through the eye of a needle -Mark 10:17-31

Misusing the word of "good"... In today's passage a rich man calls Jesus "good". Jesus responds by saying, "No one is good except God Alone" (vs. 18). Even though Jesus actually is both God and good, the rich man did not know this and therefore was using the word far too lightly. This reveals that the man thinks of goodness as something within his grasp - he fails to see how far short of being good he falls.

Exposing the rich man's sin... In answering the rich man's question about how he can obtain salvation, Jesus exposes further the man's proud ignorance of his own sin - he actually believed that he had kept God's laws. In order to reveal that the man was indeed a lawbreaker, Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. The man goes away sad on account of his wealth and his sin of idolatry is exposed - money was his god.

God does the impossible... Jesus declares how difficult it is for people to enter the kingdom of God and especially for the rich. He even states, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (vs. 25). In other words it is nothing short of a miracle when anyone is saved, especially a rich person, thankfully, God makes all things possible (vs. 27).

A great reward... Jesus makes clear that no sacrifice for His sake will be left unnoticed and unrewarded. Along with persecutions we will receive a hundredfold in this life what we have sacrificed and eternal life in the age to come vs. 29-31).

*Questions for Reflection:

1. How is the word "good" often misused today?

2. Is there anything or anyone you would not give up if Jesus asked you to? If so, what might this reveal?

3. What have you sacrificed for Jesus' sake?