THE RICH YOUNG MAN (Matt. 19:16 – Mark 10:17-30)

 

Homily 

Fr. Raymond - Organ  

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Sun 28 B 

THE RICH YOUNG MAN  (Matt. 19:16 – Mark 10:17-30)

Sometimes in the Gospel scenes we find the same story told by more than one of the Evangelists.  The stories are obviously about the same incident but each of the different accounts has its own point of view, its own emphasis, its own peculiar details that aren’t found in the others.  This is true of the story we have in today’s Gospel – the “Story of the Rich young man” It’s only when we put the two stories together that we get the full flavour of the incident.

Today’s version is that of St Mark.  He gives us a much more vivid description of the initial encounter between the young man and Jesus.  Matthew simply tells us that once, a man came up to Jesus.  Mark on the other hand tells us that he actually came running up to Jesus and he knelt down before him.  There is a note of youthful enthusiasm and of beautiful humility brought into the scene by these two words “running” and “knelt”.  It is only from Mark too that we learn that the man was young but it is only at the very end of the story that he tells us that.

Both the Evangelists then tell us that the young man addresses Jesus in terms that use the word “Good”. “Master, what good must I do to  possess eternal life”, we read in Matthew; and “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” we read in Mark.  In either case the Young man is presuming that Jesus is in himself the personification and teacher of goodness.  When Jesus answers: “Why call me good?  No one is good but God alone.” He doesn’t so much deny his goodness as give a veiled reference to his divinity by suggesting to the young man that he look into his heart and consider why he is so assured of the goodness of the one he is speaking to. He is inviting him to consider: What is this overwhelming sense of goodness that shines forth in this man before me?

Jesus, obviously doesn’t expect the young man to be able, then and there, to realise his divinity, but he is planting a seed that will, hopefully, blossom in due time into such a realisation in faith.   We can remind ourselves here of Jesus saying to his disciples “You cannot understand just now what I am talking about but, after I have risen and ascended to heaven, I will send my Spirit to you to make all things clear to you.”

Jesus then goes on to answer the young man’s question more directly:  “To gain eternal life you must keep the commandments – you know them all” and when the young man answers in simple sincerity that he has kept them all from his youth, then Jesus seems to be, humanly speaking, overwhelmed by this simple sincerity and he gazes on him with love – perhaps even with an astonished love. –remember how he was astonished at the faith of the Centurian.

We know that Jesus looks on every one of us with love, but, like every true human being there were those whom he loved in a special way.  Apart from his blessed Mother, of course, there was John, the beloved disciple, who leaned on his breast at the last supper, and then there was Lazarus whom he raised from the dead, and Martha and Mary his Sisters, and there was Mary Magdalen to whom he appeared first after his resurrection.  Yes, Jesus did have his special loves, just like any of us, and perhaps this young man was one of them.

But finally we have to consider the sad, sad ending of this story.  Here was this young man.  Spiritually speaking, had everything going for him.  He was so innocent and pure, so zealous and enthusiastic, and so humble.  And yet, when Jesus calls him to leave everything and follow him, he turns away sadly because of his great possessions.  What a frightening picture this gives us of the power of the good things of this life to come between us and God.