28th Sunday OT B: Trusting for Greater Freedom
Dear brothers and sisters: What do you think most of his contemporaries thought about that man in today’s Gospel passage? Probably many people admired him a lot. He was doing well for himself and lived justly, maintaining good relationships with those around him. He was rich and we are given to think that his wealth did not come to him through fraud or corruption. He was not a crook.
Although on the outside he looked all set with his life, inside something was burning. He was not entirely settled. We can sense that from the Gospel reading. As Jesus was setting out on a journey, the man ran up and knelt down before him. The man does not walk, he runs. There is a sense of urgency in his movement, something is up in his heart.
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He asks Jesus. This is the question sparking a fire in his heart. It is a truly human question. Another way of putting the question could be: What must I do to be truly happy?
After a brief exchange, Jesus provides an answer to him: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Jesus invites the man to take the next step on his journey. But it is not what he expected. The man’s reaction says it: “At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Why did his face fall? Why did he go away sad? Maybe he had never imagined such a life. He could not imagine life without his possessions. What kind of life would it be? Or, if he had been with fewer possessions before, how could he go back to that? In any case, Jesus’ answer was difficult for the man. It included an invitation to surrender, to let go of his security. The man was not ready to go there. To put it simply, he was not free. He was not ready to embrace the more radical form of freedom to which Jesus was inviting him.
In a comment to his disciples on what just happened, Jesus provided a very striking image to them. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Scholars have debated this statement and its accuracy. But in a sense, Jesus seems to explain what he means, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Only God could make a camel go through the eye of a needle. Related to the man’s question, only God gives eternal life. The kingdom of God must be received not as an accomplishment but as a gift. You do not make a downpayment for it. You receive it.
Another way to try to understand Jesus’ teaching is to hearken back to last Sunday’s Gospel. It ended with Jesus saying, “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Eternal life is to be embraced as a child receiving an unmerited gift from a loving parent. So, the next step to which the Lord invites that man is a more radical form of trust and surrender so that he can follow Jesus. For us too, the invitation to take the next step is to surrender to greater freedom. What this will look like for each of us is different. It depends on how you have been walking with the Lord, following him, and where you are today.
As you take steps towards the altar to receive communion, pray for grace to embrace the trust, surrender, and freedom to which the Lord invites you. As he looked at that man and loved him, so does he look at you and love you. He wants that love to go further. So, let it go!