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, after passing through Galilee, Jesus 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."  In contrast to the Pharisees and others who come to test Him, this man is looking for advice from one whom he considers to be simply a good Teacher.  My study Bible comments that Jesus' response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  

 

"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."   See Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20 for these commandments cited by Jesus.  My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  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.  My study Bible explains that to be perfect (Matthew 19:21), one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  It notes that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  As wealth had such a grip on this rich man, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that giving away possessions is actually the least of the instructions Christ gives here.  To follow Him in all things, my study Bible says, is a fare 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."  My study Bible notes that there have been various interpretations suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some say that the word was not camel, but "rope" (the Aramaic word sounds alike); or that the eye of a needle was actually the name of a city gate through which a camel might barely squeezed if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  Additionally, there is an expression in the Talmud which is similar:  "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But whatever the source of the phrase, it shows the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  My study Bible says that this is clearly evidenced by the response of the disciples, "Who then can be saved?"  But by God's grace, even what is impossible for human beings can come to pass.  

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 my study Bible comments that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it says, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  But also, it means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).   My study Bible adds that believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but in a spiritual sense -- the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

 

One would presume that this was a rich young man (Matthew's Gospel tells us that he was young) because his wealth was inherited, or due to family position within the society.  He might have been among the wealthy landowning class of Jerusalem at that time, many of whom were members of the Sadducees, and held high positions within the ruling Council and the Temple.  But, be that as it may, it seems safe to assume that with such possessions also went family and social structure.  In short, in such an economy, especially as compared to our own, great possessions did not come easily outside of social position and inherited wealth.  We live in a world where in recent memory a robust economy and certain economic structures can give a promise of upward mobility, of wealth through hard work, and acquired education or specialized business skills.  But Jesus did not live in such a world.  Nonetheless, even in our time of economic fluctuation, possessions and family structure still seem to go hand in hand.  Let us note that when the disciples speak of what they have left behind to follow Jesus, those possessions such as homes also include leaving family behind.  So, this young man's great attachment to his possessions, we can assume, is something other than a kind of selfishness or greed.  It is about how difficult it is to give up what we think we have, and how attached we become to the things we own that define us and give us a sense of who we are.   While in Christ's time societies were far more stratified than in modern economies, we still tend to associate identity and status with possessions, perhaps even more so than at any other time in the past.  So let us give deep consideration to what Christ teaches here.   So many problems seem to hinge on an inability to let go of attachments of one sort or another, and here Jesus is offering an alternative:  "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  If one follows modern programs dealing with addiction and a host of other problems, one is familiar with what is called the Twelve Steps.  Such a program hinges on reliance on a higher power, and stems originally from programs with a Christian orientation.  We still suffer from similar maladies today, as human beings, that Jesus addresses in the Gospels.   Not least of such problems are attachments:  things upon which we rely which are impermanent, which can disappoint, but more importantly, which can get in the way of a deepening reliance upon God.  It is this deepening reliance upon God which is where our faith leads us and teaches us to go, for this is the substance of the gospel of the Kingdom which Jesus preaches.  While we may not all be in the circumstances of this rich young man whom Jesus loved, we may all face similar struggles of attachment and the need for growth, especially the kind of growth that feeds our souls and psyches, a reconciliation with God and with our circumstances.  We all have choices to make, and Christ is here to teach us what those choices come down to, and what we might rely on.  Let us remember His love and His teaching, for it all still applies, even in new and modern circumstances.  For even with persecutions, God's love remains the worthy exchange for what ails us.