TGBC Wednesday, 27 Jan 2021. Mark 1:13-31. Getting into the kingdom of God

Good morning. Here's our reading today from The Good Book Club.

Mark 10:13-31

Disciples’ Literal New Testament

Jesus Blesses The Children. Of Such Is The Kingdom of God

13 And they were bringing children to Him in order that He might touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus, having seen it, was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to be coming to Me. Do not be forbidding them. For the kingdom of God is of such ones. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter into it”. 16 And having taken them in His arms, He was blessing them, while laying His hands on them.

A Rich Man Asks What To Do To Get Eternal Life: Sell Everything And Follow Me

17 And while He was proceeding out on the road, one having run up and knelt-before Him was asking Him, “Good Teacher, what should I do in order that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One— God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit-adultery, do not steal, do not give-false-testimony, do not defraud, be honoring your father and mother’” 20 And the one said to Him, “Teacher, I kept these all from my youth”. 21 And Jesus, having looked at him, loved him. And He said to him, “One thing is lacking as to you: Go, sell all-that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, be following Me”. 22 But the one, having become downcast at His word, went away grieving. For he was having many properties.

It Is Hard For The Rich To Enter. But All Who Leave Anything Will Inherit More

23 And having looked around, Jesus says to His disciples, “How difficultly the ones having wealth will enter into the kingdom of God”. 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus, having responded again, says to them, “Children, how difficult it is to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 It is easier that a camel go through the hole of the needle than that a rich one enter into the kingdom of God”. 26 And the ones were even more astounded, saying to themselves, “Who indeed can be saved?” 27 Having looked at them, Jesus says, “With humans it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God”.

28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold— we left everything, and have followed You”. 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for the sake of Me and for the sake of the good-news 30 except he receive a hundred-fold now in this time— houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along-with persecutions— and in the coming age, eternal life. 31 But many first ones will be last, and the last ones, first”.

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The DLNT doesn't read smooth and bedtime-story-like as other versions, but it's our most literal English translation of Mark's Greek, a collection of Jesus' sayings about who can get into the kingdom of God. It seems pretty exclusive.

As Mark wrote about 70 AD, some of it may reflect entry rite customs and conditions of life in the developing Early Church. Most early Christians were poor and didn't trust the wealthy. Some had left families and life as they knew it to join The Way of the Cross. There may have been encouragement of hope for future reward in this life or hereafter. Hope of eternal life seems to be extended as enticement. Many may have given up all they owned, and the Church may have been operating as Luke describes at Acts 4:32-37, the community requiring joiners to sell their possessions and share the proceeds into the common ownership and use.

Whatever, it seems that to enter the kingdom of God,

innocent, childlike belief and trust in Jesus and the church community elders is required,

one cannot be wealthy, if one is wealthy one must divest of all wealth and give the proceeds away so as to be like everyone else,

one must leave behind one's worldly affections and love Jesus only.

It's distracting and absurd to use the flash word "communism" in discussing this or Acts 4:32-37 and the scare tactic at Acts 4:38f.

It's also absurd and ignorant to rationalize Jesus' outrageous saying, the impossibility of a camel getting through the eye of a needle, by saying Well, he meant a rope not a camel, or Well, he was talking about a gate called "the eye of the needle". Jesus did not mean a rope, Jesus was not talking about the difficult but nevertheless possibility of a camel getting through some gate. Jesus loved to say shockingly outrageous things that turned common assumptions, beliefs, and expectations upside down and inside out. And the modifier that All things are possible with God is likely not from Jesus but Mark trying to soften Jesus' stunning strictness. There's a saying that "Jesus had a preferential option for the poor" which tries to let us rich and privileged folks off the hook. Let's just face it, it was not just a "preference": poor himself, Jesus did not like rich people and he could not stand know-it-alls. Deal with it, take him or leave him.

The wealthy young man left him. The art above tells it all: his face fell and he walked away, stunned to learn that one doesn't save oneself by obeying commandments and being nice, one must be willingly, voluntarily, proactively, deliberately, self-destructively sacrificial for the good of others.

Say, like the Man on the Cross.