Gospel MK 10:17-27
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement, his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
Reflection:
The man in the story who obeyed all the commandments was told by Jesus, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Further on in today’s gospel, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
For many of my generous rich friends today’s gospel is a source of trepidation. They often ask, “Is Jesus really telling me that I should sell everything I have and give all the proceeds to the poor?”
I answer by telling them that I am not a theologian or scripture scholar so, when reading the gospels, I have to rely on my common sense.
“Why,” I ask myself, “would Jesus only lay such a command on the rich?” And, in any event, Jesus did not say the young man in the story was rich. He said, “he had many possessions.”
I certainly am not rich but I too have many possessions.
In my opinion, this is an example of when we are called to look at the spirit of the message rather than the letter of the law.
I find the “spirit” of today’s gospel in Luke 12:48, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”
I believe what Jesus is saying is that God our Father, like any parent, wants and expects his children to be concerned about their brothers and sisters.
If I were to see my brother or sister in need, I certainly hope I would be moved to help them, to share whatever I had to ease their burdens and make their life better. Out of love, I need to extend that sense of generosity to all who are struggling.
It is through our willingness to share our blessings. whether they be many or few, that we are most assuredly “storing up treasure in Heaven” and following Jesus.
As for my being saved? Well, for all my failings, I take my sense of comfort from Jesus’ words, “All things are possible for God.”
“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16