(Audio)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
We saw this difficulty yesterday with the rich young ruler. His riches were a hindrance to following Christ. He went away sad because he could not sell what he had, give to the poor, and follow Jesus. Or rather, he chose to be sad and to walk away. To embrace joy and hope and possibility seemed to be beyond him. And in fact it was.
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Keeping the commandments was not enough to dispose the rich man's heart to follow Jesus. And Jesus was the only way to pass through the eye of the needle into the Kingdom. Unless we follow the path revealed by Jesus in his incarnation and passion, the path of self-emptying, the bloat of riches means that there is just too much of ourselves, too much pride, to fit through the gates.
Ezekiel warns the people about the peril of riches, of trusting too much in one's own wisdom and intelligence, of caring too much for silver and gold. These things are temporary by definition. They can't survive the onslaught of the barbarous nations. Clinging to them is a recipe for disappointment and even disaster.
Following Jesus is the way into the Kingdom. But it is a disconcerting way, where the reward is not always evident. To divest of the riches and treasures of this life is concrete and empirical. But the rewards are first known to us only through faith in the word of God.
Jesus does promise riches for those who follow him, though they are not earthly riches. What we embrace is not a mere negation but rather a positive promise full of hope. We don't just discard riches. We embrace true wealth, the treasure which we can lay up for ourselves in heaven. In exchange for receiving the disdain of this world we are made to reign in the world to come, seated on twelve thrones as judges.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
Our treasure is in the world to come. But it is not only a future reality. By faith it can become real to us even now, today. Mark's version of the Gospel reminds us that no one who gives up present rewards for Jesus will "not receive a hundredfold now in this time" (see Mark 10:3). By faith we are already seated in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2:6). Even already, by baptism, we are anointed as priests, prophets, and kings. By faith we are meant to be victorious over anything the world can throw at us. By faith we are meant to reign.
much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:17).
Following Jesus is the way into the Kingdom. But it is a disconcerting way, where the reward is not always evident. To divest of the riches and treasures of this life is concrete and empirical. But the rewards are first known to us only through faith in the word of God.
Jesus does promise riches for those who follow him, though they are not earthly riches. What we embrace is not a mere negation but rather a positive promise full of hope. We don't just discard riches. We embrace true wealth, the treasure which we can lay up for ourselves in heaven. In exchange for receiving the disdain of this world we are made to reign in the world to come, seated on twelve thrones as judges.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
Our treasure is in the world to come. But it is not only a future reality. By faith it can become real to us even now, today. Mark's version of the Gospel reminds us that no one who gives up present rewards for Jesus will "not receive a hundredfold now in this time" (see Mark 10:3). By faith we are already seated in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2:6). Even already, by baptism, we are anointed as priests, prophets, and kings. By faith we are meant to be victorious over anything the world can throw at us. By faith we are meant to reign.
much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:17).
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