Rich, young AND man | Mark – 10:17-30
Summary
TLDRFather Warner encourages the faithful to return to church as places of worship reopen in Mumbai, emphasizing the importance of attending mass in person. Reflecting on the Gospel passage from Mark 10:17-30, he explores the story of the rich young man and Jesus' challenge to give up material wealth to follow him. Father Warner discusses the deeper meaning of true discipleship and the difficulty for the rich to enter God's kingdom when wealth becomes an idol. He concludes by urging the community to prioritize spiritual growth and reconnect with their faith.
Takeaways
- 🙏 Father Warner encourages people to return to church as churches in Mumbai have reopened.
- 📖 The homily focuses on the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 17-30, where a rich young man asks Jesus about eternal life.
- 💰 The rich young man had many possessions and struggled with Jesus’ command to give them up for treasures in heaven.
- 😇 Jesus emphasizes that wealth can become a barrier to entering the Kingdom of God, especially when it becomes an idol.
- 🪙 Wealth in itself is not condemned, but relying on it more than on God is the issue Jesus addresses.
- 🙌 Following Jesus requires giving up everything that takes precedence over God, including attachments to wealth and sin.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Jesus highlights the importance of human interactions through commandments, emphasizing love and moral behavior toward others.
- ❌ The young man mistakenly believed he could earn eternal life through actions or wealth, not realizing the need for total surrender to God.
- 💡 Father Warner encourages viewers to reflect on what they need to fully give up in order to truly follow Christ.
- 🏠 He urges people not to make online mass a comfort zone and invites them to come back to church for in-person worship.
Q & A
What is the primary message Father Warner conveys in his homily?
-Father Warner emphasizes the importance of detachment from material wealth to fully follow Jesus. He stresses that it’s not about condemning wealth but rather ensuring that it doesn't become an idol or a barrier to discipleship and eternal life.
Why does Father Warner encourage people to return to church despite online masses?
-Father Warner urges people to physically return to church as a way to fully engage in worship, fellowship, and religious education. He points out that if people are comfortable resuming other aspects of daily life like school and work, they should also prioritize attending church in person.
How does the rich young man in the Gospel story initially approach Jesus, and what is notable about his greeting?
-The rich young man addresses Jesus as 'Good Master,' which is notable because it is an unprecedented and somewhat effusive greeting. Jesus quickly addresses the flattery, asking why the young man calls Him good, implying that only God is truly good.
What is the significance of the rich young man’s question, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?'
-The young man's question suggests he believes he can 'do' something specific to earn eternal life, almost as if he expects a to-do list. This reflects his misunderstanding that salvation cannot be achieved through actions or wealth but through following Jesus wholeheartedly.
What commandments does Jesus reference when speaking to the rich young man, and why is this significant?
-Jesus references commandments from the second table of the Decalogue, which deal with human interactions, such as not committing adultery, not stealing, and honoring parents. This is significant because it highlights the young man's moral behavior towards others, but it omits commandments about one's relationship with God, which Jesus later addresses.
Why does Jesus ask the rich young man to sell everything he owns?
-Jesus asks the rich young man to sell everything to confront the young man’s attachment to his wealth. By asking him to give up his possessions, Jesus challenges him to remove the idol of wealth from his life and put God first, as per the first commandment.
What does the phrase 'it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle' mean in this context?
-The phrase illustrates how difficult it is for a rich person, who may be overly attached to wealth, to enter the kingdom of God. It emphasizes the challenge of detachment from material possessions when they become more important than following God.
What is the disciples' reaction to Jesus’ teaching about wealth and salvation, and why are they perplexed?
-The disciples are perplexed because, in their cultural context, wealth was seen as a blessing from God, and those who were wealthy were believed to be favored by God. Jesus’ teaching that wealth can be a hindrance to salvation contradicts this belief, leaving them confused.
What is the 'first and fundamental commandment' that Jesus implies the young man is failing to keep?
-The first and fundamental commandment is 'I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me.' Jesus implies that the young man has made wealth his god, failing to place God above all else, which is the root of his spiritual problem.
