OBSERVATION:
A rich man went up to Jesus, called him good teacher and asked the way that leads to eternal life. Because the rich man has observed the commandments all his life, Jesus said that there is only one thing lacking and that this is to sell everything that he owns, give to the poor and follow him. The rich man felt sad and left because he had many possessions.
INTERPRETATION:
In the Old Testament, wealth and material goods are considered a sign of God’s favor. The words of Jesus astonished the disciples because of their apparent contradiction of the Old Testament concept. Jesus teaches his disciples that wealth, power, and merit generate false security. Jesus rejects them utterly as a claim to enter the kingdom. In the Old Testament, everything had already been said about what a person should do to gain eternal life, by observing the commandments of justice and compassion. Now Jesus proposes to the rich man a new way and a new experience of liberty, through becoming his follower and imitator.
Jesus does not only speak of reward in the next life. He is telling his disciples that in this world, in the midst of persecution, those who sacrifice themselves for the Kingdom will find friendship, joy, and human fulfillment far greater than anything they could have hoped for.
GENERALIZATION:
The message of the gospel is NOT to give up wealth, but to give up attachments. A person can be rich in a lot of things and thus be attached to these things. He can be attached to money, reputation, health, intelligence, friendships, etc. To be attached means to love something or someone possessively, to love in which love of self plays a predominant role. Any kind of selfishness contradicts the spirit of Jesus, and is incompatible with the Kingdom of God. Jesus shows us how to experience the Kingdom of God in this world by freeing us from these attachments that distracts us from focusing on God.
APPLICATION:
What are your attachments in life? How are they hindering your spiritual growth? How are these affecting your relationship with God, with other people? Make a resolution to give up one attachment.
