Twenty eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gospel Mark 10:17 30
Summary
TLDRThis sermon from Mark 10:17-30 discusses the radical demands of discipleship, focusing on detaching from power, pleasure, and possessions to follow Jesus. It emphasizes that eternal life is a free gift, received with childlike dependence on God. The story of the rich young man illustrates the difficulty of detaching from material wealth. True discipleship involves going to Jesus for everything, trusting in Him rather than worldly comforts. Ultimately, Jesus promises that those who give up worldly attachments will receive far more in return, including eternal life.
Takeaways
- 😇 Discipleship is a key theme in Mark's Gospel, particularly regarding the challenges posed by power, pleasure, and possessions.
- 👶 Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God and eternal life are freely given, like gifts received with childlike dependence.
- 💰 The young rich man seeks eternal life but is too attached to his possessions to follow Jesus' advice to sell them and help the poor.
- 🛑 Possessions themselves aren’t the issue, but the man's unwillingness to share them and his emotional attachment to wealth is the problem.
- 🚫 Disordered attachment to power, pleasure, and possessions can prevent individuals from fully following Christ and receiving eternal life.
- 🙌 Detachment from worldly things is necessary for true discipleship, requiring one to place full trust and reliance on Jesus.
- 🙏 A true disciple seeks Jesus in everything, avoiding reliance on material possessions or power for comfort or fulfillment.
- 💡 Jesus looked at the young man with love, but the man missed this divine gaze because he was preoccupied with his possessions.
- 🎯 Eternal life is a free gift from God, not something that can be earned through personal efforts or status.
- 🌟 Jesus promises that those who give up worldly attachments for Him will receive a hundredfold reward, including eternal life, though they may face persecution.
Q & A
What are the three 'P's that can be obstacles to discipleship, as discussed in the script?
-The three 'P's mentioned are power, pleasure, and possessions. These are seen as obstacles to receiving the Kingdom of God and achieving eternal life if one is overly attached to them.
How does Jesus use the example of a child in teaching about the Kingdom of God?
-Jesus illustrates that the Kingdom of God, or eternal life, must be received like a child. This means acknowledging one's neediness and dependence, much like how children are dependent on their parents. This childlike dependence is essential for receiving eternal life as a free gift.
What was the challenge that Jesus posed to the rich young man, and why was it difficult for him to accept?
-Jesus challenged the rich young man to sell what he had and give it to the poor, then follow Him. The young man found this difficult because he had a disordered attachment to his possessions, which made it hard for him to relinquish them, even for eternal life.
What does 'detachment' mean in the context of discipleship, according to the script?
-Detachment refers to the process of freeing oneself from disordered emotional dependence on power, pleasure, and possessions. It means prioritizing a relationship with Jesus over these worldly attachments.
How does the script explain the concept of 'disordered attachment'?
-Disordered attachment is defined as an emotional dependence on things such as possessions, power, or pleasure. This dependence can prevent a person from fully following Jesus and receiving eternal life.
Why is it important to place all trust and security in Jesus, according to the script?
-Placing all trust and security in Jesus is crucial because worldly things like possessions or power cannot fulfill us. True discipleship means seeking emotional and spiritual support from Jesus alone, allowing Him to provide ultimate peace and satisfaction.
How does the script describe Jesus' gaze toward the rich young man?
-The script notes that this is the only place in the Gospel where Jesus is described as looking at someone with love. His gaze of divine love was enough to transform the young man's heart, but the man missed it because of his preoccupation with his possessions.
What reward does Jesus promise to those who give up everything to follow Him?
-Jesus promises that anyone who gives up possessions, family, or land for His sake will receive back 100 times more in this life, along with eternal life. However, they will also face persecutions.
What is the difference between how the Old Testament and the New Testament view wealth in relation to God's favor?
-In the Old Testament, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's favor. However, in the New Testament, Jesus teaches that wealth can be an obstacle to entering the Kingdom of God if one is emotionally attached to it. Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned by human achievement or wealth.
What is the ultimate goal of discipleship, as outlined in the script?
-The ultimate goal of discipleship is to strive for eternal life, which is a free gift from God. Disciples are called to detach from worldly attachments and place their full trust in Jesus to experience true fulfillment and the Kingdom of God.
Outlines
🔍 Understanding Discipleship and Detachment
The paragraph discusses Jesus’ teaching on discipleship in Mark 10:17-30, focusing on the themes of power, pleasure, and possessions. Jesus highlights that eternal life and the kingdom of God are gifts received like children, who acknowledge their dependence. A rich young man asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, and while he follows the commandments, Jesus sees his attachment to possessions. Jesus instructs him to give up his wealth, showing that discipleship requires detachment from power, pleasure, and possessions. The key is not possessions themselves but the emotional attachment to them, which hinders spiritual growth and accepting God’s gift.
