NL 231: First Last and Last First

Mark 10:17-31

Initial Thoughts

Bible Study

  • The goodness of Jesus

    • Jesus denies being good

    • Could Jesus have sinned? Would it matter? It would to Paul in Hebrews

    • Is this simply Jesus rejecting the ruler’s attempt to flatter him

    • Ken Bailey, asserts that this is the man’s rhetorical attempt to get a compliment from Jesus, “He tries tot impress with a compliment and perhaps hopes to be greeted with a  lofty title in return. In the Oriental world, one compliment requires a second…” (Bailey, Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant’s Eyes)

      • By not accepting the compliment or responding in kind, Jesus refused to play this rhetorical game

  • Chiastic structure:

    • A question about eternal life

    • B Rich man cannot leave possessions and follow

    • C Jesus explanation and the disciple’s reaction

    • B’ disciples have left possessions and followed Jesus

    • A’ Eternal life question is answered

  • Story of the man 

    • Who? Just a “man”: not “young” as in Matthew or “a ruler” as in Luke, 

    • Juxtaposition of earthly treasure and heavenly treasures - the man is asked to give up his earthly treasures in order to gain “treasure in heaven” only after receiving this treasure should he come and follow Jesus

      • What are treasures in heaven?

    • Like the prodigal son’s brother we do not know what the “man” decides

  • Do not cheat - Jesus adds this commandment to the decalogue - is a reference to economic exploitation

  • Jesus loved him

    • Whereas the man loves his wealth, Jesus still loves the man

    • Imperatives:

      • Get up - a command usually given to those who are healed - perhaps Jesus is attempting to heal this man by curing him of his love of wealth

      • Sell what you have - The man is invited to leave behind his wealth, just as Levi left behind his tax booth and Peter, Andrew, James and John left behind their nets

      • Give it to the poor (an you shall be rich in heaven) - echoes the reversals of discipleship - in order to save your life, be ready to lose it; In order to be first, you must be last; In order to be greatest you must serve

      • Come follow me - echoes the calls of discipleship

  • Response

    • He was “dismayed”/”shocked” calls to Ezekiel’s judgement against the rich of Tyre (Ez. 27:35)

    • His “grieving”/”Saddened” echoes the distress/sorrow of the disciples when Jesus accuses them of betrayal at the last supper

    • Man is not identified as being rich - “only as having many possessions”, but possessions in this sense refers to property or estates which he would have “rented” out to tenants

    • Myers’ argues this Mark is showing that by being a wealthy landowner, and Jesus addition of “do not cheat”, indicates that this man was cheating his tenants, and refused to pay restitution to them, which would be required not only by the law, but as a condition of following Jesus.

  • Wealthy entering Heaven

    • Camel and the eye of the needle:

      • Is not about a door in Jerusalem: Is there a door in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre known as the eye of the needle? yes. It was built in the 16th century...clearly not about this passage

        • There is a similar saying in the Babylonian talmud about an elephant through the eye of the needle (the elephant being the largest animal in Babylon, as opposed to the camel in Palestine)

      • Is this a typo wherein Jesus meant a rope or cable (kamilos) instead of camel (Kamelos)? possible not not very probable.

      • Could Jesus actually be using hyperbole? Yes considering that Jesus does this repeatedly: pluck out your sinful eye, cut off your sinful hand, put a millstone around your next and throw yourself into the sea, etc.

    • So what’s the point? relationships and your neighbors matter more than your possessions (see also parable of the sower in Mark 4:18-19)

    • Because the prevailing theology was “wealth = blessing from God”, the idea that the wealthy would not be the first into the Kingdom is a radical change

      • The only way for wealthy to help people get into heaven is if it justly distributed to those who need  it the most 

    • Not about wealth and possessions, but our attitude about wealth and possessions.

      • do you place your trust in God or your possessions?

      • Family after WW2- lost everything, but had each other and thus were rich

  • Who can be saved?

    • vv.28-31 is the antithesis of the prosperity Gospel

    • Isn’t it impossible to put others ahead of ourselves and to live completely in the Kingdom of God- YES, but with God all things are possible. Good connection with Hebrews

    • God’s grace in Jesus Christ shows u how to live with love, forgiveness and compassion (as God has taught previously in the commandments and the prophets)

    • The kingdom of God requires sacrifice- what are you unwilling to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God? Why?

    • We will receive 100 fold in many things: houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, field and …. persecutions - WHAT?!

      • Perhaps what Jesus is referring to here is the church - eternal life is not about what comes after death but the Kingdom of God

      • Will not all our houses be shared, will not all people be our brothers and sisters, will we not raise our children as family village and when we live like that - others will persecute us. 

      • “If a gospel is preached without opposition, it is simply not the gospel which resulted in the cross. In short, it is not the gospel of love” Reinhold Niebuhr 

Thoughts and Questions

  • How do you address the human nature of Jesus? Was Jesus sinless (like Paul says in Hebrews) or is Jesus sinful (as perhaps indicated by only God being “good”)? Can Jesus/God truly know what it is to be human and yet remain sinless? Does our sinful nature and our response to sin define our humanity?

  • We know what earthly treasures are- what are heavenly treasures? If you were to make an Amazon wish list of treasures of heaven what would it include? Relationships, forgiveness, love, grace?

  • The challenge presented to the “man” are also presented to each one of us. How would you respond? What are you unwilling to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God? Why?

Year 2Eric FistlerMarkComment