"You will have treasure in heaven"

Scripture: Mark 10:17-27
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."


Reflection:  In the Gospel reading, the rich man felt that his life was not complete even if he lived according to God's law and with all the material possessions he had. He approached Jesus, asking him how he could live his earthly life and be worthy of the eternal one. Jesus immediately knew the root of his problem: attachment to material possessions. The man was looking for meaning in his life and Jesus knew what was holding him back.

Attachment to riches, possessions, power, and stature can blind us from following the true light that Jesus brings. Greed and selfishness clouds our judgement and we fail to see that what brings true happiness is generosity towards God and others. Building up our bank accounts and amassing material possessions will prove to be worthless if we use it for selfish ends. It cannot and will not make us truly happy.

Jesus does not say that being rich is bad in itself. Riches are God's blessings that are meant to be shared. What's bad is if money and possessions become more important than God that it would lead us farther from him into a life of selfishness.

Jesus invites us to follow him and realize that he is our real treasure. Only in Jesus can we find true and lasting peace and happiness. The truly rich man builds up treasures in heaven by being faithful to Jesus.