😕 Dissatisfaction with Routine Religious Practice
This paragraph reflects on how Catholics often feel dissatisfaction with their routine religious practices, similar to the rich young man’s dissatisfaction with the commandments. It explores the need for detachment from worldly desires like power, pleasure, and possessions to fully follow Jesus. The ultimate goal is to turn to Jesus as the source of emotional support, particularly in moments of difficulty, rather than relying on external comforts. Detachment from worldly things allows one to fully attach to Christ, who should be the sole focus for disciples seeking true fulfillment and eternal life.
👀 Jesus' Loving Gaze and the Missed Opportunity
This section emphasizes Jesus’ unique love for the young man, expressed through His gaze of divine love. Despite Jesus offering him a chance for new life and true freedom, the young man is too preoccupied with his possessions to embrace self-denial. The narrative highlights how Jesus’ gaze could have captivated the young man’s heart, making him realize that material wealth was not essential for happiness. The man, however, missed the opportunity for transformation, choosing his possessions over spiritual wealth. True wealth is found in attachment to Jesus, which provides peace beyond worldly riches.
🌍 Spiritual Dangers of Material Wealth
This paragraph expands on the dangers of becoming emotionally attached to material possessions and how they can lead to spiritual complacency. Jesus calls for disciples to relinquish worldly attachments in favor of following Him completely. Riches provide a false sense of comfort and security, but they ultimately leave people dissatisfied, much like the rich young man. True discipleship demands a willingness to deny oneself, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. Material prosperity often leads to a false reliance on earthly things, which can hinder one’s spiritual progress and relationship with God.
🛑 The Limits of Human Effort in Achieving Eternal Life
The paragraph asserts that no one can achieve salvation through their own efforts, wealth, or status. Jesus teaches that eternal life is not a human achievement but a free gift from God, only attainable through divine grace. People must approach God with childlike neediness, acknowledging their brokenness and dependence on Him for salvation. Wealth and earthly achievements cannot secure eternal life, and this gospel passage challenges the belief that material success is a sign of divine favor. Instead, salvation is a gift freely given to those who are humble and open to receiving it from God.
💯 The Promise of Abundant Return for Sacrifices
Peter questions what disciples like himself will receive for giving up everything to follow Jesus. Jesus promises a hundredfold return, symbolizing spiritual abundance and blessings for those who sacrifice for Him. The return includes material blessings, such as lands and family, but the most important reward is eternal life. However, Jesus also warns that persecutions will accompany these rewards, indicating that discipleship involves suffering. Nonetheless, the ultimate goal is eternal life, and those who detach from worldly desires will find themselves spiritually fulfilled and richly rewarded.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Discipleship
💡Kingdom of God
💡Detachment
💡Power, Pleasure, Possessions
💡Eternal Life
💡Neediness
💡Rich Young Man
💡Greed
💡Childlike Dependence
💡Gaze of Divine Love
Highlights
The concept of discipleship in Mark's Gospel involves detachment from power, pleasure, and possessions.
Eternal life and the kingdom of God are used interchangeably in Mark's Gospel.
Jesus emphasizes that inheriting eternal life requires more than following commandments; it requires detachment from worldly possessions.
Detachment is described as the willingness to give up emotional dependence on power, pleasure, and possessions.
Possessions are not inherently problematic, but the unwillingness to share them is a barrier to discipleship.
Jesus invites the young rich man to detach from his wealth, which in the Middle Eastern culture of that time included family, home, and land.
The disciple must be willing to leave family, home, and lands to follow Jesus, indicating a total commitment to discipleship.
Jesus calls for disciples to place all security and trust in Him alone, rather than in possessions or worldly status.
The key to discipleship is attaching oneself solely to Jesus, seeking Him for all needs rather than relying on power, pleasure, or possessions.
Jesus' gaze of divine love is highlighted as transformative, offering a chance for total commitment that the young rich man ultimately rejects.
Jesus invites individuals to relinquish their emotional attachments to experience the fullness of life offered by Him.
The disciple must have zeal and earnestness to follow Jesus, focusing on the ultimate goal of eternal life.
The idea of spiritual complacency from material wealth is presented as a danger to authentic discipleship.
Jesus promises a return of '100 fold' to those who give up everything to follow Him, along with the gift of eternal life.
