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(11.10.2009)
Gospel Reading: Mark 10:17-30
“Go and sell everything you own and follow me”
We are all very familiar with this passage of the Gospel of Mark, and it frightens us, doesn’t it? It looks like God is not our friend; God does not want us to have money; God does not want us to be happy; God does not want us to be successful. Is it true?
You know how Mark started… a young man approached Jesus. He said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Since he wanted to know what he must do, Jesus told him plainly what he must do. Number one, keep the commandments. And when Jesus discovered that he had kept all the commandments, Jesus loved him and told him the next thing he must do. That is, go, sell everything, give it to the poor and then come and follow me. This is impossible.
Mark wants us to realize why it is so impossible to go, sell, give all to the poor and follow Him. Because, you see, for this young man, all his life is what he has and what he has is all that he knows, all that he values. Can he give it up? No, to give it up would be mad. And that is why Jesus said it is easier for a camel… you know how big is a camel … to go through the eye of a needle - some said it is an underground passage; some said it is the tiny eye of a needle. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Here Jesus sounds to be very biased, you know. But you see, it is not only the rich young man. What Jesus is talking of is something that we all have inside as long as we are human. As long as we cannot see something better, then what we have we cannot give up, isn’t it? I am a priest today. If I can’t see something that can be better than being a priest, I won’t give up my priesthood. But if you show me something far greater than the priesthood, and I can see it, then I’ll go for it. Now, as long as we see that, on this planet earth and in our time, there is nothing better than house, family, wife, parents, children and possessions, we won’t give all this up. We will give it up only when we realize there is something far better.
This passage begins with a young man asking what must I do. It concludes with his disciples. His disciples said, (Peter said), Lord we have given up everything, follow you, and what are we getting? Jesus said a hundred times - houses, families, children, land, possessions - here, and eternal life in the next. But as long as this reality that Christ speaks of does not dawn in our minds, in our hearts, then we will definitely cling on to what we have. What our Lord is challenging us is this: is our life in the things that we have here and now or there is something far better, a hundred times better? If we don’t see something a hundred times better than what I have now, I am not going to change, isn’t it? Why should I? Sure, my life is not that great. It is not the best life, but I am comfortable where I am. Why should I go for something which is worse? I might as well cling on to what I have. Nothing will change unless and until I can see something far better.
And this is what Jesus wants us to realize. You see, for us to give up everything and follow Christ is impossible. Christ is right. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for me to let go of everything. For me to earn eternal life is impossible. Jesus tells us, for God it is possible. Why is it possible? Because God values us. God values us more than He values His own life, His own Son. He willingly lays down the life of His Son for us. That is how precious we are to God, and because we are precious to God, God gives all. He willingly and gladly gives all, just to be with us. And all this is possible because this is what God has done. It is true. Everything that God can do, our Lord has done. There is not a single thing that God has not done. He has done everything for us so that we can be with Him. In this mass, may we experience this treasure of being with God. And this is what the Word of God is revealing to us.
I would like you to listen to this hymn of praise. This is what the Word of God is telling us.
(…music from video…)
This is what God is telling you.
*Video song - “So you would come”
To this God, who is our Father who loves us, together we stand and profess our love for Him, our faith in Him - The Apostles’ Creed.
Rev Fr Stephen Lim
Holy Trinity Church, Kuching *SO YOU WOULD COME (Lyrics)
Before the world began
You were on His mind
And every tear you cry
Is precious in His eyes
Because of His great love
He gave His only Son
Everything was done
So you would come
Nothing you can do
Could make Him love you more
And nothing that you've done
Could make Him close the door
Because of His great love
He gave His only Son
Everything was done
So you would come
Come to the Father
Though your gift is small
Broken hearts, broken lives
He will take them all
The power of the Word
The power of His blood
Everything was done
So you would come
