The Way of Perfection on Mark 10,17-30

Introduction: Jesus’s teaching today makes clearer and connects to the theme a week ago. About divorce. Material wealth can be the core of that issue.

Illustration:

A stupid the rich invites a priest to have lunch in his house, but he intended to show up his wealth.

Theology:

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Now, we must be careful with this question about eternal life. In reply to the man‘s profession that he has kept the commandments, Jesus lovingly says to him, “You are lacking in one thing.” What is that? Did the young man tend to rely too much on negative goodness? He had not broken the Commandments.

Then what’s? That is about his heart. There is something wrong with his heart. And what is it? He placed his heart in what he possessed. Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus.

So, he had no heart for others? Was Our Lord saying to him: With all your possessions, with all your wealth, with all that you could give away, what positive good have you done to others? Have you gone out of your way to help and comfort and strengthen others as you might have done? Perhaps Our Lord was saying to him: Stop looking at goodness as consisting in not doing things. Take yourself: take all that you have and spend yourself and your possessions on others. Then you will find true happiness in time and in eternity. Why is others? THE MAN WHO comes up to Jesus in today’s Gospel is clearly a very good person but it is clear that he has serious deficiencies where the Gospel is concerned. He thinks it is enough to be a morally good person but the Gospel demands more than that.
Even his opening question indicates a certain self-centredness – “What must I do to gain eternal life?" As far as his "salvation" is concerned other people do not enter the matter.

Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness (see 1 Tim. 6:9-10). 

Selling all that we have could mean many different things--letting go of attachments, friendships, influences, jobs, entertainments, styles of life--really anything that might stand in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives and giving him the best we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service.

Today, Jesus asks us to leave everything for Him freely. We have to learn leaving everything behind so we are already prepared when He takes something treasure of our life suddenly. Let’s give what God ask for, until the day He asks for something we are not prepared to give. Jesus calls us to perfection, to place God above all things. And this way is by letting.
God bless.