The Gospel challenges individuals to ensure that power, pleasure, and possessions do not become obstacles to receiving eternal life.
Transcripts
we are still in the context of the way
of discipleship and Mark's Gospel this
is Mark chapter 10 verses 17 through 30
and again Jesus is still teaching on
power pleasure this time on possessions
and so we've been walking through the
gospel last couple weeks on discipleship
and the radical demands of discipleship
you may recall that last weekend we left
off with Jesus illustrating that the
kingdom of God which is eternal life so
the kingdom of God and eternal life
these are used interchangeably
throughout of course the homily probably
in the text too if I really studied it
more closely but basically if I say
kingdom of God or eternal life they're
the same thing so these terms are used
interchangeably and so then we left off
last weekend with this child use
demonstrates that those apt recipients
of the kingdom of God or eternal life
are like children
okay those who are able to acknowledge
their neediness as children right this
is why you always hear mom my mom yeah
dad dad dad
right okay they're always needy okay and
so they acknowledge that as well and
that's why they become the apt
recipients for the king of God because
it is a free gift so this young rich man
who appears to be pursuing eternal life
on the basis of his own efforts asks
what he must do to inherit eternal life
for to gain eternal life and so Jesus
tells him of course
to do the usual things of following the
commandments but he senses a
dissatisfaction there and so what this
amounts to is that essentially what he
tells him go sell what you having to the
poor this is you know what he tells this
particular man for what he needs what is
lacking so in addition to receiving
eternal life as a free unmerited gift
like a child we also have to detach
ourselves from the three peas of power
pleasure and possessions alright this is
a lifetime pursuit if you will let's
understand what an attached
is okay we have a disordered attachment
or an emotional attachment to these
things an attachment is a disordered
emotional dependence all right which is
what this young man suffers from
regarding possessions or riches and so
possessions and themselves are not the
problem though rather his unwillingness
to share them is that is to give to
those who have less than himself the
poor as Jesus says the man was not just
rich
he was also greedy greedy of course is
another word for disorder emotionally
attached all right when you're greedy if
you just think of the Christmas Carol
and Scrooge all right at my knees her
Scrooge he loves his money and he can't
part with it no matter how much he has
he doesn't even he doesn't need that
much so when Jesus says to this young
man go sell what you have it means to
part with family home and land in the
Middle Eastern culture them in that
context the wealth is family home and
land because your lands are your assets
so they don't have cash reserves and
mutual funds I don't have stocks okay
they have they have their land and then
they have their animals or their crops
and their fields of course and then they
have the family connection which is
their social network of income basically
to survive and thrive
all right so family home and lands is
wealth all right so then that's of
course required for discipleship
remember that everyone's supposed to
relinquish those things if you're gonna
be Jesus's disciple all right family
home and land cuz that's what Jesus says
way back several weeks ago come and
follow me all right when you follow the
Lord you're detaching or you're leaving
your home your family in your lands to
follow the Lord alright so then that is
required for discipleship and that's
what you see
that's what Jesus is saying to him when
he says go sell what you have he means
to relinquish family home and lands it
does not mean to divest oneself of all
your financial assets okay it's not what
it means
alright go so what you have you to the
poor and he sent and he's telling this
to this particular man because this
particular man has that particular
attachment to his
sessions so today we are challenged to
ask ourselves if we have any inordinate
affections any disordered affections for
possessions since they hinder our
receiving of the kingdom of God all
right any attachment to how our pleasure
or possessions are going to hinder us
from receiving the kingdom of God or
hinder us from receiving eternal life so
much like this man the Gospel as I began
to allude to earlier he is dissatisfied
with the usual answer of how to eternal
how to inherit eternal life which is to
follow the commands and live a just life
and so we also as Catholics all right we
also have a sense of you know of
dissatisfaction with doing the same old
things if you've ever used the phrase
same old same old alright then you
probably have a sense of a
dissatisfaction with the usual living of
the Catholic religion and so then you
start to think well I'm kind of
dissatisfied alright so we still have
that dissatisfaction as well so what
more was must we do what else is there
well that more can be summed up by
detachment okay so the problem is
attachment so we we need to do more
detachment
okay so detachment from the world of
power pleasure and possessions and we
need to attach ourselves solely to Jesus
Christ
alright this is the problem that we have
a lot all right when we are frustrated
when we are angry when we are impatient
when we are just spent or whatever it
might be whenever we don't feel good
whenever we feel bad we go to power or
pleasure or possessions or we go to our
