'Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then 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. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mt. 19:16-24).”’ (Mk. 10:17-31; Lk. 18:18-30)
Early Christians had difficulty with Jesus’ response to the rich man especially in the Mark and Luke versions: 'Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone (Mk. 10:18).” This is in contrast with the beginning of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1).” If Jesus is the Son of God, then he has to be good. Matthew modified what Jesus said so as to avoid that difficulty. Entering life is the same as entering the kingdom of God. In addition to obeying the Commandments, to be ‘perfect’ the rich young man must give up everything and follow Jesus. He must surrender completely to Jesus as the 11 Apostles did “We have given up everything and followed you (Mt. 19:27).” Jesus gave an extreme exaggeration to amplify how difficult it is for those with many possessions to sacrifice everything for the Kingdom of God. All are obligated to obey the Commandments, but God does not expect all to renounce everything. Each one of us has a specific mission from God and we should try to live it to the best of our ability; “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit (1 Cor. 12:7).”
Almighty God, help us to hear what the Scriptures say to our hearts and to obey your commandments as we walk in Christ and hold fast to Him no matter what trials we encounter. In so doing may we fulfill all that is required for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
Comments