Mark 10:17-30

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORD. TIME

Mark 10:17-30

“As 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?’" 

A good Sunday to all. 

The text of today's Gospel presents a person who goes to meet Jesus. Mark does not tell us his name, how old he was... but Matthew says he was young. Mark presents this man, who, as we will later know, was rich. The story of a wealthy young man who goes to meet Jesus. 

The way this encounter is described is interesting. He comes running and kneels before Jesus, not to adore him... Why does he assume this position? There are only two kinds of characters who behave like this man. One is Gerasa’s demoniac, one who is possessed by a spirit that carries him to do inhuman actions. The other is the leper, who feels impure, distant. 

Why does this man behave as if he has something on him that makes him impure and that he needs to be freed from a demon inside him? In short, what does this man have inside him that makes him so restless? He has the most dangerous of demons that leads him to cling to the goods of this world. It is a demon that makes you lose your head; it does not let you reason; it closes your heart to affection, to feelings and makes you distant, it isolates you from society. It is the devil that makes you attach your heart to the realities of this world, and it does not let you see anything else. It dehumanizes you. What Father Turoldo said was beautiful (Fr. Turoldo is an Italian priest, a prophetic figure, and a poet in love with God): "I will never wish evil on anyone, but if I had to do it—and I repeat that I never will—I would wish him the worst of the evils: to become rich, to accumulate an infinity of goods, because that way he will be dehumanized." 

The greed of money will make you lose the meaning of life. It will make you lose the reason why we are in this world. The first letter to Timothy says: "The root of all the evils is greed: for surrendering to it, some went away from the faith and they were tormented with many sufferings" (1 Tim 6:10). We are well made. And when something inside of us is not going well, there is a symptom that indicates that we are not walking in the straight path. It is a pain. And when we feel these symptoms, we are not happy, we are unsatisfied and run to someone who can help us solve the problem. If it is a disease, we go to a doctor; if it is a psychological issue, we go to the psychologist; if it is an indefinite pain, we seek someone to help us solve it. Why does this man run to Jesus and get on his knees? 

He clearly has a profound restlessness, an intimate, indefinite grief that makes him suffer. And it is not a physical or psychological disease. It is a pain that comes from another dimension. This person does not know what disease affects him, but it is the attachment to material goods. It do not leave him satisfied, he does not need anything, but he is not satisfied. What is he to do? He looks for Jesus, he seeks an answer to this problem. And he addresses the Master saying: "Good teacher"... The Greek text says: Διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ = didáscale agazé = notable teacher. He searches for Jesus because he has understood that only a word coming from a prestigious teacher could respond to his concern. 

Probably he has already gone to a doctor to solve his affliction; perhaps he has also gone in search of the spiritual guides of the rabbis who may have suggested him to pray a little more, to do some alms, some good deed... all this that he surely has already done, but he did not feel healed. The inner pain continued; he did not find peace or harmony with himself. This is why now he has recourse to an outstanding doctor, a renowned teacher: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He does not ask what should be done, but ‘what should I do’ ... 

It is a personalized question: 'I am the one who is restless.' And then it is beautiful what he asks Jesus: to inherit eternal life. Yesterday and today, people seek Jesus to obtain material things and some help for their biological life: Wealth, success, and health. Not so this young man. He has everything. He searches for 'eternal life,' harmony with life, the life that does not end in this material reality. It is discouraging to find today people who are disappointed who complain and say it's not worth believing in God, "because I prayed so much to him, and he did not grant me the grace, the miracle, and that is why I abandoned the faith." They do not seek the 'life of the Eternal,' but they want God, with the magic wand, to solve the problems that they should solve. 

Not this man. This man looks for the only thing that Jesus can give: inner harmony in a life that lasts. And then, he is well educated. He does not say 'to merit eternal life' ... we cannot merit anything! He says: 'inherit.' Inherit means to receive a gift for free. And the Israelites knew this word very well: inherit. From God, one 'inherits'; it is freely received. There was a whole spirituality of 'merits.' 'Make merits before God'... We cannot merit anything with God. If we behave as God wants, we will realize life in fullness and for that, we thank him for showing us the way. But there is no merit. The Israelites said: "We have 'inherited' the land." 

The Torah was given for free to the people of Israel. And Jesus will say, 'Inherit the kingdom of God.' This man has understood that 'eternal life’ is an inheritance, and that is why he asks Jesus: 'What should I do to receive this gift?' This man is in the ideal condition to receive the proposal to enter the kingdom of God. 