family dog or whatever it might be but
we're always going somewhere else other
than Jesus to fulfill our needs Jesus if
we make Jesus our emotional support if
Jesus is the only soul emotional support
that I go to him for everything or
whenever I feel bad then he becomes the
person whom I have chosen to follow and
whom I have put all my trust and
confidence in
that is what it truly means to be a
disciple that I go to Jesus for
everything that I never go to power
pleasure or possessions and then I and I
no longer have an attachment to those
things
that whenever I feel bad I go to Jesus I
go to his church I go to the Eucharist
okay that's what it means to attach
ourselves to Jesus and so the one most
important thing in life is to receive
God's gift of eternal life which is
through the relinquish our emotional
dependence on the power pleasure
possessions and we we kind of have these
things you know if you're really looking
at your lives and this is a good time
we're not we're not in Lent yet but we
are approaching a semi penitential
season of Advent but nonetheless we're a
discipleship we're just talking about
discipleship all right and we don't have
these little things that we go to when
we feel bad okay and we feel bad or
reject it or abandon or unloved then we
go to one of these things and we usually
have some kind of sin that we usually go
to but we have this this or we go just
go sit on a couch with our dog you know
I are you don't worry drink our diet
coke and smoker cigarettes or whatever
might be okay alright but the thing is
we don't go to Jesus the point is we
have to go to Jesus all right the
disciple seeks out Jesus at all costs
okay he always he or she will always go
to Jesus for everything so we're being
challenged to place all of our security
and trust in Jesus alone not in
possessions not in wealth not in things
or notoriety or status or popularity or
career or a good reputation or pleasure
pursuits none of those things are going
to fulfill us what we need is Jesus we
need to be looking at him as if he were
a mirror and we see ourselves in him the
way he sees us and we are enlightened by
looking at him by being with him so that
we can be formed and healed and brought
to new life which is what Jesus is
ultimately offering this young rich man
a new life all right so this this man
one point about this is that this man
exhibits an unusual zeal and earnestness
to follow Jesus he runs up to the Lord
and He desires him to answer his heart's
burning question
and so yeah at least demonstrates that
he wants to follow the Lord okay
zeal and earnestness for discipleship
where is ours where is our zeal and
earnestness for eternal life do we
realize that all of our life on earth
should be spent striving for eternal
life because it's the one most important
thing that we're supposed to achieve by
the end of our lifetime here on earth is
that we are welcomed into heaven at the
end of it we cannot receive eternal life
if we are trying to earn it okay we must
allow ourselves to receive God's gift in
that childlike dependence upon Jesus and
so this young rich man is very
interesting because Jesus looking at
this young man he loved him it's the
only place in the gospel where it's
written that Jesus looked on an
individual with love so Jesus is gays
alright except he misses of course this
gaze of Jesus because his face fell and
his at this response said Jesus response
to what he must do but he's looking at
this young man and it's the only place
where it says that he looks on in a
vision with love his gaze of divine love
how does Jesus look at you have you ever
seen him look back at you his gaze of
divine love which he looks at with this
young man would have been enough for him
to give up all his possessions at that
moment okay his heart would have been
captivated by Jesus he would have
instantaneously understood and believed
with his whole heart that he does not
need any of his possessions any of his
wealth any of his family any of his
lands to have what truly satisfies his
her he would have seen it right there in
Jesus but he missed it because he was
too preoccupied with all the thoughts of
all the things that he owns and so he
Jesus was offering this new life to him
this new freedom except he could not
bring himself to embrace the self-denial
that leads to true wealth which is
attachment to Jesus that's our wealth to
be attached to the Lord to be so
attached to Lord that nothing on earth
would ever disturb our inner peace ever
again that's where we want to be that's
where the disciple lives and so riches
and material prosperity can be very
dangerous if we are emotionally attached
to them sharing them helps us detach
from them and so this particular man's
solution to his emotional attachment to
possessions was to share them and then
follow Jesus of course what happens
tragically the man remains a slave to
his things and they end up owning him
and he cannot bring himself to pay such
a high price not even for eternal life
not even for eternal life will he let go
of his possessions spiritual complacency
can resolve from material wealth we have
to realize that and so then again in
this great context of discipleship
anyone who is going to follow the Lord
his being will it has to be willing to
pick up his cross or her across foul
laughter Lord and deny him or herself
deny self pick up cross follow the Lord
it's the only way in which we are going
to be satisfied and glorified all right
and this is all in that context last
several weeks are all in the way of
discipleship all right on power pleasure
possessions which can be summed up in
that way so we can become too
comfortable and so self-reliant that we
