In Mark 10, Jesus has a fascinating conversation with a wealthy man, also known as “the rich young ruler.” While the conversation is about money and stuff, it is also about what keeps us from wholeheartedly following Jesus.
The man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He betrays in this question that, from his perspective, eternal life is for those who do the right things. While many followers of Jesus would scoff at this question, many think the same way as this man. While many of us would say that we view grace as the entrance into the life that Jesus offers, we live like our behavior is what will keep us in that life.
Jesus responds to him in his line of thinking about the commandments. He tells Jesus he has kept all of them since he was a youth, so this, at least in his mind, is a righteous man.
Jesus tells him, “You lack one thing…“
I want to pause the conversation and make sure you don’t miss a detail that Mark includes. This is one of the most incredible details in all of the gospel readings. Before Jesus responds, Mark tells us that Jesus looked at the man with love. Often, when we read the words of Jesus, we read them in different tones of voice: sometimes, we will read them in a condescending tone, a disappointing tone, or even a tone that says, “You should have this figured out by now.” But Mark wants us to know that the way Jesus responds to this man is in love, which means that Jesus wants nothing but the best for this man.
Jesus tells him, with love, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
His command is to go, sell, give, come, and follow.
We often fall into two traps with Mark 10: to lessen Jesus’ demands or think they aren’t for us.
Jesus did not tell everybody to sell everything they have and give it to the poor; he did tell at least one person that.
But I don’t think the focus of the passage is on selling everything we have and giving it to the poor but on figuring out the one thing that keeps us from wholeheartedly following Jesus. For this man, it was his money and stuff, and for many of us, it might also be our money and stuff. But it might also be our family relationships, our careers, or our status in a community.
The question for every follower of Jesus is to ask: Is there anything in my life that is keeping me from wholeheartedly following Jesus?
If we are willing to identify that and work through what we lack, on the other hand, that will be the spiritual breakthrough that we long to have.