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You 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." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." 'Outstanding teacher... Why do you call me good? No one is good outside of God. It is a reference to the Torah which is the one that speaks to you... and it is an 'outstanding teacher.' Then Jesus continues to quote 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." 

Notice immediately that the only time that Jesus cites the Decalogue, he reduces it to which refers to interpersonal relationships. Not to the commandments that refer to God, that were, precisely, those that characterized the spirituality of the people of Israel. They were the only people who had commandments that referred to God. The commandments of all the other people referred only to interpersonal relationships. Jesus does not speak of commandments that refer to God because 'to love God, to have only one God in life' means behaving according to his love design in the world. This is why Jesus refers only to the commandments that concern relationships with people. 

The answer of this man: "Teacher, all that I have fulfilled since my youth." In general, this response means a presentation of a virtuous life, he is happy, everything is good, and almost deserving of applause for his sober life. But I notice a certain disappointment in this man’s response because he came to meet Jesus because he was not well. He is restless inside, and Jesus does not find the reason for this concern and repeats what he already knows. It's like one who goes to the doctor and the doctor says: 'You have to do such a thing ....' And the other responds: 'I've already done that.' That is, I have always behaved in this way. 

He tells Jesus: 'Find why I do not feel in harmony with the life that lasts.' I notice a good optimism in this man's response to Jesus. He, too, certainly had some weaknesses and faults, the fragility that is inevitable in our lives, but he looks at his life with optimism: ‘Basically, I have behaved according to the directions that was given to me by the Torah from the word of God.’ 

This is also important for us. It is beautiful what John says in his first letter: If you love your brother, calm down and, "Every time the conscience reproaches us, let us say: God is greater than our conscience, and knows everything" (1 Jn 3:20). The presence of some fault does not prevent us from considering him a reasonable person in the context of a life that is spent according to the indications that come from God. So, from the point of view of the Torah, this man is blameless, just as Paul was proud to be. 

What is it that he needs to be happy in this life that lasts, to receive this adoption as a son of the Eternal? Allow me a joke: the apostles who are next to Jesus and who are witnesses of this scene, perhaps, expect Jesus to suggest this man to make some good offerings for the group that they surely needed. This would be a good thing… but this man would continue with his problem. For sure, he had already made many alms as prescribed for the pious Israelites. 

Let us now listen to the therapy that Jesus proposes to him to heal, to find that joy, the harmony that he was looking for. Jesus, 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." At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 

Jesus looked affectionately at this man who said, 'I have practiced everything you have indicated to me.' The Greek verb does not just say that he looked at him; it says 'emblepo' = Jesus has looked inside him. The Gospel of Mark speaks 27 times of the look of Jesus in its different shades: Jesus, who sees, fixes his gaze, looks around, observes ... as in this case: ‘looking at him, loved him.' 

We know very well how ‘a look’ is important for communication. With a look, we communicate better than with words. With a look, you can caress or hurt, it can be filled with joy or sadness and a sign of esteem or contempt. We know well that lovers communicate better with their eyes than with words. They use a lot of time to look at each other in the eye. And we have all done the experience of how nice it is to feel wrapped in the tenderness of a glance. There is a distracted, superficial look that we do not remember, but there are 'looks' that have reached our hearts, we have felt understood within ourselves by the person who has looked at us. 

The look of Jesus on this man is 'emblematic,' it is a look that has reached the heart. Communication is established with this man. Jesus says to him: "You are lacking in one thing." The translation ‘you are lacking in one thing... is not just a decoration as one places on the cake... 'you are very good person, now do a little more ....' NO. You need the first thing: you lack what unifies your life, what gives meaning to your existence, because your restlessness is born of the fact that you have as 'number one' the goods. You lack the main thing: God, who gives the true meaning to your existence and is the one who gives meaning to the goods that you have in your hands. 

It can help us to understand the condition of this man if we think about the life of so many Christians today: they fulfill the commandments, they work, they do good, they attend Mass, but if reference is made to the ultimate meaning of life and, therefore, to the diverse perspective on the realities of this world, they remain lost. They are sincere, kind people, but they also lack the ‘first' thing. This is the perfect diagnosis that Jesus made: The pain of this man ... 'You have an idol, you do not have the main thing,' the only thing. It is God who gives meaning to your life.' And notice how this man's pain is born of a demon that he has inside, that is, the attachment to goods. The goods make him fall back on the realities of this world; he does not see the recipients of the goods that he owns, that is, the poor. 

