Please, browse the many free commentaries available on https://www.katrinapearls.com/blog
As Jesus 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.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
--------------------
This is the Gospel selection to be read aloud by a priest on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 23], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This will follow either a pair of Old Testament and Psalm readings designated as Track 1 or Track 2, depending on the course set for an individual church during Year B. The Track 1 course offers a reading from Job 23, where Job responded to Eliphaz, saying, “If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.” That will go with Psalm 22, where David sang, “All who see me laugh me to scorn; they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, “He trusted in Yahweh; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, if he delights in him.” The Track 2 offering comes from Amos, where he said, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” That is paired with Psalm 90, where David sang, “Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us and the years in which we suffered adversity.” One of those sets will precede the Epistle reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
I wrote about this reading selection the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) and posted my views on my website at that time. I went into great depth explaining what needs to be seen in this important reading. I will not repeat that now. Instead, I have made that commentary available by clicking this link. I stand behind my views stated then, as they still are valid today. I welcome all to read what I wrote then and compare those observations to those about to be added. As always, I welcome comments and questions, suggestions and correction, via email. Feel free to sign up and post directly to the articles. Now, I will place more focus on how this reading fits in with the other readings that accompany it on this Proper 23 Sunday.
In this reading (as I stated in my 2018 commentary), I believe Nicodemus is the man who “ran up and knelt before” Jesus. In John’s Gospel, after Jesus’ body had been taken down from the cross, Nicodemus carried a large supply of expensive perfumes ("a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds" – John 19:39b), along with Joseph of Arimathea, as they planed to prepare the body for temporary burial. One reason for so much perfume would be from knowing the tomb was only temporary, as the body would be removed later; so, masking the stench of death would have been necessary. However, a second reason would be in case Jesus did indeed rise from death (or someone stole the body to make it appear that happened), then a strong presence of perfumes would make for a strong trail of odors to follow.
In a completely sideline piece of evidence, Edgar Cayce (in a trance) was asked about the “Last Supper,” at which time he gave an account of the scene in the upper room. One thing he said was Jesus wore a fine linen tallit that was very expensive, which was given to him by Nicodemus. If that is true, then Jesus wore that on the night of his arrest and it would have been the fine garment the soldiers did not want to tear, so they drew lots to see who would get it. Edgar Cayce was not a highly educated man, so it is doubtful he studied to determine such as he said about the last Seder meal of Jesus. Still, if true, it says Nicodemus gave an expensive gift to Jesus and Jesus accepted it out of love; but Jesus' garments worn were not a reflection of his seeking gifts through ministry, to either support it or to make it appear he could be trusted because he wore fine clothes.
It should be known that both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were “secret disciples of Jesus, for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 19:38b); but I believe Nicodemus was a ‘double agent’ and the one who motivated Judas Iscariot to turn Jesus in. Therefore, this seeming random event (which Luke offers more details to), which follows the story of Pharisees asking Jesus about the legality of divorce, says the same man was part of that questioning. So, the question about “inheriting eternal life” was most likely another attempt to trick Jesus and get evidence against him.
Relative to this opinion of mine, verse seventeen begins with a capitalized “Kai,” which is a word that denotes importance to follow. With the capitalization of the word here (not because it begins a new sentence), that should be seen as denoting divine importance to follow. The first segment of words in verse seventeen (in Greek) states, “Kai ekporeuomenou autou eis hodon”, which appears to simply say, “And going forth here into path.” When the “Kai” is seen as a signal word that marks much importance, the question that should arise is, “Who is this talking about? Who is going forth here into path?”
Because the second segment of words immediately says (literally in English, from the Greek), “having run up one kai having knelt before him,” the statement of “one” (from “heis”), rather than “man” [NRSV translation], implies the one running was “one” known to be sympathetic to Jesus. To then (importantly, from “kai”) add, “having knelt before” Jesus, that says “one” is also a follower, if not a disciple. The elevated meaning of the capitalized “Kai” is then saying the “one” crossing Jesus’ "path" had not been a part of the entourage of disciples accompanying Jesus to the region beyond the Jordan, but “one” who had “gone forth” from Jerusalem, for the purpose of going to where Jesus was known to be (“autou” translated as “here, there”). The divine level of meaning says Jesus knew of this coming encounter, so the “one” who had “knelt before him” as a disciple would be identified as a traitor or conspirator, sent by the Temple elite.
In the question posed to Jesus, which was initially ignored, due to the return question about “good” being a statement that Jesus knew the person and his greeting stank of subversive tactics, the literal translation says, “what shall I do , that life eternal I might inherit ?” This question does not ask about entering the “kingdom of God.” Instead, the use of “klēronomēsō” is rooted in the meaning “to inherit,” implying “I inherit, obtain (possess) by inheritance, acquire.”
