Him (see Tuesday's reading).  In each of our readings for the week, Jesus has spoken to us about attachments, and the need to allow God in first before everything else.  St. Paul writes that "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12)  That is, our spiritual need goes deeper than anything else, and that which would separate us from salvation will be rooted out even to the greatest depth within us.  What we remember, however, is Jesus' promise of exchange.  We exchange one way of life for another, one way of looking at life for another, one set of attachments for a deeper reality grounded in the energies of God, to which all else will be added.  But we will be changed, our dependency will be upon something other than that which we think we possess.  This is the exchange of life He promises, and it is a change of life indeed.  Let us pray for our own detachment, which can be painful and difficult, even a frightening process.  Jesus repeatedly says to the disciples, "Do not be afraid."   But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).  We don't know what life this rich man, beloved of Christ, could have had as one of Jesus' followers. We do know that he went away sad.  As St. Chrysostom writes, it is by no means an easy thing to give up the things we're asked, internal and external.  Let us pray for the courage to follow, for ourselves and others, for with God all things are possible.