The comparison used by the rabbis can be seen in a story: "A rabbi called one of his students, made him look out the window and asked, what do you see? And the student replies: 'I see a widow, a poor person, an orphan, a needy person, a sick person in the street ....' The rabbi gives a silver brush stroke behind the glass ('silver' is also a term that indicates money). After having given this brushstroke, he asks: 'Now, what do you see?' He responds: “I see my face." If you put the 'kesef' = money, in front of you ... you do not see anybody, you will only see yourself always, what interests you. 

This is Jesus's proposal: "Go sell what you have and give it to the poor." It does not mean throwing out the window what you own. NO. What Jesus proposes to this man is to give a different gear to his life. He says: 'You must share your assets. They are not yours; they are God’s, and you must share them with those who need them.' And for the 'goods,' it is understood not only money, but it also means to place yourself at the service of love. 'Invest your assets in love and you will achieve that harmony, that inner balance, and stop suffering. Transform your biological life into eternal life, invest it ‘in donation, in love.’ 

“And you will have a treasure in heaven.” ‘Heaven’ indicates God in the Gospel of Mark, your treasure. God is your treasure. The rabbis talked about the chests of heaven because they had the idea of merit and, they thought that treasures would be accumulated there, in paradise. Jesus uses this image to say that the goods of this world are inconsistent; they do not last... you seek the life that lasts. If you think that the good of this world will give you the real life, you are wrong. You must use them according to God. Give up everything. How can this be done? 

There was a spirituality of the past that explained Jesus’ advise to live a life according to his proposal only for some. They said that there were two groups of disciples of Christ. Some kept all their assets and managed them according to the laws of the world; then, there was another group that entered the institutes of perfection, and they made a vow of poverty and were asked to renounce all the goods, but it did not apply the other group. This ingenious solution is anti-evangelical. 

The way to manage the goods of this world does not correspond to the order followed by the old logic. The logic of Jesus of Nazareth is to consider the goods as a donation for those in need. It is interesting to listen to people who say: 'People who need something always look for me.' In perspective, this is a beautiful thing. It means that these people have many gifts to share. They are the people who have entered into the logic of Jesus of Nazareth and who arrive at the end of the day tired, but happy to have transformed their own lives into a gift of love. This person who approaches Jesus finds himself facing the chance of his life: to be cured of his anxiety, of suffering, and enter the path that Jesus of Nazareth offers him. This man thinks about his assets... what do they give me?... he thinks about the proposal made by Jesus of Nazareth and makes the option. It is a failed exorcism of Jesus. He could not get that demon out which makes him bind his heart to this world's goods, which ruins his existence. It does not make him live as a person. 

The consequence: ‘he went away sad.’ The Greek verb means he 'remained disturbed.' The proposal that Jesus makes is shocking, and if someone is not disturbed, it is because they have not understood it. Jesus proposes to invest all the realities of this world according to a design and a new perspective. The young man was disturbed by these words of Jesus and departed λυπούμενος = lupúmenos = sad. And the reason is that he had many possessions. The goods promised so many things, and he made a choice: 'mamoná.' Money is used to make friends. Instead, some become friends with money and ends up being its slave. Instead of using money to build love, he becomes enslaved. 

The money is 'mamoná' that tells you what to do daily. This man thought he had many assets, but, in reality, it was he who was possessed of this demon. It was the devil that indicated his actions and carried him, inevitably, to do dehumanizing actions. The meeting concludes in a very bitter way. He was distressed because he could not separate himself from the goods. He did not realize that the heart of man is made for infinity, is made to love and if he ends up a slave of things, he cannot help but be disillusioned and unhappy. 

It is beautiful what Qohelet says: "God has put infinity in the heart of man" (Eccl 3:11). Man is made in the image of God, and in his heart, he feels an irrepressible need for infinity. Although if repressed, even if it has been forgotten, this desire reemerges, and no creature can satisfy it. The sadness of that man means that he has made the final decision about happiness. The episode does not end here. The man left. This man was not an inexperienced person following the enthusiasm of the moment. NO. He had grown up nurturing deep religious convictions. Therefore, it is not imaginable that after the encounter with Jesus, he abandoned himself to a dissolute life and has begun to transgress the commandments... NO. He continued to be a righteous and pious man, to live an impeccable life. But he has lost the opportunity of his life to be happy, to realize in fullness his humanity, to be a true man according to the proposal of Jesus. 

And Jesus contemplates this man who walks away sad. Then he addresses his disciples. 

“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those with wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ The 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! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings, it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.’ 

All those who witnessed this scene saw this man walking away and they were surprised like him by what Jesus said. 

