Jesus and The Rich Man

Today's Reflections

Jesus and The Rich Man

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Mk 10:17-30

¹⁷As [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?” ¹⁸Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You 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.’ ” ²⁰He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” ²¹Jesus, 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.” ²²At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴The 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! ²⁵It 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.” ²⁶They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” ²⁸Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel ³⁰who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

Reflection:

Come, follow me. The encounter between Jesus and the rich man asks us at least three things.

First, to do good. Though formulated mostly in the negative, God’s commandments ask us to do good—to honor our parents, to look after people entrusted to our care, to respect others, and to be truthful. They challenge us to be ready to serve and sacrifice for others.

Second, not to be attached to material things and riches that hinder us from committing ourselves to God. Jesus does not condemn riches but makes it clear that wealth is not a guarantee for salvation. The kingdom of God is a gift. We enter the kingdom by God’s grace, committing ourselves to God and doing good in response to God’s gift. Wealth may give us a false sense of security and independence: we do not have need for God; everything can be bought, and our faith is on what money can do. Our pursuit of money tends to make us selfish and to forget spiritual and heavenly things, to judge everything in terms of reward and compensation and to value persons and things only in terms of money. Jesus is telling the rich man that God is the supreme value. God is our reward, and heaven is our final destination.

Third, to follow Jesus. The rich man goes away sad; he cannot part with his possessions. Because he cannot detach himself from his wealth, he cannot attach himself to Jesus and to service in the kingdom. Because he is possessed by his possessions, he refuses Jesus’ call to discipleship and gives up his own original quest for eternal life.

What prevents you

from following Jesus more closely?