Why does Father Warner emphasize the distinction between 'doing something for Jesus' and 'following Jesus'?
-Father Warner emphasizes that 'doing something for Jesus,' such as charitable acts, is good but not enough. True discipleship requires fully following Jesus, which involves giving up sin and attachments completely, not just doing good deeds as a substitute for true spiritual commitment.
Outlines
🙏 Encouragement to Attend Church and Introduction to the Gospel
Father Warner begins by encouraging viewers to attend church as physical services have resumed in Mumbai. He acknowledges that some will miss the online masses but reassures them that he will continue to preach Sunday homilies. He shares the plan to record his homily live and discusses the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, introducing the Gospel reading from Mark 10:17-30, the story of the rich young man seeking eternal life. Father Warner sets the context, asking viewers to follow along in their Bibles.
📖 Analysis of the Rich Young Man's Encounter with Jesus
Father Warner begins analyzing the passage, focusing on the rich young man’s approach to Jesus. He explains how the man addressed Jesus as 'Good Master,' an unprecedented and effusive title in the Bible. Jesus immediately cuts through the man's flattery, highlighting that only God is good. Warner points out the possible arrogance in the young man, who seemed to believe his wealth or deeds could buy him a place in heaven. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus was addressing the man’s reliance on wealth, not condemning wealth itself.
💰 The Young Man's Superficial Approach and Jesus' Response
The sermon delves deeper into the young man’s claim of having kept all the commandments since his youth. Father Warner explains that Jesus focuses on the 'second table' of the Decalogue, which deals with human interactions, such as not committing adultery, stealing, or dishonoring parents. The young man boasts about his adherence to these, but Jesus shifts the focus to the 'first table,' dealing with one's relationship with God. The heart of the issue is revealed: the young man has made wealth his idol, breaking the fundamental commandment to worship God alone.
🛐 Jesus' Radical Call to Give Everything
Father Warner explores Jesus' command to the young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him. This radical call challenges the man’s priorities, as his wealth had become his god. Warner explains that wealth, in Jewish tradition, was seen as a blessing, so the disciples were confused by Jesus' statement that it is difficult for the rich to enter God's kingdom. The man’s attachment to his possessions was preventing him from fully committing to discipleship, and Warner highlights how the story reflects the cost of following Christ entirely.
🙌 Following Jesus vs. Doing Good Deeds
Father Warner contrasts doing something for Jesus with following Him entirely. Many people prefer to perform good deeds, such as charity, without fully surrendering their lives to Christ. He emphasizes that true discipleship requires giving up everything, especially sin, and fully committing to following Jesus. Warner encourages listeners to reflect on their own willingness to give up their idols and follow Christ wholeheartedly, reinforcing that the call to discipleship is about being with Christ, not just doing acts of service.
🏦 Wealth and the Kingdom of Heaven
Father Warner clarifies that wealth is not inherently condemned in the Bible. However, when wealth becomes an idol, it can hinder one's path to salvation. He explains the metaphor of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, illustrating the difficulty for those who idolize wealth to enter heaven. Warner urges the congregation to reflect on their attachment to material possessions and encourages them to return to church, especially now that restrictions have been eased. He ends with a call to action, reminding viewers of the importance of community worship and sharing their testimonies of faith.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Eternal Life
💡Rich Young Man
💡Commandments
💡Wealth
💡Follow Me
💡Kingdom of God
💡Human Interaction
💡First Commandment
💡Discipleship
💡Sacrifice
Highlights
Father Warner encourages the faithful to return to church as churches in Mumbai have reopened.
Father Warner shares that the Gospel reading is from Mark 10:17-30, the story of the rich young man.
Parallel passages of the same story can be found in Matthew 19:16-30 and Luke 18:18-30.
The rich young man is described as having many things going right, but his story ends with him grieving because of his possessions.
Jesus challenges the rich young man by asking him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor.
The man's wealth becomes an obstacle to fully following Jesus, showing how attachment to material possessions can hinder spiritual growth.
Jesus highlights the difficulty for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, comparing it to a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
Jesus emphasizes that salvation is not possible through human effort alone, but with God, all things are possible.
