one thing you lack

Scripture: Mark 10:17-27

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?’ ¹⁸Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You 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; Honour your father and mother.” ’ ²⁰He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ ²¹Jesus, 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.’ ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
23 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!’ ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is^* to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It 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.’ ²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another,‘Then who can be saved?’ ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Observation 
This seems to be a brief encounter between Jesus and this nameless rich man.   
Notice Jesus first words: "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone."  Doesn't the man suggest that Jesus has somehow earned his respect as a teacher and is therefore worthy to respond to a question?   What does Jesus seem to think about that?  Notice the rich man's question; "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Another way to ask it is this:  How much good am I required to do in order to earn both worldly and heavenly blessings? An inheritance, after all, is bestowed by the deceased on a worthy loved one.   What am I required to do to obtain the best possible life, now and for the future?
"I have kept all these since my youth":  The man has decided that he has more than fulfilled his duty and can therefore expect to be rewarded.  Also, his wealth is confirmed as a blessing or acknowledgment of his good character, right?  Do the right things and you will be rewarded.
"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." :  A man with wealth is lacking one thing.  What is it?  Humility?  Dependence on God alone?  Compassion for the poor? Love? 
Do we think of the poor as people who have done the wrong things and are, therefore,  getting the life they've earned?  Do we see the economy as a system in which everyone starts at 0 and you either go up or down based on your choices?   

Application:

This man's greed, his insatiable appetite for more good stuff for himself, his deep inner selfishness is contrasted by Jesus' love.  The rich man didn't come for transformation or to make amends.  He came to be affirmed in his self-righteousness and his privileged prosperity.   He wanted to be told that he earned God's favor and blessings by his goodness.  He wanted to feel like he was entitled to his life.
Jesus invites and challenges this man, and us,  to a changed life, a gospel life, a humble life, a generous life.  And the man can't stomach it.  He walks away.  Not everyone can be a disciple!  It's hard, says Jesus, for people addicted to prosperity, comfort, wealth, and privilege to be part of God's alternative economy---in which there is enough for all and no one is poor because everyone is rich.  (In the way real love makes one rich!)  It's hard because we feel that we've earned it.  I have a masters degree, damn it. 
I spent an hour at the Lancaster County Assistance office this morning with Mike and Jenna.  There were a lot of people there. And the crowd was diverse.  There were African Americans and Latinos, speakers of languages other than English, young adults, white senior citizens, and disabled people.  I began to feel self-conscious.  What more should I do for these neighbors? What am I lacking?  I felt inadequate and ineffective.  I was reading Shane Claiborne's book "The Irresistible Revolution" and thinking, "I'm no radical Christian. I'm too comfortable."  So I invited Mike and Jenna to dinner church.   Maybe God will save us all around that common table. 
   
Prayer
Lord, teach us your way of love. You love rich and poor alike and invite all of us into your alternative world---in which the hungry are all fed, the naked are all clothed, the sick are healed, and the prisoners are truly set free.  Help us to build that world one relationship at a time Amen.