Living in the Spirit
Living in the Spirit
October 9, 2021
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”‘ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. –Mark 10:17-22
The story of greed is what’s in it for me. Jesus recognized greed when he saw it and dealt with it. Life is not driven by love if we follow the rules only to inherit eternal life. I am glad the writer of Mark noted that Jesus loved the man that knelt before him. Jesus was pleased that he obeyed the laws and norms of his culture. Yet, Jesus does not include the first commandments in the list of desired behavior. We halt at stop signs at best to protect our safety, at least to avoid getting a ticket. The Commandments outlined in the above scripture fall mainly in the category of maintaining order.
The primary Commandments Jesus did not list were the first ones, how we respect and relate to God. In summary*, they are
I am the LORD your God you shall
- Have no other gods before me
- Have no graven images or likenesses
- Not take the LORD’s name in vain
- Remember the sabbath day
Possessions were this young man’s God perhaps exemplified by graven images. Greed spreads in pandemic proportions faster and more profound than COVID. Greed quickly mutates as people begin to rein it in. Christ’s gift of grace elimenates the temptation of greed targeted at winning eternal life. Eternal life with God is ours for the accepting. That gift opens our lives to the fullness of loving God and loving like Jesus as we work to build the world Jesus died to actualize.
Prayer: Lord, we love you and worship you and thank you for the gift of grace, help us use it wisely. Amen.
*See Exodus 20 for the complete listing.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.