PROPER 23 (28) – Year B
21st Sunday after Pentecost — October 13, 2024
Gospel Lectionary Text
Mark 10:17-31
10:17 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?"
10:18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
10:19 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.'"
10:20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."
10:21 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."
10:22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
10:23 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!"
10:24 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!
10:25 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."
10:26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
10:28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."
10:29 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
10:30 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.
10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
CONTEXT
Welcome to the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. At first glance, this week’s text seems to be one of the many biblical passages that address economic injustice. After all, Jesus tells a wealthy man to sell all he has and give it to the poor.
Yet, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the wealthy man’s most prized possession isn’t the stuff he owns. He is possessed by the thought of his own goodness. He tells Jesus that he has kept “all” of the commandments. And yet, what Jesus sees is a man obsessed and impressed with his own religious performance.
How does Jesus exorcize the demon of scrupulosity? The key is found in verse 21, which says, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” It’s in the naked poverty of being seen through the eyes of love that we can let go of our “many possessions,” including our money. It’s from this place of poverty that we can truly enjoy the good life.
Question
What does it look like in your life to embrace the "naked poverty of being seen through the eyes of love?"
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, wild and free. Do as you please. Shine your light on me that I might see things as they are, not as I am. Free me to act in your name with courage, creativity, and compassion. See the complete prayer
Word from Below Reflections
His Most Prized Possession
By Kris Rocke |
On the surface it seems perfectly obvious. Jesus tells a wealthy man to sell all he has and give it to the poor. When the rich man hears this he is “shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” It seems Jesus’ words also shocked the disciples too, who wondered, if this is...
Good God
By Stephanie Dunlap |
We'll find out in a few verses that "give up your wealth" isn't what this man wants to hear. But putting aside for a moment the questions about entering heaven with or without our respective riches, or what size holes camels can actually fit through, first let's consider just one word: "good." All three synoptic...
Understanding the Bible anew through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard.
Weekly Homily by James Alison