Image from Angusday.org
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' " He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." (Mark 10: 17-31 NRSV)
The United State of America leads the world in storage rental places. It is a strong indication that we have been blessed (or cursed) with too much stuff. It's a sad note to me personally, to know that if I have no room in my house, then I can rent a place where I can store the stuff. Nellie and I have been blessed in having lived in parsonages which are usually blessed with plenty of space in which to store unused (and really, unwanted) stuff. When we moved from our parsonage to our first home, we had to get rid of a lot of it, so that our home would have just what we needed. We're back in a parsonage and we find we have the same problem; too much stuff.
This is a powerful story about Jesus and about us. This "rich" guy, could be me, or you. He has a troubling question; "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We don't know his age, but given the place and times, this man had seen more than his share of deaths. We jokingly read of those who read the obituaries first thing in the morning along with their morning coffee, and say, "If I see that I'm not in there, I can have a good day!" But we are faced with our mortality, as was this man. Jesus answers the question: Whatever you learned in Sunday school, just do that, and you'll be fine! The man replies, "No problem I've done all those things." But Jesus knew that death was still nagging this man. But Jesus, notice, "Looking at him, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." That was more than he wanted to hear. You see, his problem was his possessions; they possessed him. Stuff? Or salvation? It will be easier for camels to walk through the eyes of needles than for those possessed by possessions to enter the kingdom of God. Those who are willing to, and do, leave their possessions to follow Jesus will find the joy of fullness of life here, and the joy of eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven.
The second part of Jesus' explanation has come true in my life over and over. I made a difficult decision early in my life to leave home to serve the Lord. I was sent to wonderful places at the cost of leaving my mom and dad, brothers and sisters, all for the sake of sharing the good news. I have been blessed with countless moms, dads, brothers and sisters during all of my ministry; yes, even more than a hundred. Dear, kind ladies who would do things for me in loving ways like a mother. Sweet, strong men, who lovingly counseled and guided me, like a father. I set Jesus first, and Jesus blessed me. I have sought to be last, and Jesus has blessed me.
The decision is not easy. It is hard for those possessed by possessions to take leave of them. Many would rather rent more storage space. Stuff? Or salvation? Yes, we can be saved from too many things into the joy of knowing we have enough.
PRAYER: GOD of all provision, thank You for the blessings that have come my way. Help me to know the times and seasons, rhymes and reasons for the time to rid myself of too many things, to enjoy You and the eternal things You have shared with me. This I pray in the name of He who loves me enough to bless me out of false blessings; Jesus, my Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