The rich young man approached Jesus with superficial flattery, calling him 'Good Master,' but Jesus saw through the empty praise.
Father Warner points out that Jesus did not provide the man with a 'to-do' list, but rather a call to prioritize God over wealth.
Father Warner emphasizes that Jesus's demand to give up everything is radical, but not unreasonable, given that Jesus gave his life for humanity.
The homily reflects on how many people prefer to 'do something' for Jesus rather than fully follow him, which requires total surrender.
Father Warner encourages a return to church, emphasizing the importance of worship and not using online Mass as a permanent alternative.
The priest mentions that the city of Mumbai is open, and people are returning to schools and airports, which should motivate them to return to church.
Father Warner concludes by inviting people to share their testimonies of faith and how they have been touched by the homily.
Transcripts
good morning everyone it's nine o'clock
nine o'clock is with father warner
normally you would have been watching
the mass that would have been telecast
but as we have opened our churches in
mumbai i decided that i would like to
encourage you to please go back to
church please go to church i
i
i join my hands and i ask you please go
to church now uh many of you have been
writing and saying father we'll miss the
mass but can you preach the sunday
homily also so i'm going to do that
today and
maybe i'm also going to try and
experiment to record the
sunday homily live so that i can put it
out perhaps even later on the day
i like to let the holy spirit lead me
when i
preach
at morning mass
so i'm going to put both of them out
this one at nine and maybe
later on in the day i'll i'll put after
the one that we've recorded at mass but
we are
um
in the 28th sunday and ordinary time our
text for this morning's gospel is taken
from mark chapter 10 verse 17 to 30. so
please open your bibles mark chapter 10
17-30
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 and jesus said to him why
do you call me good
no one is good but god alone you 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 honor your
father and mother and he said to him
teacher
i have kept all these sins my youth
jesus 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 treasures
in heaven then come follow me
when he had heard this
he was shocked
and went away grieving for he had many
possessions
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
and the disciples were perplexed at
these words but jesus said to them again
children how hard it is to enter the
kingdom of god it 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
they were greatly astounded and said to
one another
then
who can be saved
jesus
looked at them and said
for mortals it is impossible
but not for god
for god all things are possible
the gospel of the lord
praise be to you lord jesus christ now i
must tell you that you will also find
a parallel text of this in matthew
chapter 19 verse 16 to 30 and luke
chapter 18 verse 18 to 30. so this text
of the rich young man as we famously
call him
um
[Music]
is found in all the three synoptic
gospels now when you look at this gospel
you'll realize that there were many
things going right for this rich young
man in the narrative today i'm
i'm specifying those words rich young
man why he was rich
he was young matthew's gospel tells us
that he was young that's how we know
and he was a man
i mean that last word would sound sexist
father what is this rich young but now
he's a man and that's a good thing
well uh in palestine
that's what went in your favor at the
time of jesus the fact that you were a
man
was
at that point of time it was patriarchy
women had no place women would not even
find a mention
and yet while everything sounds right
[Music]
the narration seems to begin
with
pomp and joy as it does and then it
fizzles out ending
with a sad departure of this young man
now
the rich young ruler luke's gospel will
call him a ruler
matthew's gospel will call him a rich
young man but whoever he he was the rich
young man or the rich young ruler if you
look at his life he has all things
working for him
the problem perhaps was
the superficiality in which his desire
was to seek the truth he
wanted as it were some as a young
friends would say today he wanted jesus
to give him some cool advice
you know cool advice from this new rabbi
on the block a rabbi everyone seemed to
be talking about
his address to jesus if you see how he
addressed him he said good master
it's a bit
unprecedented in the bible
which in a way indicates that this
greeting was very effusive
there is no reason for us to doubt that
he was taunting jesus
but in a way he comes to jesus with this
kind of a new title good master and
jesus
in a way
spots the fake praise right away
you know jesus just
kind of is can you get on with it
can you get on with it would be jesus's
modern day reply to him yeah when of
course in the bible it says why do you
call me good
the flattery was evident and jesus
wanted to cut to the chase
there seems to be a sense of perhaps as
some suggest there seems to be a sense
