The Gospel in Daily Life
The first half of chapter 10 is a kind of interlude in the travel narrative, continuing the series of teachings that follow the second passion prediction and spelling out some of the practical implications of Christian discipleship. Jesus has already spoken of the radical demands of being his disciple (8:34–38; 9:35, 43–39). But what does that entail for ordinary life—for those called to marry, raise children, run a business, or own an estate?
God’s Plan for Marriage (10:1–12)
1He set out from there and went into the district of Judea [and] across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. 2The Pharisees approached and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. 3He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” 4They replied, “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” 5But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. 7For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], 8and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 10In the house the disciples again questioned him about this. 11He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
OT: Gen 1:27; 2:24; Deut 24:1–4; Mal 2:14–16
NT: Eph 5:21–33. // Matt 19:1–12; Luke 16:18
Catechism: marriage and fidelity, 1601–17, 1638–54, 2360–2400
Lectionary: 10:6–9: Sacrament of Marriage
10:1 Here Mark indicates a new stage in Jesus’ itinerary. From Capernaum (9:33), he proceeds for the first time since his baptism (1:9) to the heart of Jewish territory, the district of Judea (see map, p. 349). Jesus will not set foot again in Galilee until his resurrection from the dead (16:7). The region across the Jordan from Judea was Perea, part of the territory ruled by Herod Antipas. Jesus’ reputation had long preceded him into these regions (see 3:7–8). Although in his recent travels he had focused on private instruction for the disciples, now he resumes his public teaching for the crowds.
10:2 As had often occurred in Galilee, †Pharisees approach Jesus with a question designed to ensnare him: Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife? Divorce was widely accepted in Jewish society of the time, despite the biblical assertion that God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). There was some controversy among Pharisees over what constituted sufficient grounds for divorce, but here the question is whether divorce is permissible at all. Why would they ask this, knowing that the law of Moses did permit divorce (Deut 24:1–4)? We can surmise that Jesus had already given a teaching on the matter that apparently conflicted with the concession in the law, and the Pharisees were testing him in order to expose what they considered his unorthodox views.
10:3–4 In rabbinic fashion, Jesus responds with a counterquestion, putting the ball back in their court: What did Moses command you? In fact, Moses gave no command about divorce. The only mention of divorce in the †Torah is in Deut 24:1–4, which takes for granted the possibility that a husband could dismiss his wife by writing her a bill of divorce. A bill of divorce was a man’s relinquishment of legal claims on his wife, freeing her from any obligations to him and allowing her to marry someone else. This provision afforded some legal protection to a woman whose husband repudiated her, in a society where it was unthinkable for a woman to live on her own. The purpose of the bill of divorce was not to authorize divorce, but merely to limit its consequences for the woman. There was no corresponding legal right for a woman to divorce her husband.
10:5 Jesus then explains the reason for the legislation in Deut 24:1–4: because of the hardness of your hearts. That is, Moses had made provision for a divorced wife on account of the hard-heartedness that led men to dissolve their marriages. Israel is often chastised in the Old Testament for being hard-hearted or, the synonym, stiff-necked (Deut 10:16; 2 Kings 17:14; Ps 95:8; Isa 63:17). Hardness of heart, literally sklērokardia, sclerosis of the heart, is a stubborn refusal to yield to God and his ways. It is the willful blindness to truth for which Jesus has chided the Pharisees and even his disciples (Mark 3:5; 6:52; 8:17).
10:6–8 Now Jesus comes to the heart of the matter, the real “commandment” he wishes to draw attention to, which is given not in the fifth book of Moses, Deuteronomy, but in the first, Genesis. He quotes two passages from the story of creation, referring to humanity prior to the sin of Adam and Eve. The first, Gen 1:27, recounts God’s creation of human beings in his image on the sixth day: God made them male and female. The second, Gen 2:24, describes the covenant bond of love between husband and wife, expressed in sexual union: a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.[1] In biblical thought flesh is not merely the physical body but the whole human being as present in the visible world. For a husband and wife to become “one flesh” is the bodily expression of a personal union at the deepest level of their being. Jesus links these two scriptures to indicate that the communion of love between a husband and wife is a sign pointing to God’s ultimate purpose in creating humanity in his image.
