Year B Proper 23 RCL Congregational 2024
Mark 10:17-31
Jesus said, “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, the rich young man was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Our Gospel this morning seems to contain a sad story, that of a disappointed rich young man who walked away from Jesus when He told him what was needed to inherit eternal life. The initial message seems clear, that those who possess much material wealth will find it harder to be poor in Spirit, will find it harder to enter the Kingdom of God. But is there a more powerful underlying message here, which sheds a different light on the fate of the rich man and reveals hope to all of us.
Clearly we can see in the world around us that, unlike the poor, the rich often have difficulty relying solely on God. Jesus states it clearly enough: “Children, with what difficulty will they who trust in riches enter the kingdom of God!” So what does the rich man do when Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and come and follow Him? He walks sadly away. Here is where the young man is generally assumed to have utterly given up on his ideal of reaching heaven. But, let’s look deeper into Mark’s Gospel passage.
We are introduced to the rich man as he was “running up” to Jesus where he “fell upon his knees before him.” These are actions of a man filled not only with the determined desire for something, but also a man who has great respect for Jesus. He is quite different from the Sadducees and Pharisees who hound Jesus only to trip Him up. The young man is honest and worthy, only asking a question to find out how he can gain eternal life. This is the question which has occupied the minds of all true Christians throughout the ages.
Notice how the rich man addresses Jesus: “Good Master…” Then, almost as if to set the young man straight, even curb his enthusiasm, Jesus answers, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but only God.”
Jesus then goes on to quote the commandments, which the man assures Him he has kept all his life, and Jesus, who sees into the heart, and already knows the virtue of the young man before Him, “looked at him with love.”
Could it be that because of the uncommonly just life the man has led up to this point, he has attained the insight, by grace, to see Jesus as the “Good Master,”? Does he recognize Jesus, without even realizing it, as Lord and God? In whatever way the young man has gained this insight, before Jesus answers his question, He points out by what authority He, Jesus, speaks.
Finally, Jesus delivers the hard blow to the rich young man. “You lack one thing; go, sell whatever you have, give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven.”
Imagine Jesus saying to any of us, “You lack one thing.” That would mean, we’ve done everything necessary in order to possess great riches in heaven - except one thing. If you stop there - it sounds like Jesus is offering the man a compliment. Think about it. If Jesus said that to any one of us, we would believe He is saying He is pleased with our life thus far.
Jesus tells the man the secret to eternal happiness, and handpicks him to be one of His followers, by adding, “come, follow me.”
But all this hangs on the words, sell whatever you have, give to the poor. Can we truly fault the rich young man for hanging his head and walking away at the unsteadying blow of that moment?
For this young man, Jesus had only recently arrived on the scene. Jesus was nourishing the crowds with words of wisdom, hope and an unconditional love that struck to the core of every open heart, including the rich man. From his reaction, giving up his many possessions had apparently never crossed this young man’s mind. He was certainly not expecting this to be the answer to his pressing question. To say “yes” to such a notion would mean to toss away, in an instant, everything that had made him feel secure through the years, and become totally reliant on the Good Master, on Jesus, on God.
We, on the other hand, have the benefit of knowing Jesus more fully. We’ve had 20 centuries of Bible study, of commentary, of holy tradition. In addition, we have the powerful examples of holy people from every walk of life. We have had time and example by which to confirm the validity of every word Jesus spoke. Yet, in all honesty, even if those of us who aren’t “rich” were asked to give up all our possessions in exchange for greater riches in heaven, we would at least pause. Perhaps, like the rich young man, we would even retire sadly to ponder our prospects.
When the rich man leaves, Jesus’ disciples seem to be unsurprised, perhaps even sympathetic at the his departure. Yet Jesus not only repeats Himself, but punctuates His statement with a vivid analogy. He informs His disciples, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” To this statement, the disciples do indeed respond with great surprise, saying, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus’ answer is both astonishing and consoling. “With men, it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
So – is that the end of the young man’s story? Is that the end of our story, wince none of us are likely to leave all that we have to follow Jesus.
Given the virtuous status of the just, young, rich man when he arrives at the feet of Jesus, the way Jesus sees into his heart and looks at him with love, the instant recommendation from Christ that he leave everything and follow Him, it would be unwise to conclude that the young man never accepted Jesus’s offer. In fact, the opposite would be more likely. Jesus was always ready to teach His disciples new lessons on what it meant to be His follower, He knew what words would most effectively benefit the young man for his salvation, as well as the words which would help His disciples understand His mercy and love for them.
The rich young man had everything going for him. Not because he was wealthy, but because of the virtue he had acquired through following the commandments of God faithfully all his life. We too have virtue, through our lifelong faithfulness to God. Jesus already knew the man, as He know us, through and through. So, Jesus must have known that the young man would not be able to embrace the challenge immediately, as He also understands our stumbling ways toward holiness.
Jesus gives the rich young man no less a chance for salvation than all of us when He says that “for men, [attaining salvation] is impossible, but not with God.” Our God is not one to turn His back on those who strive to be faithful. Indeed, He is most eager to help with His grace those who have fallen out of weakness. They can say with St. Paul, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Did the rich young man return to take up Jesus’ challenge? Will we? That answer is uncertain, but the opportunity is always there as is the unfathomable mercy of an ever-faithful Father, who never tires of drawing us to Himself in persistent love.
As with the rich man who went away sad, discouragement will sometimes get the best of all of us. This will happen many times during our lives when challenges in life seem too daunting. The important thing is to bounce back in faith, and to continue to practice virtue to the best of our abilities. In this way we remain open to the workings of grace in our souls. Then, in the end, we will gaze on the inestimable treasure we were able to store up in heaven.
Let us pray:
Help us Lord to walk in the good works You have in store for us. Help us to be open to all that You would have us do. Lord, You always make all things work together for our good. May Your grace at all times go before us and follow us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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