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"

 

 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 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."  My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but instead to seek advice from one whom he considers to be a "good Teacher."  Christ's response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead this rich man to such knowledge.

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."  My study Bible suggests that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  It says that this man had an earnest desire for eternal life and sensed that he still lacked something; thus, 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 states that to be perfect (see Matthew 19:21), one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  There is nothing gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  The specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  Because wealth had such a grip on this rich man, my study Bible notes, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the giving away of possessions are the least of Christ's instructions here; to follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.  Let us note also that Mark's Gospel explicitly tells us that this command was given as Jesus loved him.

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 comments that there are various interpretations that have been suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  One possibility is that the word was not "camel," but one that sounded similar in Aramaic that meant "rope."  Perhaps the eye of a needle was in fact a city gate, through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud, my study Bible says, there is an expression used "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Whatever it is to which the phrase refers, it shows the impossibility of salvation when attached to riches.  My study Bible adds that this is clearly evidenced by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  But with 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."  My study Bible says that Christ does not command believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but in a spiritual one.  That is, the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

Jesus speaks today of what we would immediately term sacrifices.  But He does not do so with the understanding that sacrifice is good for its own sake, or in and of itself.  Rather, in Christ's perspective, there is something far better, infinitely preferable, that is only possible through what we see as sacrifice.  In asking this rich young man, whom we're told that Jesus loved, to sell whatever he has and give to the poor -- and then follow Christ -- He's telling the young man the answer to his question.  He's telling him what he lacked in order to find eternal life.  He's not telling him that he is in some way "bad," neither is He exploiting this young man for some personal, political, or otherwise-motivated reason, and neither is He giving him this advice simply because it would be a good or moral thing to do.  He's telling him how to find the life he wants, because his possessions are actually keeping him from becoming a person who is capable of receiving that eternal life of the Kingdom that he desires.  Effectively, we may say, in accordance with yesterday's reading (above), that Jesus is teaching this young man how he may receive the kingdom of God "as a little child" and in accordance with His teachings.  Let us note carefully here that Jesus addresses His own disciples as "Children," adding, "how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  Note also the word "trust" that Jesus uses here, for this is the root of the word that also indicates "faith" in the Greek of the Bible.    For if we review the perspective we discussed in yesterday's commentary on the attitudes of little children, what we find is the absence of the ways in which money skews our social perspectives, defining worthiness based on cost or material wealth.  Indeed, any attitude of entitlement seems to obscure our capacity to recognize gifts, or the good things others may do for us, even through the love of God, or the love of goodness or generosity.  Possessions mean that we are responsible for them and for their upkeep; the more possessions one has, ostensibly the greater determination of time, attention, and effort must be put into such maintenance.  This, in turn, becomes a part of one's identity.  To be able to give freely and without attachment becomes a part of our capacity to be obedient to God, to help others less fortunate, and particularly to express compassion. We don't know who this rich young man is.  In Luke's version of this story, he's called a "ruler" (Luke 18:18), meaning that he's likely on the ruling Council, and possibly there because of his wealth.  He's young, so there's good reason to assume the wealth is inherited.  Although his intentions are good, he can't see past the possessions enough to give them up (something which would be difficult for any of us!), even for the promise of eternal life.  Moreover, what Christ is teaching here is that His commands are for our good, and there is nothing that should come between those commands and what is best for us.  He warns the disciples, "Our loyalty to Christ must come first.  As St. Chrysostom says, this command isn't the hardest one Christ could give; to follow Him in all things is harder.  And quite possibly, this is the new command necessary specifically for this rich young ruler.  As we see, the rest of the disciples speak of what they have given up to follow Christ, almost as an afterthought or recognition in light of this teaching.  But Jesus assures them that we have far more in our faith, and there we come to a substance we haven't named.  That substance is meaning.  It is beauty, goodness, and truth itself.  The concept of eternal life may be something hard to grasp, but the substance of our souls is not.  If we've got something troubling our conscience, we know that this colors the quality of our lives.  If we have sunk down into growing selfishness, or observed others do so, we can see also what this does to a person's life.  In considering such things, we should keep in mind that what Jesus is trying to do is to save this man's life, to save it for what will bring him a greater joy even than what he has.  Let us think, then, where our own greatest joy might be.  In our heart of hearts, who is the person Christ has created us to be, and to realize in our lives?  If we can help to redeem a world, would it give us gratitude and satisfaction for such a good mission in life, or its accomplishment?  If we give up the responsibility we feel to maintain wealth and position, and pleased Christ instead first, would that make our lives more fulfilled, less anxious, more greatly blessed?  These are the important question to consider.  Perhaps the greatest choice of all is something hidden, and that is the question of our freedom  For in being free to follow Christ, we will find the most thrilling freedom of all to choose, set apart from the demands the world would place upon us.  Let us consider each of these things carefully, and in our prayers commit to Christ and His freedom in our hearts.  For that is how we'll find His commands specifically and personally to us.  Treasure in heaven may sound far away and unknown; but the reality is that it is truly in our hearts, with us and with our faith.