With these statements, Jesus brings the discussion—and the whole understanding of marriage itself—to a new level. By the very fact of referring to humanity before the fall, Jesus is implying that from now on, God’s original intention is the true standard for marriage and other human relationships. He is saying, in effect, that the concession in Deuteronomy no longer applies because humanity is no longer captive to sin, hardness of heart, and the resultant family breakdown. Now there is a new reality at hand—the kingdom of God—with a new power to live and experience what God intended from the beginning. As Jesus has already suggested (Mark 8:31–9:1), this new possibility will come about through his paschal mystery.
10:9 Jesus concludes with his own solemn injunction: what God has joined together, no human being must separate. He thereby confirms what Genesis already implied: the union of husband and wife is no mere human convention but a bond made by God himself (see Mal 2:14–16). No human being is authorized to dissolve that bond once it has been made.[2]
10:10–12 It is no wonder that the disciples, as often happens, find it difficult to digest the radical change Jesus has just instituted (see Matt 19:10). On his own authority Jesus has just taken away a concession given in the law of Moses. Why would he set this stricter standard? Surely it is not to make life more difficult for his followers. Rather, it is because through his cross and resurrection he is now giving them a new power to live according to God’s original plan for human love. They can no longer settle for less. Once again, in a private indoor setting, the disciples ask Jesus to explain himself (see Mark 4:10; 7:17; 9:28). For Mark’s first readers, in the house probably called to mind the Church, which gathered in homes just as the first disciples had often gathered around Jesus in a house (1:29; 2:15; 7:24; 9:33). Jesus unpacks the implications of his teaching by declaring that remarriage after divorce is not permissible. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. This statement is radical in two ways. First, it affirms the indissolubility of marriage, a teaching that is as challenging and countercultural today as it was then. Second, it recognizes adultery as an offense that can be committed against a wife. Jewish law and custom had viewed adultery as an offense against a man, whose wife was considered in some sense his property (see Exod 20:17). Jesus acknowledges the total equality of man and woman, and the mutual belonging of husband and wife in marriage. The final statement reflects the situation in the Roman world where women had a legal right to divorce, and affirms that women are equally responsible for upholding the permanence of the marriage bond.
With this pronouncement on marriage, Jesus brings his teachings on suffering, self-denial, humility, and service into the most intimate sphere of human life.[3] It is in the daily challenges of family relationships, in the struggle to live out God’s design for human love—especially in lifelong fidelity to another fallen and imperfect person—that “taking up the cross” (Mark 8:34) has its most concrete application. But equally it is here that those who obey Jesus’ new law will be able to experience the coming of the kingdom with power (9:1).
Reflection and Application (10:1–12)
Today it is nearly impossible to read this passage, and its parallels in Matthew and Luke, without calling to mind Pope John Paul the Great and his profound reflections on human love in the divine plan, known as the theology of the body.[4] As the pope explains, in this passage Jesus recalls “the beginning” to show that it is only by rediscovering God’s original plan that we can find the answer to our longing for relationships of lasting, authentic love. God gave us a symbolic key to that plan by creating us in his image as “male and female”—that is, with bodily differences that are designed for union. The one-flesh union of man and woman in marriage is a sign pointing to God’s own mystery and our call to communion with him. Only in the New Testament is the mystery fully revealed: God himself is a communion of persons, an eternal exchange of love, and he has destined us to share in that exchange (Catechism, 221).
