Daily Word Of God
Mark 10:17b-23
A man ran up, knelt before Jesus and put this question to him, ‘Good master, 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 must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’
And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these since my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’
But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- The rich man in the Gospel started out eagerly asking Jesus what he should do to gain eternal life. In reply, Jesus told him to sell everything he owned and to give the money to the poor.
- In so doing, Jesus was trying to free the rich man’s attachment to his prestige and comforts of life and divert them towards the needs of others, including their emotional and spiritual needs.
- We, in affluent Singapore, are particularly challenged by Jesus words, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul?” Ponder on this truth and ask God for the graces we need to focus our life on building His Kingdom.