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 arose from Galilee 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.'"   My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a good Teacher.  It says that Christ's response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  The commandments quoted by Jesus are found at Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20.  Let us note that this man who approaches Jesus is often referred to as the "rich young ruler."  Jesus is now in Judea, and is going out on the road, perhaps toward Jerusalem, so this young ruler is likely connected to one of the important families of the temple leadership. 

 

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This young man had an earnest desire for eternal life, and sensed that he still lacked something.  So, 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 says that to be perfect, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained, it says, unless this sacrifice is given freely.  But the specifics for each person of how one follows Christ will be different.  Here, wealth had such a grip on this rich young ruler, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, giving away his 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?"  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 which have been suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some suggest that this word was not "camel," but rather an Aramaic word that sounds similar but means "rope."  Others have said the "eye of a need" was the name of a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, symbolizing wealth.  There is an expression in the Talmud "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But, whatever this phrase refers to, my study Bible says, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.   It notes that this is clearly evidenced by the response of the disciples, "Who then can be saved?"  But through the grace of God, even what's 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 is not commanding believers to divorce spouses or to abandon children.  Again, my study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that this refers to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It means also to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of a believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, my study Bible says, but in a spiritual sense -- the father's and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

This story of the rich young ruler appears in all three Synoptic Gospels.  Therefore it forms a kind of highlighted, central story in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  We should be careful not to confuse a principle of sacrifice with an elevation to a purpose of modern concepts of sacrifice per se.  In other words, Jesus calls upon this young man to give up his wealth, sell it, and give to the poor, and to follow Him -- all in that order, and for an important intention.  As my study Bible points out, the whole purpose of this is because of his deep clinging to wealth as if it were an ineluctable part of his life and identity, so much so, that it gets in the way of his desire for eternal life and to follow Christ.  And this is the purpose of Christ's command to him, so that he may be able to find the eternal life he seeks.  There is nothing in particular that is inherently evil in wealth.  St. Paul writes that it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil, not money in itself (1 Timothy 6:10).  Neither is Jesus suggesting that wealth is meant to be distributed for particular purposes of a social or political or even moral nature (for that one presumes that following Christ teaches and leads us in what to do with our wealth).  This young man is in earnest and truly seeks out Jesus as a good Teacher.  But there is one aspect we might consider about his identity.  As he's called a rich ruler, it's likely he's connected to the temple, and his possessions may in fact by the result of inherited position.  The Sadducees, for example, formed a kind of aristocracy around Jerusalem, and they were connected to the priestly families of the temple.  So, one aspect of wealth is its pervasive grip upon personal identity.  Who are we without our possessions?  Possessions also give us social status of a particular kind, and this in turn forms identity.  How others think of us forms a highly pervasive sense of who we are, but Christ calls us out of that place.  Let us keep in mind, for example, the experience of Jesus in His hometown, and how pervasive social status is within community.  So much so, that when He preached in Nazareth, the neighbors clung to their old ideas of Jesus and His family, and could not receive His gracious words, nor could Jesus perform any great work there (see Mark 6:1-6).  His wisdom both astonished and offended His old neighbors.  So important is this event that Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" is found in some form in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  This young man's wealth likely ties him to his family and community in some particular way.  But Christ calls us out of our worldly identity and into one that He gives us in this sense of the eternal life.  Jesus points to that life when He teaches the young man that by giving up his wealth, selling it, and giving to the poor, he will have "treasure in heaven."  For we are called, as this young man is, to take up our crosses in order to exchange one type of life for another, just as we may have treasure in heaven by giving to those in need, a blessing for a blessing.  In the case of this man, that giving will set him free to follow Christ, for this is his particular need at this stage.  Let us note also that the text tells us Jesus gave this command out of love for this young man (Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him . . .).  The difficulties of giving up his wealth seem to keep him from becoming another beloved disciple of Christ, but of course we don't know what he did later on in his life.  For record, we should also note that there are wealthy people in the Gospels who become exemplary followers of Christ.  These are Joseph of Arimathea who donates an expensive tomb (likely made for himself) in order to honor Christ in burial, and Nicodemus the Pharisee.  Both give up a considerable amount to honor Jesus publicly, both endanger, and likely lose, wealth and position in so doing; both were among the rulers in the temple.  In fact, my study Bible notes that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.  As we read in the text, the disciples, while not men of great wealth, are also those who have left all to follow Jesus, exchanging their places, work, hometowns, and life for the life they are called to by Christ, to become disciples and apostles.  To follow Jesus is to be called out of past identity in one form or another, and to find oneself in His life, His Kingdom.  As my study Bible says, that calling will be different for each, the specifics of each one of us taking up our cross will depend upon the things God calls us out of, and how we're called forward.  For today, let us consider the pitfalls of wealth and even of what we moderns call progress, for so much of this is linked to possessions, to "keeping up."  For the world will always seek to dictate to us whom we are supposed to be, what we need to have and to do, how we look before others, what our social status is and where we fit.  This rich young ruler is directed by Jesus to follow the commandments of the Law as a good thing.  But he's also asked to go further and take up his cross. How does Christ call you forward, to follow Him?