Blessing of the Children (10:13–16)
13And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
OT: Gen 48:14–16; Ps 115:14–15
NT: Mark 9:36–37; Acts 2:39; 1 Pet 2:2. // Matt 18:3; 19:13–15; Luke 18:15–17
Catechism: becoming a child, 526, 2785; the gift of children, 2373–79; laying on hands, 699
Lectionary: Common of Pastors; Infant Baptism; Christian Initiation Apart from the Easter Vigil
10:13 This pronouncement about children immediately follows one about marriage—not accidentally, since Mark is grouping together teachings on the implications of discipleship for ordinary life. People, probably both mothers and fathers, were bringing children to Jesus, not only for healing but simply that he might touch them. The blessing of children through the laying on of hands was an ancient Israelite practice, usually done by the child’s father (Gen 27:30; 48:14–16). Not surprisingly, parents wanted their children to be blessed by the renowned miracle-working rabbi from Nazareth. But those approaching Jesus often have to overcome obstacles (Mark 2:4; 7:27; 10:48). Here it is the reprimand of the disciples, who perhaps with good intentions are trying to protect Jesus from what they deem a nuisance. In their view, Jesus has more important things to do than attend to children, who had no status in the culture of the time. Once again they have fumbled, completely forgetting his teaching that to receive a child is to receive him (9:36–37).
10:14–15 This is the only instance in the Gospels where Jesus becomes indignant, a term indicating outrage at an offense—in this case the disciples’ attempt to hinder little ones from coming to him. Jesus states in the strongest possible terms his desire that children be granted access to him. He then gives an explanation that must have taken his disciples aback. The kingdom of God has been the whole subject of his preaching and ministry (1:15; 4:11; 9:1). It sums up everything to which the disciples aspire—and now he says it belongs to these little people whom they were just shooing away? Once again Jesus is overturning their whole scale of values. To explain further, he makes a solemn pronouncement: whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. All are called to be “children” in relation to the kingdom. What is it about children that makes them such apt recipients of the kingdom? Children have no accomplishments with which to earn God’s favor, no status that makes them worthy. In their dependency they exemplify the only disposition that makes entrance into the kingdom possible: simply to receive it as a pure, unmerited gift (see Matt 5:3).
10:16 Jesus shows the children even more care and affection than their parents sought: he embraced and blessed them, placing his hands on them. It is the second time he has shown the warmth of his love for children (see 9:36). In so doing he reveals the disposition of God toward all his sons and daughters, his desire to bless them and enfold them in his embrace. Jesus’ action is a parable in gesture, complementing his earlier parables of the kingdom (4:1–33): to receive the kingdom is as simple, trusting, and humble an action as receiving the embrace of Jesus. Indeed, to enter the kingdom is nothing other than to enter into a relationship with Jesus.
St. Thérèse on Receiving the Kingdom like a Child
What does it mean to be a child before God? “It is to recognize our nothingness, to expect everything from God as a little child expects everything from its father; it is to be disquieted about nothing, and not to be set on gaining our living.… To be little is not attributing to oneself the virtues that one practices, believing oneself capable of anything, but to recognize that God places this treasure in the hands of his little child to be used when necessary; but it remains always God’s treasure. Finally, it is not to become discouraged over one’s faults, for children fail often, but they are too little to hurt themselves very much.”[a]
Reflection and Application (10:13–16)
Jesus’ command to let the children come to him, along with the references in Acts to the baptism of entire households (Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8), formed part of the ancient Church’s rationale for the practice of infant baptism. Origen (ca. 185–254), and later St. Augustine (354–430), regarded infant baptism as a tradition received from the apostles.[5] St. Irenaeus considered it a matter of course that the baptized should include “infants and small children.”[6] Several Fathers, including Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine, vigorously reacted against the postponement of baptism, which they viewed as parental negligence, and begged parents not to delay the sacrament since it is necessary for salvation.
The Man with Many Possessions (10:17–22)
17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’ ” 20He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
OT: Exod 20:12–17; Tob 4:7–11; Sir 29:8–12
NT: Acts 2:45. // Matt 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23
Catechism: Jesus and the commandments, 2052–55; eternal life, 1020–29; giving to the poor, 2443–49
Lectionary: 10:17–30: Common of Pastors
10:17 As if on cue, a man approaches who exemplifies the opposite of what Jesus has just described: a pursuit of eternal life on the basis of one’s own efforts. This episode begins a section of teachings on what is given up for the sake of the kingdom (10:17–31), reinforcing Jesus’ earlier lesson that the kingdom is a gift given those who acknowledge their neediness (10:15; see Eph 2:8; 2 Tim 1:9).
