The Rich Young Man

Mark 10:17-31

During Lecto Divina the other day my heart took me to the story of the Rich Young Man in the Gospel of Mark. I think to really appreciate the text we have to consider it within the framework of the rest of the text.

Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels, and clearly communicates its point. With no Infancy Narrative, the first Chapter of the work takes us directly to the Jordan River, where Jesus is baptized by John, and then he sets himself immediately to his mission. The text tells us that he arrives in Galilee proclaiming, “This is the time of fulfillment, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

As the Evangelist takes us through the action of the first Chapters of his work, he frequently employs the Greek word, “euthus”, which is translated as “immediately.” In Mark’s Gospel it is used 41 times, and only 19 times in the entire rest of the New Testament. The Marcan Jesus has something on his mind, and he has no time to waste. What is his rush? His rush is to the cross, whereby he will make known to all people the purpose of his coming. This news of the Kingdom being at hand, and the need to turn more deeply to the Lord is likely the most urgent news the world has ever heard.

Throughout all of this pressing work, he continually tells those who he heals to not tell anyone. Scholars refer to this as the “Messianic Secret.” He doesn’t want to be known as a healer or a magician: he is the savior, and his work will be accomplished only by the cross.

As Jesus moves about his mission he calls followers to come after him, and in the 8th Chapter of the Gospel he and the Disciples have an exchange that not only articulates the crux of his mission, but also echoes across the ages as the definition of where we fit in this incredible work. He tells his followers that if they want to be his Disciple, they must be no different than him, and take up their cross daily, and follow him. To be his Disciple one must lay down their life (Mark 8:27-38). He recognizes how alarming this notion is to his confused and perhaps frightened Disciples, and he says, “what profit is there for one to gain the world, and loose his life?” (Mark 8:36). More simply: why would you ever want to choose this world, and its empty promises, over the life I have prepared for you for all eternity? The choice seems obvious to Jesus.

In Chapter 10 we are told of how the young man runs to Jesus and drops to his knees asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is not an inquiry of mild curiosity. The man runs to Jesus, and kneels: Perhaps he has had it with the frustrations of life, and just wants to know how to find true joy. Perhaps he is thinking about some of life’s bigger questions after the loss of a parent or other loved one. Maybe he just feels beaten down. Regardless of the motivation, the man’s gestures betray his desperation…his sense of urgency.

“You have to follow the law,” Jesus essentially answers, to which the man replies that he already does that. Then Jesus delivers the answer that his questioner did not expect: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21).

The man’s response is nonverbal, but clear as day: “At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mark 10:22).

Jesus asks the man to conform his life to his own: to conform his life to the cross. Jesus himself has left all that he had: the glory of heaven – to enter into our poverty. What little he had in this life is stripped violently away from him, as he is nailed to the cross and hoisted alone, high above the earth, for every passersby to laugh and jeer. Following his footsteps will not lead anywhere else then to the cross. When Jesus takes his last breath he has absolutely nothing to his name: except the love that drove him there…he doesn’t even have any ego, pride, or anger.

But the rich young man can’t bring himself to “lose his life” by this world’s standards in order to inherit the eternal life of the Lord and his glory. When he walked away sad, one can imagine Jesus saying the same words he had earlier, “what profit is there for one to gain the world, and loose his life?” Perhaps if he were to speak in our vernacular: why wait? We don’t have time!

I don’t think the story of the Rich Young Man is that different from our own! We all have those things…those possessions that we cling to so tightly that we cannot abandon them to follow Jesus. Except those “things” are not always physical “things.” Maybe they are our resentments (what makes us feel more comfortable than those). Maybe they are our hurts, our dreams, our failures, or our successes. Whatever they may be, we would do well to spend some time discerning them! These are things that will forever keep us separated from him who we seek to serve. Let’s start praying about it this very day, because we don’t have a moment to loose!