Mark 10:17-31 can be called “The Way of Jesus and the Question of Wealth”. The way of Jesus is of course the way into the kingdom of God. One would eventually become aware that it would involve a question about one’s wealth especially when during the course of following Him, one’s business plans seem to clash with his principles. During the first century, there were wisdom teachers who would test their would-be rich disciples with the demand of leaving their wealth behind. It was not only Jesus then who made demands from his disciples to leave their wealth or anybody else behind. There is one difference though between Jesus and the other philosophers of his time. Jesus wanted adhesion to Himself. He was not asking anyone to follow a doctrine; he wanted his disciples to follow Him into the Kingdom of God. And that way is a way of self-denial and of the Cross.
Relevant Articles
- Wealth and the Kingdom
- (Hebrews 4:12-13) Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword
- Who Can Be Saved?
- Material Things
- Jesus and the Rich Man
- Jesus Christ and the Prosperity Gospel
Guide to the Reading of the Text
1. See a Sentence Flow and an Outline of Mark 10:17-31 in the following pages:
2. Notice that by using the criteria “change of characters” and “change of topic” we can divide the text into the following sections:
(a) 17-22 characters: a rich man topic: how do I inherit eternal life?
(b) 23-27 characters: disciples topic: difficulty for the rich of entering the kingdom of God
(c) 28-31 characters: Peter topic: those who have left everything behind
3. Note the following ideas:
Eternal Life-Salvation-Kingdom of God. The ideas of “eternal life”, “salvation” and “entrance into the kingdom of God” are synonimous. The young man showed that he didn’t really want eternal life because he had wealth. When Jesus commented about the difficulty of the rich in entering the kingdom of God, the disciples ask the question “Who then can be saved?” The question about eternal life then is a question of salvation; and salvation is entrance into the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims.
The One Thing Lacking. There is “one thing lacking” to the young man, and this is adhesion to Christ. Jesus had previously said: Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:34-35) This teaching is applied to the man and the man went away, not considering this requirement worth following through.
God’s goodness. At first glance, what Jesus said to the man, namely that only God is good, would seem to be a rebuke. The conviction about the goodness of God becomes clearer later when Jesus responds to the question of the disciples about who will be saved. “To man it is impossible; to God all things are possible.” Thus, salvation is placed under the goodness and mercy of God.
The Look of Jesus. Note the verbs of looking where Jesus is the only subject. Read this article about the Look of Jesus.
Comparing the Readings
The first reading from Wisdom 7:7-11 puts in sapiential themes the demand of Jesus to the rich man. The verses from Wisdom has Solomon saying that he exchanged all to Wisdom. The verses of course echo Solomon’s prayer at Gibeon, for which he was greatly rewarded by God (1 Kings 3:5-14). Instead of asking for power, wealth and a long life, Solomon asked for wisdom. Jesus is God’s wisdom incarnate; He is the one thing lacking in the man who came to ask about eternal life.
The second reading is from Hebrews 4:12-13, a very short verse that yields mistaken interpretations when the Word of God referred to there is identified to the written Scriptures. In fact, if one reads through the whole of Hebrews, one would find that “word of God” here can mean either “Jesus” who is the Word of God, or apostolic tradition, the Word of God as handed down by the apostles from one generation to another. Hebrews actually begins with a description of the word of God that was first heard through the prophets but has been recently — and definitively — expressed through the Son. Those first lines are echoed in Hebrews 4:12. If one insists on taking that verse to refer to the written Scriptures, one would have problems with verse 13, since there, the pronoun “him” is one to whom we are to render an account — and that couldn’t be the written Scriptures. The Word of God referred to here is Jesus Himself, the content of apostolic preaching and the expression of God’s “diwa at kalooban” (“the interior life of God”) who is able to reveal man to himself. (See this article.)
Suggestions for the Lesson
The Gospel reading can be used to explain the following:
1. A gospel of well-being according to which to be close to God results in a better life both psychologically and economically is challenged by Jesus himself. The rich man thought that his wealth would be considered as an indication of his righteousness and a sign that God has been taking care of him. Jesus gave him the ultimate requirement for eternal life: adhesion to Jesus Himself and his way of self-denial.
2. Jesus says “give to poor and you will have a treasure in heaven.” With these words, Jesus is putting in perspective the kind of treasure that a disciple should have.
3. Finally, one can point out the connection between eternal life-salvation-entering the kingdom of God.
The story of the rich man challenges all of us. It puts into perspective our search for happiness and the desire to be “in heaven.” The reward that Jesus promises his disciples is related to membership in Jesus’ own household: where no one will be needy because everyone will be sharing all things in common, just as the first disciples did in the first community of Jerusalem. In the end, all that matters is the kingdom of God; and anyone who wishes to enter it can do so with total adhesion to the person of Jesus Himself, God’s Wisdom, God’s Word Incarnate.
Leave a Reply