of maybe even arrogance in this young
ruler depending upon which gospel you
look at who thought that he could
even come to jesus and by his way into
heaven
you see the problem is not rich people
perceive many people misunderstand this
text
jesus is condemning the arrogance behind
a rich person who relies on his wealth
only
so
what is this rich young man or this rich
young ruler say he says what must i do
this is the young ruler's question what
must i do almost suggesting
that his wealth could buy him a place in
heaven if not that
you know
it would have some power over jesus
now jesus does not respond
to a with a to-do list remember he says
what must i do to go to heaven
jesus does not say you must do this this
this and this to go to heaven jesus does
not give him a to-do list jesus simply
states
what the young man ought to have done
since you really want to know
let's go to the decalogue the decalogue
is the ten commandments deca ten logos
word the ten words
now
interestingly the young man's claim
if you listen he says
jesus reads out the decalogue to him or
rather
interestingly jesus
the list that jesus says let's go
through it
you shall not murder you shall not
commit adultery you shall not steal you
shall not bear false witness you shall
not defraud honor your father and mother
this list
these are all taken from what we call
the second table of the decalogue which
deal
primarily with human interactions
so jesus doesn't take the first part of
the decalogue which deals with divine
human
uh interaction
i'm the lord your god you will have no
other gods before me
you shall keep the lord stay holy etc
jesus doesn't go there he goes to the
interactions that deal with
where humans have to deal with another
human now
interestingly
the young man's claim is that he has
kept
all these from his youth now which are
the all these
as a as i said
if you look carefully
jesus has mentioned a list and all these
have been taken from what we call the
second
table of the decalogue the second table
dealing with human interaction that is
to say
you shall not murder you shall not
commit adultery you shall not steal you
shall not bear false witness you shall
not defraud honor your father and mother
so all these from the second table jesus
uh addresses to him interestingly jesus
does not mention
the divine human interaction the first
part i am the lord your god you shall
have no other gods before me you shall
not take the lord's name and wait that's
not mentioned
so
the all these which this young man is
talking about i have kept all these the
all these being
a section of the decalogue or the ten
commandments that jesus mentions but
jesus has not completed the list or
rather
that's how it seems jesus almost seems
to be going to this to the divine human
interaction he has not completed the
list when he was interrupted by the
young man's boast
all these i have kept
from my youth
so to his boastful claim of keeping all
these things jesus then adds
the first and fundamental commandment
and what is the first and fundamental
compartment
so
the first commandment is i am the lord
your god you will have no other gods
before me
so jesus does so in such an innocuous
way that it leaves the young man quite
shocked jesus says
that's your boast
you're boasting that you've kept all
these but have you kept the first
commandment
jesus goes therefore to the heart of the
matter the first commandment was that
god alone is god and to love him to love
god with all one's heart with all one's
soul is the most fundamental of all the
commandments this young man had made
money
and he had made his money his god
and in doing that he had set god aside
he worshipped his things
more than his god and this was
his idol
and jesus confronts him and says this is
your sin you claim that you have kept
all these commandments hang on can we go
to the first one
so jesus's command to sell everything
and follow him was very challenging was
very radical i mean you know it's very
tough if jesus has to even ask us today
can you leave everything and follow
me
you see for a jew
wealth was a sign of blessing from god
and one
who was blessed with wealth had an
obligation to give alms to the poor
that's why the disciples were confused
when jesus says how hard it will be for
those who are well to enter the kingdom
of god verse 24 the disciples were
public because to be a wealthy man meant
that god was giving you this wealth god
was blessing you because you were a good
person
now jesus is called
to discipleship seemed to deprive this
young man and perhaps his disciples of
this god-given blessing to wealth
so the disciples are confused
now this seems like in a way
when you hear this jesus says sell
everything that you have yeah he says
sell everything that you own give the
money to the poor and you will have
treasures in heaven then come and follow
me this seems to be like a very
unreasonable demand why do i need to
give
give all can't i give some jesus aren't
you happy with some can i not give a
majority
it's very unreasonable to ask for all
it's an excessive demand but remember
that
it is the young man who seeks eternal
life good master what must i do to it
inherit eternal life he was not asking
