
Mk. Ch. 10:17-30 makes me believe that there are stories in the Bible that were not completely recorded (Jn. 21:25). Why do I say that? The encounter between Jesus and this rich young man reveals moving parts of many episodes, just like a movie. A particularly touching scene is when this man tells Jesus, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Scripture says, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” This line is huge as it communicates God's desire for his creature. Jesus’ gaze is strong.
Jesus looks at this man and loves him with God’s love. He loves his soul so deeply that he wouldn’t let it get lost in the man’s possessions. He loves him so much that he wouldn’t let him walk away and not come back. Jesus loves us the way we are, yet wants to make us better. This story therefore highlights the complexity of human brokenness, our self-centered desires as opposed to God’s love for us.
The challenges of Christ’s demands seem overwhelming for the rich man. His next line of action is a complete shift from the ensuing narrative. He is unwilling to commit beyond what he knows and has observed, to sell his belongings, and then get back to follow Jesus. This man’s face fell, “and he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mk. 10:22). One can strongly argue that Jesus would go after this man to win back his soul. Jesus would seek to have him back irrespective of the encumbrances that have hitherto hijacked his soul. The Lord knows how much this man desires eternal life and possibly to do God’s will.
Think about the series of questions in this gospel passage and how much they take us deeper into the mind of God:
The rich man: “Good teacher,” what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus: “Why do you call me good?”
What does the concept of good mean to this man and how does that relate to Jesus? Pope John Paul 11 once wrote, “The question which the Rich young man puts to Jesus of Nazareth is one which arises from the depths of his heart. It is an essential and unavoidable question for the life of every man, for it is about the moral good which must be done and about eternal life… To ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to turn towards God, the fullness of goodness” (Veritatis Splendor, 8-9).
It is an apparent contradiction that this man is seeking the good and still walks away sad from the good. His image of good is anchored on religious obligation and self-justification. However, Jesus’ response about goodness is not intended to deny goodness as attributed to him, but to “take away any grounds of self-righteousness or self-reliance.” To that effect, Jesus communicates such an important message to his listeners, “God is the source and origin of all true goodness, and that genuine faith requires a radical dependence on God and not on one’s self. After all, “Jesus is the only good teacher because he is God; he alone is truly good” (Schuchts (2022), Do You want to be healed? p.28).
This theme of goodness is important in our time, considering the mentality of self-importance and ego-centered lifestyles. In my personal experience, I have encountered someone suffering because of a perceived notion of goodness about self. Someone says, “My mom made me feel I’m not good enough.” “My dad made me feel I’m not good enough.” My question for such a person would always be, “What does that mean for you?” The answers usually point to the fact that the perceived sense of goodness depends on what we are made to believe and how much we are made to dwell on ourselves about the good. We feel disappointed. Am I good because someone says I’m good enough or because God has created me in his image and likeness? Jesus clearly answers the rich man, “No one is good but God alone.” This sense of goodness would drive a life of dependence on Absolute Goodness, what Saint Thomas Aquinas called the “Summum bonum” of our life. They said of Jesus, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mk. 7:37). Remember the slogan, "God is good... all the time!"
The next question came from Jesus’ disciples. Having listened to the tough teaching on possession and riches, and seeing the rich man walk away sad, they are forced to ask Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” The answer from Jesus reinforces the message, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for/with God” (Mk. 10:27).
The crux of this conversation is that either for the rich man or for the disciples, reliance on human strength can constitute a burden too heavy to carry. Giving up individual possessions, striving to keep the commandments, and every other Christian demand can be tough if we rely on human strength. An ego-centered life can do only too little. A control freak can only do the basic minimum. A material-centered ambition can only lead to frustration. A person-centered assessment can only dwell on values whereas virtues can only be accomplished by total dependence on God. Sometimes, we come to Jesus with noble intentions like the rich young man, then we walk away sad because we evaluate the demands of faith through societal eyes and human standards. We feel sad hearing such a message because we base our assessment on human standards. The gospel invites us to deeper actions.
If we are in this world, we still have unfinished business with God. Our journey will end in eternal life. That is God’s desire for us, and he does not give up on us. Peter brings up the important shift and asks Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you,” to which Christ reassures him that they will get their reward of total dependence on God in eternal life. Be it the case of the rich young man who walks away or the case of the disciples wondering what their reward for giving up everything would be, God takes care of all things. God knows all things. Our commitments will bear fruit in eternal life, but we must rely on God at each step of the journey.
READINGS: 1ST- WIS 7:7-11; 2ND- HEB 4:12-13; GOSPEL- MK. 10:17-30
Comments