Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 10:17-30
WHEN WE READ THIS GOSPEL, WE COULD CONCLUDE THAT JESUS IS ASKING THOSE WHO TRULY WISH TO FOLLOW HIM TO GIVE EVERYTHING UP. AND THEN WE WILL REALIZE THAT WE CAN'T REALLY DO THAT, AND WE WILL FEEL GUILTY, AND TRY TO FORGET THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT WE HEARD. WE CAN TURN TO OTHER PARTS OF SCRIPTURE AND COME TO OTHER CONCLUSIONS: THE FATHER LOVES TO GIVE HIS CHILDREN GIFTS; HE GAVE DAVID A KINGDOM; HE GAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE A LAND TO LIVE IN. HE SHOWERS BLESSINGS ON HIS CHILDREN, AND THESE BLESSINGS ARE OFTEN GOOD THINGS. SO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?
THERE ARE TWO THINGS WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT. FIRST, IT WAS WIDELY BELIEVED IN THE DAYS OF JESUS AND THE APOSTLES THAT WEALTHY PEOPLE WERE BLESSED BY GOD, AND THAT WEALTHY PEOPLE HAD A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING TO HEAVEN, BECAUSE IF YOU HAD MONEY, IT WAS A LOT EASIER TO OBSERVE THE LAW. FOR ONE THING, YOU COULD HIRE PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE THINGS THAT IF YOU DID YOURSELF, YOU WOULD BE UNCLEAN; AND IF YOU HAD WEALTH, YOU COULD OFFER BETTER SACRIFICES. THE SECOND THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT JESUS SOMETIMES SPEAKS WITH A LITTLE BIT OF TONGUE IN CHEEK. JESUS HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR. AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
A RICH MAN RUNS UP TO JESUS AND SAYS, “GOOD TEACHER, WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?” NOW JESUS IS SUSPICIOUS; FOR A MAN TO KNEEL TO ANOTHER MAN IS ALMOST SACRILEGIOUS; IF YOU WERE JEWISH, YOU DIDN'T KNEEL TO ANOTHER MAN, YOU ONLY KNELT BEFORE GOD. AND THAT IS WHY JESUS REMINDS HIM THAT ONLY GOD IS GOOD, ONLY IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD SHOULD A MAN KNEEL. AFTER THE MAN CONFIDENTLY ASSURES JESUS THAT HE HAS KEPT THE COMMANDMENTS FROM HIS YOUTH, JESUS IS NO LONGER SUSPICIOUS, AND SEES THAT THE MAN IS SERIOUS. IT SAYS THAT JESUS LOOKED AT HIM AND LOVED HIM. THE NEXT STATEMENT IS SOMETHING LIKE A TEST. THE MAN HAS CONFIDENTLY ASSERTED THAT HE HAS KEPT THE COMMANDMENTS FROM HIS YOUTH. IF YOU WERE A RELIGIOUS PERSON IN THOSE DAYS, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SHOCKING STATEMENT; EVEN THE MOST RIGID OF PHARISEES KNEW THAT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW ALL 613 COMMANDMENTS OF THE JEWISH LAW EXACTLY; IN FACT THERE WAS A WHOLE SET OF RITUALS THAT PEOPLE COULD GO THROUGH WHEN THEY VIOLATED THE COMMANDMENTS, AND ONCE A YEAR, AT YOM KIPPUR, THE WHOLE JEWISH WORLD DID PENANCE FOR ALL THE TIMES THEY VIOLATED THE LAW. FOR A PERSON TO SAY THAT HE HAD FOLLOWED THE LAW FROM HIS YOUTH WAS ARROGANT, OR FOOLISH, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. JESUS THEN GIVES THE MAN AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK, HOPING THAT THIS WILL HELP HIM SEE WHERE HE IS SO WRONG. BECAUSE HE IS SO WRONG. “SELL WHAT YOU HAVE, GIVE IT TO THE POOR, AND COME, FOLLOW ME.” AND THAT IS THE LAST STRAW. THE MAN GOES AWAY SAD, BECAUSE HE HAS MANY POSSESSIONS.
THE APOSTLES CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED. HOW COULD YOU EXPECT TO GET TO HEAVEN IF YOU IMPOVERISH YOURSELF? TO GIVE AWAY EVERYTHING IS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY BELIEVED. IT'S LIKE A SLAP IN GOD'S FACE – IF GOD GAVE YOU RICHES, AND YOU THROW THEM AWAY, ISN'T THAT BLASPHEMY? AND JESUS TELLS THEM THAT THE TRUTH IS THAT THOSE ATTACHED TO POSSESSIONS WILL HAVE A MUCH HARDER TIME THAN THOSE WHO AREN'T. AND THEN HE TELLS THEM THE CORE, CENTRAL TRUTH; FOR MAN IT IS IMPOSSIBLE – MAN CAN DO NOTHING THAT WILL ASSURE HIM OF THE KINGDOM. WHAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU HAVE, WHAT RITUALS YOU PERFORM, WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY, NOTHING YOU AND I CAN DO CAN GET US INTO THE KINGDOM. THAT IS WHAT JESUS WAS TRYING TO GET THE RICH MAN TO REALIZE; THAT WAS WHAT HE NEVER COULD GRASP. BECAUSE ONLY GOD CAN SAVE, ONLY GOD CAN MAKE ENTRY INTO THE KINGDOM POSSIBLE. IT IS A FREE GIFT, AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO MERIT THAT GIFT.
THE LAST PART OF THIS SCENE SHOWS THAT THE APOSTLES HAVEN'T QUITE GRASPED WHAT JESUS IS SAYING. LORD, THEY SAY, WE HAVE GIVEN UP EVERYTHING; WHAT WILL WE GET? AND JESUS SIGHS, AND SAYS, YOU WILL GET EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT. IF YOU GIVE EVERYTHING UP, GOD WILL FULFILL ALL YOUR NEEDS. IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE, WHAT YOU GIVE UP, HOW RICH YOU ARE, HOW CAREFULLY YOU PERFORM RITUALS; IT IS ABOUT ACCEPTING WHAT GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU, BECAUSE GOD WANTS YOU HAPPY, FULFILLED, SATISFIED, AND THERE IS NO FORMULA, NO SET OF BEHAVIORS, NO RITUALS, WHICH MAKE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR WHAT GOD DESIRES TO GIVE YOU. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET OUT OF THE WAY, GIVE YOUR CONSENT, OPEN YOUR HEART, AND GOD WILL GIVE YOU ALL YOU NEED TO BE PERFECTLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE AND FOR ALL ETERNITY.
WE AREN'T VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE RICH MAN. WE AREN'T DIFFERENT FROM THE APOSTLES. WE STILL ASK, WHAT MUST WE DO TO ENTER THE KINGDOM. WHAT CAN I GIVE, WHAT CAN I DO, TO WIN MY REWARD. AND JESUS REPLIES, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING. YOU CAN'T WIN YOUR SALVATION. DON'T EVEN TRY. THE FATHER IS HOLDING OUT TO YOU ALL THAT YOU NEED TO BE TOTALLY SATISFIED. AND YOU CAN ONLY SAY YES OR NO.
LET US ASK OUR FATHER TO GIVE US THE GRACE TO CONSENT TO GOD'S GIFT. AND LET US LOOK AT OUR OWN LIVES AND ASK WHETHER WE ARE STILL LABORING UNDER THE DELUSION THAT WE CAN GAIN ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH OUR OWN POWER.