Thursday, February 14, 2019

Devotion - Thursday, February 14

It is in the 10th chapter of Mark's gospel that we get the encounter between Jesus and the young man who wanted to justify himself.  This is the encounter in which he asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.  When the young man insists he has kept the commandments from his youth, Jesus tells him he only lacks one thing:  "Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor."

This, the young man, cannot do.

For 2,000 years, followers of Jesus have struggled with how this encounter applies to their lives.  Are we also asked (instructed) to sell all we have?  The favored answer is, "No.  It was only in this young man's life that his possessions stood between him and Jesus."

Obviously, I have not sold all my possessions.  

But we do need to be made uncomfortable by this story.  We need to ask the difficult questions of whether we depend on  God or if we rest on our accumulations.  Where is it that we find our source of strength, and comfort, and hope?

In a discussion yesterday, I heard the affirmation of placing confidence in Jesus.  In response to my asking what brought them back to church so often they replied, "It is my safe space."  For this person, as with me, there is no where else that I find the unwavering affirmation and universal acceptance.

The young man in Mark 10 lacked the experience of finding the peace of God.  His peace was found elsewhere.  Ths is why he went away from Jesus, sorrowful.

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