Even though we don't 'learn' it until the end of the story, everyone in the crowd around Jesus knew from their first glance that this guy was wealthy. Definitely his clothes were better quality, perhaps an expensive color like blue or purple, and I would guess he lacked that ever pervasive odor of sheep dung that the lower classes had.
I would guess that no one was surprised when Jesus engaged this wealthy man kneeling at his feet. Granted, Jesus talked with everyone but we know that the wealthy are given a bit of leeway; they are listened to. The crowd might have even taken an unconscious step backward when this little scenario gets underway. Even in the 21st century, we regular folk tend to put 'the rich' into a distinct and generally elevated category. Somehow they have managed to be 'winners' in this lifetime.
He has a question. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
How you hear this question shapes your response. If what you hear is arrogance and entitlement then you might interpret the question as a quest for one more privilege, one more way to ensure that the lofty position he has in this lifetime carries over into the next.
However, if what you hear is an earnest, sincere desire to get it right, to find out if he has done enough, if he has forgotten something.........then you might be able to conger up a little grace and think he sounds a bit like 16th century Martin Luther.
Furthermore, we have no idea what Jesus knew or what Jesus was thinking. We have lots of guesses, and a few clues, but our guesses are generally more a reflection of what is going on inside of us than they are insights into what is going on inside of either Jesus or this rich man.
Jesus appears to play it straight: get your life in order, which for a Jew meant living righteously before God. Follow the commandments. But here it gets interesting. Notice which commandments Jesus quotes.
The first 3 are missing. There is nothing about God. Then he lists murder, adultery, stealing, , honoring mother and father and defrauding?? There isn't a defrauding commandment, and folks, unlike teenage confirmation students, Jesus is sure to know the commandments. What is going on? Why these?
A lot of ink has been spilled answering that question. Were the God commandments left out because Jesus simply assumed that the man worshipped only one god, YHWH? Did Jesus skip those because if you can't manage the commandments about caring for your neighbors then loving God is a reach too far? Or does Jesus know how this man got all his wealth in the first place and is 'gently' calling him to confession? Hmmmm. Don't know, but in the end, it doesn't appear to have any effect on this man since he says..........
I have kept all of these from my youth.
Maybe. Maybe not. Jesus does not judge. He moves on to step two.
Go. Sell all your possessions. Give the money to the poor (don't worry: you'll have treasure in heaven) and then Come. Follow me.
Or I shall paraphrase. If eternal life is what you want, then get rid of everything you are not going to need for the journey. We travel light, and you are welcome to come with us. Follow me and I will show you the way.
Now, this guy had a lot of stuff. Sort of like your parents when you have to close up their home and empty it out. Sort of like us. We have lots of stuff. Oh, sure there are people in this world who have lots more stuff than we do, but (as my mother would have said...) this conversation is about us, not some other folk.
We have lots of stuff and at this point in this story we are certain Jesus has lost his mind. It took us a while to get here. His family thought he was crazy back in the 3rd chapter. The disciples thought he had lost it when he wanted them to feed 5000 people. But us? It's the 'stuff' that gets us....
because the whole idea of selling all you have and giving the proceeds away is simply crazy.
We have lots of minimizing approaches to this [unfortunately?] very clear series of commands. We translate it into more manageable renditions such as "You Can Give More To The Church" (this text comes to us during 'Stewardship Season'). Or here's another "Be Sure To Share Your Extra" with its corollary "Recycle. Reuse. Donate." But we certainly don't apply this radical command to our personal holdings. Me either, just in case you were wondering.
You do have to ask yourself, however, who has egg on their face now? Hmmm?
The first lesson of Business 101: be sure that what you receive is equal in value to what you are paying. It is basic Cost-Benefit analysis.
So what are affluent Americans to do? Think about it. Pray about it. We'll talk more tomorrow.
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