Today's Devotion
Thursday of Lent 3, March 12, 2026 - Mark 10:13-31
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
The kingdoms of the world operate by strength, reason, and taking action to fulfill one’s desires. There is nothing less suited to life in our fallen world than being a child. Children are weak, lack cognitive ability, and they have no concept of planning and execution. They live moment by moment, dependent upon someone outside of themselves to take care of them. Instead of rationality, they display trust in one more powerful than themselves. A worldly society comprised only of children would fall apart.
This is why our Lord’s statement: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” is so shocking. It is not only countercultural, it is counter-rational. And we see our Lord becoming “indignant” when the disciples discouraged children from being brought into the kingdom by being brought to the King: “Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
By contrast, we see a young man who enjoys wealth and worldly success. Unlike the children, nobody has brought him to Jesus. Of his own will, he “ran up,” and of his own will he “knelt before Him.” And this successful man does something else that a little child cannot do: he asks Jesus a rational question concerning “eternal life.” And the way he asks the question shows that he thinks the kingdom works like the world: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.” In spite of his rationality, there is something irrational in his question. For when a person “inherits” something, he receives it because of someone else’s kindness, someone who has died. And indeed, in the world, people do take actions to try to funnel inheritances to themselves. They may curry favor with the rich, or select wealthy relatives to run up and kneel before them, seeking some reward.
Our Lord asks this young man a rhetorical question: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” For this wealthy young man is not approaching a mere “good teacher,” but rather, he is seeking an answer from God. In order to have eternal life, one must confess that Jesus is good because Jesus is God. And Jesus has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). To earn eternal life, one must keep the law perfectly, and the Good Teacher explains this. This young man is either deluded or lying, claiming “all these things I have kept from my youth.” Jesus “loved him” by challenging him. Does he truly keep the commandments? Have his “great possessions” become an idol? Is this young man even keeping the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods” (Ex 20:3)?
Jesus challenges him to sell off his possessions, donate the proceeds “to the poor,” and join the kingdom by following the King. “Come, follow Me,” invites Jesus. Of course, we saw Peter, Andrew, James, and John immediately walk away from their fishing businesses to answer that same call. We saw Matthew leave behind his lucrative tax business to say “yes” to this same invitation. But this rich young man was too attached to his material wealth to throw it all away like a child, to be dependent upon someone outside of himself, someone more powerful than he, to take care of him. And this is why wealth is a powerful temptation and a snare – not only to the rich, but also to the poor. And the disciples recognize this, asking, “Then who can be saved?”
“With man it is impossible,” says our Good Teacher who is God, “for all things are possible with God” –even entering God’s kingdom as a little child: helpless, dependent, but trusting in one outside of himself.
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.