Lent 5 - Thursday - Affluenza

Text: Mark 10:17-31 (see below)

‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’

Watch the first 75 seconds of this video....



The woman on the examination table was given a diagnosis of her condition. Set this scene against the man who has fallen at Jesus’ feet in this portion of Mark 10 who does not know that he is even sick. Jesus is trying to reorder this man’s priorities and ours. Jesus is attempting to redirect this man’s desires and ours. Are we ready to receive the diagnosis?

Some historical background to this fascinating text. In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, material wealth was seen by many as a reflection or blessing of God’s favor. One discovers this concept when reading the Hebrew Scriptures for God seems to reward the faithful with much material goods: Abraham, Jacob, and Job, for example.

Here in this teaching moment, Jesus is saying in essence, “Wait a minute. Let’s rethink this theological belief that our culture has been carrying for generations.” Perhaps this is why the disciples are so amazed at their Master’s teaching (verse 24). Is Jesus raising a new theological question: Can the acquisition of material wealth and goods in fact hinder one’s ability to enter into the Kingdom of God?

I know that I say this all the time - but - this is radical stuff that Jesus is suggesting.

This man appears to have an advanced case of affluenza. The text states that he had many possessions or great wealth and yet he wanted it all: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It reminds me of a quote attributed to either John D. Rockefeller or JP Morgan when asked what enough was. The reply: “Just a little more.”

The man addresses Jesus as “good teacher”, a form of greeting that is very rare in Jewish literature. It appears that this comment is a form of flattery intended to initiate a reciprocal response. Jesus will have none of it: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”

The Master then launches right into a recounting of the Ten Commandments. Here is a wonderful example of reading the text so many times that one can gloss over an important clue to understanding the whole narrative. Do you notice anything different about the list of Commandments that Jesus offers? One of the statutes that Jesus states is in fact not even included in the Decalogue: “Do not defraud.”

Where did that come from? Is Jesus slipping? Did he have an elderly moment? Or was he driving home a point to this guy about economic exploitation?

Vincent Taylor in his commentary on Mark’s Gospel writes: “In the Greek Bible the verb is appropriated to the act of keeping back the wages of a hireling, whereas in the Classical Greek it is used of refusing to return goods or money deposited with another for safe keeping…cf Exodus 21:10 and Deuteronomy 24:14” (The Gospel According to St. Mark, page 428). It now appears that there is a lot more going on in this story than first believed.

Obviously, the man missed Jesus’ point for he triumphantly declares that he has kept all of the Law from the time of his youth. Not being Jewish and not knowing the cultural writings we miss the amazing irony of such a statement. In the Talmud, it is said, that only Abraham, Moses and Aaron kept the whole of the Law. So, this man is placing himself in some very exalted company, wouldn’t you say?

Now, I believe Jesus has two choices which he can make. The first is basically to theologically “squash” this guy and his “chutzpah” at equating himself with the great patriarchs of Israel. But Jesus chooses another way, the way of compassion, the way of hope, the way of grace. Jesus, looking at this man, loved him.

Wow! Here is the only place in the Gospel of Mark where it actually says that Jesus loved somebody. Jesus is looking past the exploitation that this man has been involved in, past the actions of long ago, past the past! Jesus sees in him, as Jesus sees in all of us, the potential of now and the hope for a future.

There is so much more here. Look at the text, our Lord has just recited the Decalogue to this man. But Jesus goes further. He puts the Commandments into action by practicing the “great commandment”: love God, love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. The Gospel is alive and in full play at this moment. The Kingdom of God is at hand in this man’s life.

Jesus is very clear. He calls this man to discipleship: Go, Sell, Give, Follow. The first command we have seen before in just about all of Mark’s healing stories (is this a healing story?). The fourth command is related to the first and the second could be seen as a parallel. It is this third command that ultimately brings the scene to a dramatic close. Jesus makes the call that the man has to deal with his affluence once and for all by giving it away to the poor. “At this word”, the man goes away grieving for we learn that he had many possessions (or much property).

If you were the man in this story, what would you have done? Be honest, how attached are you to your material possessions and wealth?

Every Wednesday night, a group of men and women get together in Akron for an hour of fellowship and understanding. In this 12 Step group known as Debtor’s Anonymous we talk openly and honestly about the addiction that all of us struggle with when it comes to money and possessions. Like the man in this story from Mark’s Gospel, it is very easy to become so tied to our possessions and wealth that they become a god and idolatrous. To remain on such a path only leads to ruin, despair, disgrace and failure. I know this to be true in my own life. I know this to be true in listening to the stories of many of my friends and persons whom I have met at DA.

While I know all to well the gloom of my addiction, I also know the hope of resurrection and I am sure in the knowledge that Light triumphs over darkness. While my disease can never be cured, it can be stopped by a progressive personality change, by working the 12 Steps diligently, and by placing my life and faith in God (Higher Power). Over the course of the past twelve months I have come to understand that God can indeed restore me to sanity and is leading me to an abundant life. Thanks be to God!

I have always believed and hoped that the man in this story would come around eventually and embrace the Good News of the Gospel. For as members of my DA group have refused to give up on me, I refuse to give up on anybody. There is always hope. If the man was alive today (and he is in your community and in mine), I would offer him an invitation: “Come with me on a Wednesday night and experience a community where there is no judgment but honest conversation; no condemnation but hope and compassion; no despair but potential for new life.”

With God, all things are possible.

Love One Another – Brian

The Far Country

Meister Eckhart

God is at home. We are in the far country.

Source: Unknown

Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You 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.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, 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.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’ Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus 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, who 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. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’