Are You Good?
Mark 10:17-31
Why is it so hard for people of wealth to enter the kingdom of God?
Photo of sunrise at sea by the author
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions-- and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” - Mark 10:17-31
Sometimes we can tell someone is going to be a problem by the way they approach us.
This man ran up to Jesus and knelt before him. He blocked Jesus from setting off on his journey.
What was he looking for? He said he wanted to know how to earn eternal life, but is that really what he was doing?
He seems to want validation.
I often wonder how I would act if I were super wealthy. Would I choose to give it all away to help the poor and hungry?
Or would I carve out a comfortable amount for myself to live on, and give the rest away?
Some choose to build things with their money. Maybe they start a charity or a foundation that is chartered to help people in need.
That’s a good thing, right?
I ask this while sitting in my cabin on a cruise ship traveling the world. Is this wealth well spent?
We are on our way to Maputo, Mozambique, in Africa. We just left Madagascar, where we witnessed what might have been the poorest population so far on our trip.
Tourism is a life-changing industry for this country, providing opportunities for advancement that local produce and industry cannot provide. Government corruption over the past decades didn’t help, but the people are resilient.
They put on their best clothes and come out to dance and sing for the visitors who pity them.
I wonder if the people who had surplus felt the same way about Jesus and his band of men who traveled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Peter says it outright. Lord, we gave up everything to follow you.
Jesus makes it clear that is what we should strive to do, to give up all that holds us back from being fully in the kingdom.
Where others see hopelessness, I see hope. It is clear in the eyes of the people who embrace us when we arrive on their shores and in their ports.
I am not saying they don’t need help, or that their lives are good, but perhaps they have found fulfillment in a way we cannot understand.
They don’t give up.
I am so accustomed to seeing people in our cities living on the street, using drugs to kill the pain of living, that I assume all who have little or nothing are like that.
They are not. I see what Jesus was trying to explain to the rich man and to Peter. We don’t need stuff to live a life that is full.
We need to see ourselves as citizens of God’s Kingdom, here and now. And it wouldn’t hurt to do as Jesus said, and invite those who cannot repay us to dinner.
More to come...