The mention of a journey (hodos), or “way,” is a subtle reminder that Jesus is proceeding toward Jerusalem (Mark 10:1, 32), where he will face the sufferings that are at the heart of his messianic mission. There is an unusual zeal and earnestness to the fellow who runs up and kneels before him, acknowledging Jesus’ competence to answer the question burning on his heart. To kneel is a gesture of petition and of profound homage (Ps 22:30; 95:6). He addresses Jesus with a title of respect: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? His question is one form of the ultimate question on every person’s heart, even when it is unacknowledged: “What is the meaning of life? What is my ultimate aim, and how do I attain it?” It is another way of asking, “How do I enter the kingdom of God?” (see 10:15). The concept of “eternal life” was a relatively late development in the Old Testament, which increasingly recognized the reality of life after death (see Dan 12:2; 2 Macc 7:9). It would be natural for a Jew like this man to assume that observance of the law was the way to eternal life. But the very fact that he asks suggests that he is dissatisfied with the traditional answer. He senses that there must be something more to it.
10:18 Jesus’ initial response is puzzling and has occasioned much speculation. Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. But the mistake is to assume that Jesus is repudiating the attribute of good for himself. He is not denying that he is good; rather, he is inviting the man to reflect more deeply on what he has just said (see 10:3; 12:35; John 2:4 for similar examples). On what basis does he call Jesus good? Is it because he is a wise teacher and powerful miracle worker? Because he treats everyone with kindness? Or is there a more profound basis for Jesus’ goodness? Does the man recognize that ultimately, God alone is good, and that what he perceives in Jesus is not merely unusual human qualities but that infinite goodness that belongs to God alone? Jesus gently directs the man’s gaze toward the answer to his heart’s longing.
10:19–20 As if to probe the man’s dissatisfaction, Jesus rehearses the part of the answer he already knows. The clear teaching of the Old Testament is that one who obeys God’s law will live (Deut 30:15–16; Ezek 33:14–15). Jesus lists some of the ten commandments (Exod 20:1–17; Deut 5:6–21), adding you shall not defraud (see Deut 24:14). To honor one’s father and mother was linked in a special way with the promise of long life (Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16; Sir 3:6). Each of the commandments listed by Jesus concerns conduct toward fellow human beings (the second tablet of the †Decalogue). But what about the first three commandments (the first tablet), which concern conduct toward God? As will be seen below, Jesus has not neglected them.
The man is a faithfully observant Jew who has been well catechized, and without boasting he states simply, Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth. From his youth probably means from age twelve, when a Jewish boy formally assumed the yoke of the commandments. The Jewish belief was that it was not impossible to keep all the commandments (Sir 15:15; Phil 3:6), and Jesus does not dispute the man’s claim.[7]
10:21 The key to the story is found in the next statement: Jesus, looking at him, loved him. It is the only time in the Gospel that Jesus is said to have looked with love on an individual. But the verb, agapaō (from which derives the noun agapē), is at the heart of the early Church’s message concerning Jesus’ mission: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16); “Christ loved us and handed himself over for us” (Eph 5:2). It is this gaze of divine love that would have captivated the man’s heart and moved him to surrender all his earthly attachments—if he had seen it. But sadly, preoccupied with his own thoughts, he seems not to have noticed Jesus’ gaze.