That says he asked a question about lineage to God. As a prominent Jew, who was one of the ruling elite (as a young man), the question was leading Jesus to say Jews have nothing guaranteed them by Yahweh. Thus, as an inheritance – something received simply by being one of God’s chosen children (unlike Gentiles) – that asked if eternal life was only available to the living, not the dead. As for “life eternal” (from “zōēn aiōnion”), for a Pharisee (who believed in Sheol as an area to wait until the delivery of the Messiah) the words spoken meant, “I am here alive now, and the Jews are always God’s children.”
Jesus heard that question exactly as it was meant to be asked, which is why he said what he said, “No one good , if not one same God .” That was less a retort of Jesus hearing a trick question, which buttered him us as a “Teacher good” [with “Didaskale” capitalized, making “Teacher” be one of divine insights]. By responding the way he did, Jesus said the only “Teacher” who is “good” is Yahweh, who speaks through “one” that is married to Him ["one same God"]. By saying “no one is good,” Jesus saw the “one” who crossed his "path" [known as he was] as not being "one" whose soul was married to Yahweh. Thus, the foregone conclusion was, “Not you, Nicodemus. As it stands now, you have no inheritance to look forward to.”
By Jesus then saying what he said about the Law and Nicodemus saying he had done all that since a child, what Jesus said about “no one good , if not one same God” is missed. So, when Jesus said, “One to you is lacking,” where the capitalization of “Hen” ["One"] places divine meaning on “One,” he was repeating, “you are not one good” enough to inherit eternal life. Jesus said he “lacked Yahweh” with his being.
When Jesus then said, “go,” that is what Nicodemus lacked. The word written in Greek is “hypage,” which means “depart, go away,” but also means “die.” In that sense, Jesus said for him to “die” of self and “lead away under” a new soul possession, one that has Yahweh married to it. Because Jesus placed importance on “One,” that is all he said to do. “Die of self,” and then it will be possible for you to earn such an inheritance, as a Son of man.
For Jesus to then add other instructions, which are selling everything, giving to the poor, and following him, that all adds up to more than “One.” Thus, the “One” thing – the dying of self – meant all those following things would then naturally take place afterwards. All would be part of his soul earning eternal life, which his [Nicodemus'] was not able to earn at that point in time.
After Nicodemus walked away sad, not about to sell anything he owned and not about to do anything for the poor, we find the disciples as perplexed as they were when Jesus had said divorce was a sign of adultery in one’s heart. The disciples all knew the world revolved around having money and possessing things; so, they could not see how poverty was the way to the kingdom of God. To make sure they were completely confused, Jesus told them it was easier to get a camel through the eye of the needle, than to get a rich man into heaven.
That was when Peter stood (once again) to speak for all the disciples, saying how much all Jesus' followers had sacrificed, in order to follow Jesus. Here, Jesus did not rebuke Peter, as Peter and the others were recognized for their sacrifices. To that regard, Jesus said everyone who sacrifices will receive one hundred times back what they give up. That was what Jesus had just told Nicodemus, without being so specific with numbers. The aspect of “life eternal” should be seen as the epitome of “a hundredfold” (from “hekatontaplasiona”), but to get that R.O.I. [return on investment], one has to first invest. That first ante is everything you possess. You do that so things no longer possess you.
The story of the “eye of the needle” is this: That was the name of the smallest gate into Jerusalem. It was a gate that was large enough for a camel to walk through, but not with a rider and not with a load of wares. If one’s destination was on the other side of that particular gate, then a merchant would have to offload everything from his camel, lead the camel through the gate, and then carry all the offloaded wares through the gate and put them back on the camel. In other words, to get a camel through the eye of the needle meant more work than most people were willing to do. It was worth it to a merchant, because everything he had would be sold inside that gate, netting him a hundredfold what everything cost him. One has to be prepared to do what it takes to earn (not inherit) such a reward. Simply because one is a merchant does not mean being a merchant makes one deserve to be rich. Therefore, the Jews were not promised physical land and the riches of the material world; they were promised heaven for maintaining the agreements of their marriage vows to Yahweh [the Covenant].
When the ‘moral of this story’ is: “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first,” that says what Jesus had told his disciples prior, when he said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) The way human beings measure “first and last” is by determining how many ‘things’ one possesses. To be last in possessions does not mean having zero possessions. It means having only what one needs. That which is a necessity will be provided by Yahweh, when one’s soul is married to His Spirit. Being 'rich in Spirit' does not mean being 'poor of things.' Job was given great wealth after he passed his test by Satan.