for some temporary shelter if you ask
for temporary shelter then you can give
10 of your wealth
but he wanted he wants the best he wants
the absolute price and prices don't come
free
if we want eternal life what are we
ready to
give up completely
yeah jesus must be saying the same thing
to us
give up your sin completely and then
follow me
yeah you can't keep some part of your
life in sin and say i follow you
also while jesus's demand of the
man may seem very harsh very extreme to
us
it is certainly no less
than the demand that jesus places on
himself see remember jesus we are told
in verse 1 as he was setting out on this
journey yeah and then look at 32 verse
32 they were on the road going to
jerusalem
jesus is walking himself to jerusalem
to die for us
and in doing that he's not just jesus is
not just giving up his wealth
he's not just giving up a hobby he's not
just giving up some time jesus is giving
his very life for the world including
this rich young man
so while it may seem that jesus is
demanding and ex
or his demand is very excessive it is
not
so here is the punch line
jesus strikes at the very heart
sell what you own and give the money to
the poor your treasure will be in heaven
and then follow me ouch
that young man like most of us would
rather
do something to for jesus then follow
jesus because now watch following jesus
watch following jesus
means that i have to give up everything
doing something for jesus means that on
sunday even if i take out one hour and i
go and do some work for jesus you know
that's good
but the demand of jesus is what
if you want to follow me then you have
to give up entirely
if you want to follow the lord you have
to give up entirely sin
you have to give up entirely
sell
everything
yeah and that's why many of us are
rather happy
doing something for jesus
yeah saying steven's table i gave food
here i did something else i did some
charity now don't misunderstand me i'm
not saying all of this is bad it's very
good
but we are talking about following jesus
and getting to heaven if you want
eternal life says jesus what are you
ready to give up and what are you ready
to give up entirely
that's the demand remember what
he asked jesus he said what shall i do
following christ is not so much
in the doing than in the being
being with christ
christ wants us to be disciples first so
that we are with him
if your being is good your doing is good
and how blessed we are if we truly
understand this so let's not get the
narrative wrong there is no condemnation
of wealth
there are enough of texts in the bible
to prove that
that those who are rich are not
condemned yeah don't think that because
i have money i am condemned the point is
plain it is hard it is hard for a rich
man or a rich woman to enter the kingdom
of heaven when their riches become their
god and idol
making
as jesus says
the camel to do the impossible
making the camel to do the impossible so
i pray that you have a blessed sunday
once again i want to encourage you
please go to church
those of you in the city of mumbai we
need to get back to our churches
encourage your youth pick up the phone
today you know call up a friend
ask them say
did you come to worship the lord why
don't you come we encourage you and i
say this not because i'd like to throw
caution to the winds my dear brothers
and sisters please be safe
but the point is that in the city of
mumbai and i can assure you just
yesterday we saw photographs from coming
out of mumbai airport of it being
completely chaotic this morning's times
of india
also showed photographs of
the airport
just choco block yeah as the paper said
you know there was no social distancing
everybody is out
and now i'm not making a case for the
encouragement of bad behavior and the
fact that we don't follow protocols in
the churches in mumbai we are following
strictly the protocols we have increased
our masses the cardinal has even said
saturday morning mass could be
celebrated as an obligation
by the priests
for the benefit of the people so we are
stretching ourselves as priests so that
you
come back to church
do not please i ask you do not do not
make online mass
your comfort point and um
you know the the refuge as it were that
you can stay at home no if you are
healthy if you are moving around for
everything else if your children are
back in school please bring them to
church our children are back in school
eight nine ten standard college students
are back in college you now have little
excuse if you
are
following secular education i think why
not even we start a religious education
in sunday school so be safe be strong
but come back to church god bless you
have a lovely lovely sunday
do send me your comments to this video
tell me what you think about today's
homily
tell me how it has touched your life and
share your testimony uh many many people
write in um to share their testimony
also how very often people have come
down to their last penny but because
they have given their life to god our
god will never see you
in the doldrums god bless you have a
blessed blessed sunday lots and lots of
love for me
you
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