Introduction
I wish I could tell you that there is an easy way to spin this Gospel text that would make us feel more comfortable today. I wish I could tell you; “Jesus didn’t really mean it.” He didn’t really mean that this man should give away everything.
Alas, that’s not really possible. Because this text is not one of comfort. And based on Jesus’ reactions and conversations recently in the Gospel of Mark, it is fairly safe to say, that Jesus meant every word that we hear today.
But, it is in these conversations that we learn so much about who God is and where God is asking our focus to be.
This Week
This man walks up to Jesus while on the road. We don’t know much about him at the beginning of this text. This is in contrast to Matthew who describes him as a “young man” pretty early on and in contrast to Luke who calls him “a certain ruler.” In Mark, we only hear about his wealth after Jesus’ instruction to give everything away and that the man “had many possessions.” For now, we just know that he runs to Jesus on the road during the day, and kneeling, asks Jesus a question. “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Everything tells us that this is a genuine question. He runs and he kneels. For as urgent as Mark is, this man’s urgency is almost greater. This man is not mocking Jesus. The “Good Teacher” title is one of immense respect. He is not testing Jesus like the Pharisees and scribes have been doing. This man is sincerely asking Jesus this question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Now, here’s where we have to make a decision as preachers. This “eternal life” is unusual for Mark. While John uses the phrase 17 times, it is only used twice in Mark (both in this pericope). And so, the only insight we have is this penultimate verse, “and in the age (eternity) to come, eternal life.” Sensing that something (an ending) is coming and sensing that Jesus is a good teacher, he comes to Jesus asking a wild question about the life to come.
In other denominations, the question of “have you been saved” comes up here. For us Lutherans, there is still kind of a thought of the life to come where there are many rooms (although some are still hoping for mansions).
But there’s an important word in this question and it helps us to see the more cosmic answer that Jesus gives. The man asks what must I…do. It is the singular focus.
18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You 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.’”
Jesus, very craftily, subverts his question. He directs the man to the commandments. And each of these commandments are the relationship commandments. In these commandments you have to interact with other people. These are the commandments about living together in community.
Later in Mark (the Ordinary Time reading for All Saints Sunday), Jesus will give the two great commandments while debating with the religious leaders in the Temple. That text reads:
“28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.”
Really, this teaching of the greatest commandment could have come in today’s Gospel too. In this second text, you can hear Jesus saying that all of the commandments should be read through these. Matthew will go on and take it that far by saying, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matt 22:40).”
In our Lutheran tradition, that’s really how Martin Luther describes them in the small catechism. “You shall not steal”, does not just mean that you shouldn’t literally steal a possession of your neighbor. About this commandment Luther writes, “We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors’ money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income.”
“But instead to help them to improve and protect their property and income.” As Lutherans, in our understanding of the commandments, it is not enough for us to just not steal. It is not enough for us to not embark in shady deals. But we must actively seek the protection and the improvement of other’s property, income, and life. If this is the interpretation of the commandment, then it would be near impossible to strictly adhere to and follow perfectly. Have we really ensured that every person that we have met has improved regarding their property and income?
“The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” Have you ever gotten that look before? The look from a loved one or a parent. It’s that smile, that is full of love, but also an odd combination or pity/disappointment/and humor? I have been on the receiving end of it a fair amount in my life. Maybe you have too. Sometimes I would come home from school with a less than stellar grade on a test. My mom would look at me and say, maybe you should have studied more… And I would respond, “I did study.” Cue the loving look of pity/disappointment/and humor. I did not study as much as I could have.
I see that happening here: “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Again, he focuses the matter on himself. “I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, 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.” 22When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
We don’t know a lot about this man. We don’t know what he did for a living. We don’t know if he really did follow strictly all of the commandments since his youth. We don’t know if he would go on to sell all of his possessions or if he kept them. But we do know how Jesus answers him. Twice the man asks or answers questions that relate only to himself. And each time Jesus points him into being in relationship with others.
21Jesus, 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.”
You lack one thing. There are many commentators and theologians who have asked what this one thing is. Some of have said Faith. Others have said Love. Others have said a Generous Spirit. But, I believe that it’s community. He lacks a community that not only would care for him, but that would need him to care for them.
Preaching Possibilities
Living In Community
As Lutheran Christians, one of the hardest things to do, is to live in community. Because when we live in community, we are expected to care for and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Now I’m exaggerating a little. But it is true that living in community is hard. As Lutheran Christians, according to the Small Catechism, we are called to live into the commandments of God, so that every person, every neighbor, not only survives but thrives.
It is so much easier to avoid people. To avoid caring for them. Isolating ourselves. Storing up our personal treasures and worrying about our own salvation. It is so much easier to care about the comfort of ourselves than it is to care about the wellbeing and success of others.
To live in community, as a Lutheran Christian in this world, means that we actively care for our neighbor’s lives, possessions, and health. It means struggling with our neighbors in their struggles. It means supporting our neighbors in their grief. It means rejoicing with our neighbors in their joy and celebration.
This is what Jesus tells the disciples at the end of our Gospel today.
28Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus 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, 30who 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. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
When we live in community, we receive such abundance a hundredfold. Notice Jesus doesn’t say anything about riches. But when we live in community, we receive family. We receive a wide welcome of deep and meaningful relationships. We receive people that care about us and our wellbeing and people that we care about and care for as well. Abundance!
But there is one important thing that Jesus adds… “with persecutions.”
When living in community, you take the good with the bad. The struggles of our neighbors are our struggles. The pain and loss of our neighbor is our pain and loss. When we care for more people, when we live in larger community, then hardships will increase as well.
But when you live in community, you do not go through those hardships on your own. You have a community, a neighborhood, a family, that will embrace you and care for you.
Community is hard living. To care for so many people. To learn who they are. To struggle and wrestle with cultural and personal differences. And yet, Community is the best living. Because it is there that we truly live in a world of abundance.
We are never going to adhere to the commandments perfectly. Because there is always more that we can do to ensure that our community around us, our neighbor next to us, is cared for, is loved more, is living abundantly. But we are free to do that, and it is not connected to our salvation.
The man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” but Jesus points him toward living in this world here and now. Jesus has already accomplished the rest. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been promised eternal life, and we will inherit it when our time comes to an end in this life. But until that day, Jesus calls us to live abundantly in this life, in this world, for the community around us.
For this world, we live so that everyone not only survives but thrives.
Micah Krey 
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