The message that Jesus wants us to learn from the Gospel story begins with understanding the psyche and the identity of the man who ran to Jesus, knelt before him and asked him a very profound question: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
Who is this guy? Mark described him as a rich young man. Why was he rich? Let’s scrutinize this fellow a little bit. He was rich on many levels. Materially, he was rich because he had many possessions. He was quite well-off, very wealthy. Materially, he was secure. Intellectually, we could say that he was intellectually rich as well – for him to ask a very profound question to Jesus, for him to ponder the importance of eternal life, we could say that he was pretty bright and deep. Spiritually, he was quite “wealthy” as well at least in the standards of the Jewish religion of Jesus’ time– he told Jesus that he followed the commandments with great zeal. He followed every letter of the law. So, if we are talking about spiritual wealth based on the external requirements of religion, this guy has it. He was a deeply religious guy. And, if we say that health is wealth, then this guy is really wealthy because he was described as a young man! He was at the prime of his life. All the possible ingredients of success are found in this guy. Talk about – young, rich, smart and religious. In the eyes and standards of the world, the guy has got it made. No wonder the disciples were like: Lord, if this guy who is pretty blessed already because he has everything could not make it to heaven, who then could enter? Yet in the midst of this seemingly perfect life of this rich young man, something is missing, something is lacking. Behind his very ideal life, there’s something that his heart is looking for. And, since he is a wise guy, he went to Jesus to ask for it. Lord, my heart is restless despite all of the successes and accolades that I have received, how can I get or inherit eternal life? If he was truly wise and realized that Jesus is Lord and God, when he asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life, he was basically asking Jesus: Lord, I almost have everything that the world can possibly offer, but I don’t have you. How can I have you? Jesus cuts to the very heart of the matter – Go and sell your possessions and give them to the poor. Before we protest and find this exhortation of Jesus a little too much, we have to caution ourselves not to read or understand this suggestion of Jesus as if he was asking the guy to completely abandon his wealth or possessions, but rather, Jesus was asking him to share a little bit of himself and what he has to those who are wanting. There is nothing wrong in being rich – because ultimately God is the source of all graces and blessing. But those things should not define us and should not shape our relationships, but rather, we make use of them for the greater glory of God.
Jesus was practically telling him: well, since you are asking and wanting to inherit eternal life, you better start practicing now detaching yourself from those things that seem to define who you are, but actually blurs your original identity. The thing is if we want eternal life, we have to die first, and when we die, whatever wealth we consider –health, riches, intelligence, religious piety – all of these things we can’t bring to the next life. So, when Jesus said to the young man, don’t let those things that you have dictate how you look at yourself and other people, he was asking for eternal life. Eternal life is the other name for God, and who is God? A person who is entirely concerned for another, a person whose essence is to give, is to share. So, if you want eternal life, there’s no other way around it except to be a person who is also concerned primarily for others, a person whose essence is to give and to share as well, a person of communion. Basically, the call to eternal life is a call to go outside of one self, getting rid of self-centeredness and selfishness, convinced that true riches are found in giving and not always in receiving. That’s why Jesus said to the guy, “okay, since you are rich already – now, your focus should no longer be yourself but others – make them rich as well so that as they experience true richness and true wealth, they too get excited to share the wealth that they receive from you.”
We were told in the gospel that the rich young man walked away sad, not just because he had many possessions, but because he was not yet ready to share himself; he was not yet ready to look beyond himself. Yes, there was this desire for God, for eternal life, but he wasn’t willing to let go yet of what seems to define him. He was probably scared and was asking himself – who would I be if I let go of these things that define me as successful in the standards of the world? I would lose myself, I would lose my identity --- does that mean that when we lose these things, we lose ourselves too? For those whose identity is defined by the arbitrariness of the world, true happiness will always be elusive because what the world offers is very temporary and fleeting – youthfulness, wealth, intelligence – come and go, but our sublime identity as sons and daughters of God will always remain— that’s why the things of God should be our primary concern.
Now, who is the rich young man in our present time? He is every man and woman whose success defines one's existence and yet finds life empty! The rich young man is the lost person of today who longs for the higher purpose in life when his/her achievements and accomplishments cannot give the satisfaction of the inner self. The rich young man is a symbol of pious, yet constricted selfishness, which defines success that glorifies the ego but without compassion to others! It is the apex of a success story without a genuine spirituality and charity! Why is the rich young man not named? It’s because it can be any one us – young, wealthy, healthy, smart, religiously obedient – yet lacking in charity and confined solely to oneself. How am I using my wealth? And like him, Jesus calls us to follow him, but are we ready to answer the demands of the call of discipleship? Are we ready to abandon ourselves so that we can find our true self? Are we ready to leave behind our “riches” so that we can truly inherit the true treasure that our heart ultimately longs for? What are those things that we struggle to give up, those things that would make us walk away sad because deep within our hearts we cannot fully commit ourselves yet to Jesus? – Fr. Cary