avoid the total surrender of our lives
to God demanded by the gospel this is
what riches do they provide a false or
superficial comfort or security or
satisfaction but yet even if you have
these things you still have that sense
of something more like this young rich
man there's something more I'm missing
something else I'm not experiencing the
fullness of the kingdom that I should be
experiencing or that I think I should be
experiencing or that the gospel or the
church is teaching me or father James
teaching me that I should be
experiencing okay as
Siple that the king of god is a kingdom
of love of joy and peace and then i
should be experiencing that and living
that now and if i'm not what is missing
or what is what am i attached to where
do I put my security where do I put my
hope and trust so this this gospel this
particular gospel on discipleship this
part it is it is demanding this is the
radical demands of discipleship of
authentic discipleship which of course
rewards us in the sense that we
experience the kingdom of God in the
here and now
alright so despite all these previous
teachings on discipleship that we get to
the rest this gospel the disciples still
regard the prosperous as those who have
the first claim on the kingdom alright
in the end it is difficult for all to
enter the kingdom of God if it is easier
for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle so then who can be saved if not
those already favored by God with the
blessing of wealth and prosperity the
Old Testament understood the ste ology
if you will of well if someone is rich
and wealthy they must already be favored
and blessed by God right so they have
the first claim on the kingdom that was
the thinking it actually leads to a
gospel of prosperity in the New
Testament which we don't teach we don't
teach that in the Catholic Church a
gospel of prosperity okay sometimes the
good suffer
alright that's that's not that so that's
that's the situation that we that's the
reality so the so this is why the
disciples are so surprised and then
exceedingly astonished how who can be
saved then Jesus is no one no one can be
saved you can't be the remember the
context no one be saved on your own
efforts no one can be saved by how great
you are in the world no one can be saved
how rich you are okay it's the king of
God is not a human achievement
it's a free unmerited gift that has to
be received as a child all right so no
one can be saved only with God he says
only with God is it possible to enter
eternal life can be saved only with God
can you enter eternal life not upon our
own efforts eternal life is beyond human
achievement
I be earned not as a reward for good
behavior and it cannot be claimed as a
right
we're not deserving of it but God has a
gift for us that he's giving us or
offering us we don't deserve eternal
life we're sinners okay but then this is
the whole point about this context
who's gonna receive the kingdom of God
who's gonna receive is her life only
those who are able to see it through
their own neediness I need I'm broken
help me okay this is the attitude we
should have towards God so that we can
receive this gift of life that he has
for us and of course we don't want to be
filling ourselves up as a false
substitute with all these things of the
world so eternal life remains God's gift
free gift just for you just for me okay
to understand it in that context if you
were the only person God ever created in
the world past present future and he
created all of heaven and it's an
salvation and an eternal life just for
you that's how good he is he did that
just for you not for everyone just for
you that is the understanding we want to
have of how how great our Father is that
he is a gentle father who prepares great
things for us and this is what we are
trying to receive from him so of course
Peter had a challenge is this a lord
we've given up everything okay what's in
it for us right he's giving up home
lands family ties and he's detached
himself mostly from the world to follow
Jesus what does Jesus promise he
promises that he will receive it all
back 100 fold 100 fold
okay so anyone who has anything in the
stock market our mutual funds
what's a hundred percent return on
investment worth 100 percent okay it's
pretty good yeah a hundred percent okay
100 percent return on investment
everything you give up will be returned
to you a hundred times more with eternal
life and oh by the way persecutions he
throws that word in there
you're gonna suffer but you're gonna
have the most all-important one thing
eternal life and all other stuff yeah
you can have all that back hundred times
more children lands and mothers and
brothers you know you'll be will but you
you will be you will be wealthy beyond
your wildest dreams that's what the Lord
is saying and and and by the way an
eternal life the one all-important thing
that is you cannot do without and so
then will we be able to stay focused on
the one most important thing of eternal
life and live our lives for it or will
the three P's of Power pleasure and
possession be an obstacle for us to
receive eternal life
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
Rich, young AND man | Mark – 10:17-30
New Testament Studies: Mark (11): Chapter 10 -- David Pawson
The Story Of Jesus & the Rich Young Ruler | Mark 10:17–31, Matthew 19:16–30, Luke 18:18–30
Homilia Dominical | Busque Jesus, não seus milagres! (18.º Domingo do Tempo Comum)
Homilia Diária | O tudo de Deus e o nada da criatura (Sábado da 14.ª Semana do Tempo Comum)
What's In It For Me? (John 6:24-35) Ordinary 18 Year B
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)