Jesus puts his finger on the source of the man’s dissatisfaction. Despite his fidelity to the law, he lacks the one thing necessary (see Luke 10:42). Why does Jesus tell him to sell all that he owns? Perhaps because the man was bound by his possessions and attached to the independence they made possible. They were the earthly treasure that was hindering him from freely receiving the heavenly treasure that was being offered to him. Jesus wishes to set the man free to follow the true longing of his heart without reserve. And the relinquishment of his possessions is not to be an abstract, isolated act: he is to place himself in solidarity with the poor by giving the proceeds to them. The Old Testament already recognized that to give alms to the needy is to store up treasure in the sight of God (Tob 4:7–11; Sir 29:8–12). Jesus is asking this man to become as dependent on God’s providence as children, to whom he has just said the kingdom belongs (10:14). He then offers the same invitation he gave his disciples earlier (Mark 1:17; 2:14): Come, follow me. Here is where the first tablet of the Decalogue comes in: it is in giving one’s life unconditionally to Jesus that the covenant obligation to love God is lived out. Jesus is in the place of God.[8]
10:22 Tragically, the man cannot bring himself to pay such a high price, even for the “eternal life” that he so passionately seeks. The word for possessions can also be translated “properties” or “estates.” Evidently the man finds his security and comfort in earthly wealth and he is not willing to embrace the self-denial that leads to true wealth. It is a sobering conclusion to the story, the first time that Jesus’ invitation to discipleship has been directly refused.
Reflection and Application (10:17–22)
Is Jesus’ directive to the rich man a requirement for all who wish to inherit eternal life? Other passages in the Gospel indicate that Jesus did not ask all his disciples to sell their possessions (see 1 Tim 6:17–19). Peter apparently keeps his house and boat, at least for a time (Mark 1:29; John 21:3); the women of Galilee continued to have access to their material resources (Mark 15:41), as did Joseph of Arimathea (15:43). Thus his call to this man was in some way tailored to the man himself. But as the following passage will show, total detachment from one’s possessions is demanded of every disciple. The Church recognizes an especially great model of discipleship in those who voluntarily commit themselves to a life of poverty in response to God’s call (Catechism, 2103).
The Danger of Riches (10:23–27)
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
OT: Deut 32:15; Ps 49; Hosea 12:9
NT: // Matt 19:23–26; Luke 18:24–27
Catechism: detachment from riches, 2544–47, 2728; all things possible for God, 1058
Lectionary: 10:24b–30: Mass for the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession
10:23 Jesus takes the occasion of the rich man’s departure to instruct his disciples about the dangerous snare that earthly prosperity can be. He looked around as if searching the hearts of his listeners. How hard it is! It is a sober warning against the spiritual complacency that can result from material wealth. Those whose earthly needs and desires are well satisfied can all too easily become comfortable and self-reliant, avoiding the total surrender to God demanded by the gospel—not to mention the risk of becoming self-indulgent, arrogant, and inconsiderate of the poor. The great temptation is to trust in one’s status, wealth, and abilities as a substitute for trust in God alone.
10:24–26 The disciples’ amazement is a measure of how radical Jesus’ pronouncement was. In the Old Testament, before an understanding of life after death had fully developed, wealth was considered a mark of God’s favor (Deut 28:1–14; Ps 25:12–13; Sir 11:21–22). Yet there are also many warnings of the danger of riches (Deut 32:15; Ps 49; 52:9; Prov 11:28). Despite all of Jesus’ previous teaching on the cost of discipleship (8:34–37), the disciples still regard the prosperous as those who have first claim on the kingdom. But since wealth and power generate false security, they are utterly useless as a means of access to the kingdom; they serve only to block the way.
Jesus replies in a tone of affection, addressing them as children, perhaps a gentle reminder of his earlier words about receiving the kingdom like a child (10:15). He repeats his statement in even stronger terms, this time including not only the rich but all: how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! He drives home the point with a picturesque comparison. A camel was the largest beast familiar to first-century Jews; the eye of a needle was the smallest aperture imaginable. Jesus intends to conjure an absurd and even comical image in their minds. At these words his disciples’ jaws drop. No interpretation of his statement is adequate unless it takes into account their stunned reaction: they were exceedingly astonished. If even those most favored find it that hard to enter the kingdom, what hope is there for anyone else? One can imagine them whispering in dismay to one another, Then who can be saved? “Being saved” (see 8:35) is a synonym for “entering the kingdom” or obtaining “eternal life,” accenting the fact that one is saved from eternal death or separation from God.
