In today’s gospel, we have the famous story of the rich young man as told by Mark. It can be summarized as such: A young man asks Jesus what he must do to have Eternal Life. Jesus responds by giving the obvious answer: Follow the Commandments – which Jesus lists out. But not fulfilled, the young man tells Jesus that he has done all these things. Jesus, who shows him love, tells him then to sell all He has and follow Him. At this point, the man walks away sad because he had many possessions.
This is one of the most convicting and commented on stories in the gospels. Yet, its simple meaning can be lost because many can shy away from the challenge it presents. What we have outlined for us is the blueprint to the moral life and a relationship with God. We are called to do God’s will, but our attachment to sin gets in the way. We hear our own wants and desires over hearing God’s call in our life. Thus, the Commandments are given to all of us to virtuously combat sin. However, we tend to see following the 10 Commandments as the end of the moral life. We as Christians are called to more.
Jesus followed the commandments. He observed them from His youth up until the day He died. He did so for the purpose of hearing and being able to answer God’s call in His life to have complete abandonment to a painful, humiliating death on a cross for our salvation and resurrection. If we are to follow Jesus, we are to do the same. We are not to just stop at following the Commandments. We must sacrifice our lives (spiritually and/or physically) for others. It is good to follow the Commandments. Jesus affirms as much when he looks on the rich young man with love after hearing of his faithfulness to the Law of Moses. But the Commandments are all in preparation for sacrificial love of others.
The problem for many of us is that sometimes we are too attached to the things of this world, even if they are not necessarily sinful. In Western culture, these attachments might take the form of money, fame/notoriety/clout, or entertainment. While these things are not bad in themselves, When seen as an end unto themselves, grasped at selfishly, or amassed outside of moderation, we can fail to hear the voice of God. The rich young man felt this attachment. His sadness that results in leaving Jesus is evidence of this.
This is where the challenge is presented to each of us. First: Have we observed the Commandments? If we haven’t, we must start by making a good confession! Then we must examine the things in our lives that would pull us away from hearing God’s voice and carrying out His will. We must dispose of the attachment to these things no matter how good they are. Jesus double downs on this to His apostles when they are amazed at how serious Jesus is about how hard it is for the rich to get into heaven. But Jesus also doubles down on that the reward is great in heaven for those who do give away all they have to do God’s will. May we find the strength to succeed where the rich young man could not.