Being 'rich in Spirit' means Yahweh is the focus of all one's love, so worldly things are just environmental surroundings, meant to be openly shared. The more one shares, while in total love with Yahweh, the more one receives to share. Sharing this wealth of Spirit is foremost, as that wealth never gets depleted. One's focus is then pleasing Yahweh and nothing else - maintaining the Law as a natural extension of His Will. Even then, if one becomes rich with ‘things,’ one’s focus is not on how many one has. It means ‘things’ no longer possess one’s soul, because one’s soul has been divinely possessed by Yahweh; so, one’s soul has given rebirth to His Son.
In the story of Job, one needs to see how he was “good,” because he was “not alone,” instead “one with God.” In Job 1 is told how Job lost all his possessions, due to the influence of Satan (in his first attack on Job). The suffering of Job was withstood, as every verse in the reading from Job 23 can be seen as his total commitment to Yahweh through the pains, not seeking anything other than His presence and an ability to talk with Yahweh again. In the end of the Job story, he was rewarded with many more ‘things’ than he had before his faith was tested.
In the reading from Amos, he told the leaders of Israel: “You trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.” All of that states how wasteful they were in putting themselves first, while making Yahweh the least of their concerns. They measured their success in what they had, not willing to give any of it up for eternal life. In the same way that Nicodemus walked away sad, so too would the leaders of Israel, after the Assyrians had overrun their precious kingdom and laid them all to waste.
In the Hebrews reading, Paul wrote (although this is a poor translation), “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit.” The truth of those words written tells of a soul that divides and becomes possessed. A soul can become possessed divinely, like Job was, or a soul can become possessed by unclean spirits, like the leaders who led Israel to ruin were and like Nicodemus secretly was. They were all possessed by the idea of riches – the god Mammon, a son of Ba'al. Their souls were sold into slavery to Satan, who lured them with wealth and pretty ‘things,’ in order to merge his spirit to their souls. When Jesus told Nicodemus to “die,” that meant to be possessed divinely by Yahweh, and die as one possessed by Satan.
The importance of this reading is always great. In the times when Nicodemus led Jerusalem with other Pharisees, he firmly believed he had a birthright to inherit eternal life, as the good life [wealth and status]. He thought his memorization of Mosaic Law made him be blessed by God, so God allowed him to become wildly rich, at the expense of the poor and lesser ranked Jews. Nicodemus should be seen as every well-intentioned Christian today, all of whom believe God is letting them sell their souls, day-by-day, a little bit here and a little bit there, rather than go all-in for Yahweh. The vast majority of Christians today are just like the disciples who were perplexed by Jesus telling the rich man, “go, sell everything you have, give to the poor, then come, follow me.” Nobody sees the “One to you that is lacking” statement. No one is told to give their souls fully to Yahweh and stop worrying about, “How am I going to pay the bills?” That worry is a complete lack of faith.
As the world slowly dissolves away into ruin, America stands today just as did the nation of Israel [the Northern Kingdom], headed to governmental ruin and the total destruction of its peoples' status as the world's elite. Amos is coming today to tell our leaders [all parties, all functions of government and all religions that call themselves “Christian”], “Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!” We all need to hear that warning loudly, because the news is all about "justice to wormwood."
America is said to be the rich man of the world, who loves to act like he gives to the poor. America has become rich from its worship of Satan, so it indeed is the Great Satan. It is called that by the Satan worshipers, who are the Eliphazes of the world [modeled after the 'friend' of Job, who advised him to admit his wickedness and curse god]. America is like Job, covered in the sores from head to toe that are the ruined souls of its leaders. The world sees us by our outer history, which shows us all to be wicked. We scrape that evidence off with potsherds and burn the oozing flesh with hot ash; but then there is always another Joe Biden that will come back and be another boil and sore to scrape off again. He is just one skin cell of the flesh of America that is rooted in the curse of Satan that is political. The leaders of the religions are just as sinful. Only the core soul of America is crying out, “Why doesn’t God answer me.” It is a test; but, unlike Job, America is failing that test!
The lesson of this reading from Mark, which is read on the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, is to be last, rather than first. This country must be seen as unworthy of allowing anyone believe it should come here, thinking America is where getting rich is a way of life. The lesson is to stop being a Great Satan and start being one individual soul that releases all ties to ‘things’ and goes to work serving Yahweh as His Son reborn. That does not mean doing anything outside the realm of one’s home and family. Serve them until they too marry Yahweh and become inheritors of eternal life. It is time to see the poverty of one's own soul be a disgrace; and, it is time to stop trying to change anyone other than oneself. America needs to do as Jesus said and “die,” because the way it is now headed is to eternal damnation. It needs to die and be reborn in the name of Jesus Christ; but there can be no ‘things’ left to possess one’s life.