Let’s rebuild the scene. There must have been a great silence. And Jesus ‘looks’ around. Observes everyone. It is the second ‘look’ of this text. I think the most surprised were the apostles themselves. Continuing with the joke that I started before, we can imagine that they would think about the luck they would have had if they had a rich man in their group. And they probably thought that Jesus could have taken the argument, this dialogue in some other way and have understood that this man could have given a hand to the group with his riches…. But, NO, Jesus is clear: One does not enter into the kingdom of God, in the new world that he proposes, unless one accepts the logic of sharing the goods with all, goods that must be transformed into love. 

This is for Jesus, the way the ‘new man’ behaves. Sometimes we hear people say: 'I am a believer but not a practitioner.' By 'practitioner,' it meant one who goes to Mass. NO. What characterizes the disciple is the reception of this proposal to donate, transform all the gifts one has received from God, transform them into love. This is what it means to be a 'practitioner.' Jesus wants to bring to our attention the danger of wealth. The attachment of the heart to material realities is the most serious impediment to entering the kingdom of God because wealth possesses the strength of a seductive god. 

We turn to God to ask for something: What we need ... these are our prayers. When we address this prayer to money, it responds by granting us what we ask for. This is the seduction that a person suffers: the accumulation of the goods of this world takes possession of the heart. And Jesus says, for the second time, “How difficult it is for those with riches to enter the new world... the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."

Many interpretations have been made on this comparison used by Jesus. The most interesting one is the reference to a door of the time of Herod that is found in a passage of Constantine's time and this Herodian gate, therefore, is from the time of Jesus. There was a bottleneck, which resembled the eye of a needle. Jesus used this comparison of the needle eye door because it was suitable for him to use it as a comparison because it is difficult for a camel to pass through there... it cannot happen, even if it tries. 'Very difficult.' Regardless of the image, the one who possesses riches is tempted to let himself be influenced by the devil, which leads him to accumulate more and more. 

"They were filled with awe and fear" because of what Jesus had said. Then the disciples asked him, "Who then can be saved?" 'Saving' does not mean going to paradise. To be saved by the word of Christ means to let oneself be liberated of this demon that leads one to cling to this world's goods. 'Let yourself be saved' as soon as possible, to live as people. This is difficult; how can it be done? 

"Jesus looked at them." Again, the verb 'emblepo'—looking at their hearts. And he says: "For people it is impossible, but not for God; because for God everything is possible." This prodigy can be realized with the word of the Gospel, which has in itself a prodigious force, a divine force. When the proposal that Jesus makes to you has been heard and allowed to penetrate the heart, you understand that this proposal that Jesus makes to you is the one that humanizes you and you can do this prodigy to drive out this demon and give yourself a heart that allows you to be available to donate the goods to the brothers and sisters. 

“Peter began to say to him, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.’ Jesus 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, who 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.’" 

Amid this general stupor for the proposal that Jesus made, Peter takes the floor and says: "We have left everything and followed you. Jesus replied: Everyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for the Good News and I have to receive in this life receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters." 

Jesus lists seven people or things that the disciple is called to part with. Concerning this list of persons or things from which the disciple must detach himself, let us note some things. The first is the presence of relatives among the goods necessary to renounce. We ask, Why? The reason is straightforward. It is the gift of these goods that Jesus says must be unconditionally for everyone, also for your enemy if there is a need, because you must detach from the heart, including your own family. The danger is to reduce your love to a family egoism. Uncover your heart and open it to a new family, to universal love. He who thinks of himself, of his wife, of his children remains selfish and is unable to look further than the horizon of his own home. The heart of a person is made for universal love. 

The second observation that I want to make: among the people to whom one should resign, the wife is omitted. The reason is that Peter and the other apostles did not renounce their wives. Jesus did not come to separate families. And, when Peter and the other apostles, for apostolic reasons, went through the different cities of the Roman Empire; they did so together with their wives, as Paul says in the letter to the Corinthians in chapter 9 (1 Cor 9,5). 

The commitment to the Gospel cannot be opposed to family duties. But the family cannot condition the option of universal love that is required of the true disciple. And it is also significant that with the 100% that is promised, we see that the first renouncement was of the 'father.' In the 100% that is promised, the father is not mentioned because the father is the symbol of the tradition, those who dictated the norms of life. The point of reference for all the options of the disciple of Christ is the Father in heaven. We do not have to resemble anyone. We do not have any teachers that we resemble. We must resemble the one Father—the Father of heaven. 

I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good week.