Mark 10:17-31
The rich, young ruler: Act II, Scene 2. One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor… (v. 21b) Again, as Debbie pointed out yesterday and two years ago, it seems like the young man’s wealth was keeping him from seeking Jesus more completely. But Jesus was asking quite a bit from this young man, to sell it all. I was trying to think of anyone in our lifetime who had “sold it all”. Two people immediately came to mind – Bethany Tennent and Mark/Tommie Bruner. They left “the world” behind to follow Jesus. But even they had a “life line” back to their “sending organizations” and churches and individuals who were supporting their ministry.
So what about Jesus’ disciples… Consider: After Jesus rose from the dead, within days or weeks Peter went back to fishing (John 21). I mentioned in my posts from 2019 that Peter (and Andrew, James, and John?) must have had a fairly large fishing business, so did Peter maintain ownership and leave someone in charge when he left to follow Jesus? After all, Peter was married and had responsibilities for his household, including his mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31). Did he leave it all behind or did he have that “life line” back to his former life? We can presume that after John 21 that Peter did, in fact, leave it all behind. His activities on the day of Pentecost seem to lock him in forever.
So Debbie’s comments and my further ruminations above give me some solace – that we are not called to sell everything and give the proceeds to the poor. But to the extent that our possessions (or our behaviors?) are holding us back from seeking Jesus more fully, then those possessions/behaviors need to be set aside. So the question for me (and for each of the rest of you?) – what am I holding back?
See also: August 9 / Mark 10:17-31
—what am I holding back?
Indeed! Good question! I can put myself in the place of the rich, young ruler where possessions were what I strived for. To get more stuff. “Stuff” is a tangible way to realize my accomplishments and rewards. This is how I was brought up, raised by my folks to achieve and acquire through my hard work. With so many years of this background, it was extremely difficult for me to even recognize that the “stuff” I had worked so hard to acquire was keeping me from intimacy with Jesus. It took the help of other loving, patient individuals to help me realize what was going on.
In other words, and where I see the rich, young ruler also, I could not recognize the stuff in my life was holding me back from Jesus’ love. I had to have help seeing that the stuff was in the way.
Did Peter leave all behind? Yes, even before the Resurrection. See Matthew 19:27; Mark 10:28; Luke 18:28. When we see Peter and others fishing again in John 21, it looks more like a pastime or as simply getting breakfast, not a return to his old business.