10:27 Once again Jesus focuses his gaze on them, seeking to gain the full attention of their hearts. His final pronouncement forestalls any discouragement resulting from what he has just said, and reveals the key to the whole discourse: All things are possible for God. The kingdom of God, which Jesus has been announcing from the beginning of his public ministry (1:15), is something utterly beyond human achievement. It cannot be earned, it cannot be claimed as a right, it does not come as a reward for good behavior. It depends solely on the goodness of God, who freely offers it as a gift. So great is this gift that it must be recognized as God accomplishing the impossible, for me. The exultant proclamation that nothing is beyond God’s capability recalls Jesus’ encouragement to the man with the possessed boy (9:23), and God’s reassurance to Sarah that she would bear a child at age ninety (Gen 17:17; 18:14). Mary too proclaimed, “The Mighty One has done great things for me.… The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:49, 53). Although Jesus does not say so explicitly here, his death and resurrection are the means by which God does the impossible, bestowing the kingdom on those who would otherwise be utterly bereft of it.
Not Owners but Stewards
According to Catholic social teaching, our material goods are entrusted to us by God not for our own personal advantage but for the privilege of using them for the good of others. “The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others, first of all his family. Goods of production—material or immaterial—such as land, factories, practical or artistic skills, oblige their possessors to employ them in ways that will benefit the greatest number. Those who hold goods for use and consumption should use them with moderation, reserving the better part for guests, for the sick and the poor” (Catechism, 2404–5).
Reflection and Application (10:23–27)
In this teaching on the danger of riches, Jesus does not denounce wealth as evil in itself. In fact, it is remarkable how many of his sayings and parables indirectly affirm the values of ownership, business, trade, and investment.[9] Rather, it is the attachment to wealth that is spiritually perilous (Matt 6:24; 1 Tim 6:10; Heb 13:5). For those of us who live in the wealthiest civilization in the history of humanity, it is all too easy to breeze over Jesus’ words. “Others might be attached to money, but I’m just trying to pay the bills.” His exclamation, “How hard it is!” is a sobering warning of how difficult it is to have money or possessions and yet not be attached to them.
Many Catholics today are rediscovering the benefit of the biblical practice of tithing—giving 10 percent or more of one’s income to the poor, to missions, and to the Church. In the Old Testament, giving a tithe of the harvest was a way of expressing awareness that what one has comes from God and belongs ultimately to him (Deut 14:22). The New Testament does not explicitly teach tithing, but if anything summons Christians to an even more generous use of their financial resources. Although 10 percent is a good rule of thumb, some people’s financial circumstances allow them to “tithe”—that is, contribute regularly—only a smaller amount. Others are in a position to give more. Some singles I know donate 15–20 percent of their gross income; a widow who receives her husband’s retirement pension is happy to be able to give away 30 percent. A tithing program in the diocese of Wichita, Kansas, has enabled parishes to sustain schools, serve the poor, and bring spiritual renewal to many people who have discovered the joy of giving generously of their time, talent, and treasure.
The Rewards of Discipleship (10:28–31)
28Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. 31But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”
OT: Gen 12:1–3
NT: Matt 20:16; Luke 22:28–30; Phil 3:7–8. // Matt 19:27–30; Luke 18:28–30
Catechism: the evangelical counsels, 915–18
Lectionary: Mass for Vocations to Holy Orders or Religious Life
10:28 Jesus’ declaration prompts a reply from Peter as spokesman for the disciples: We have given up everything and followed you. Peter speaks truly (see 1:18, 20; 2:14), though perhaps with a hint of boasting.[10] In contrast to the rich man of 10:22, the disciples have been willing to leave behind not only their possessions but their whole former life for the sake of following Jesus. The Greek verb for “give up” (aphiēmi) can also mean “release” or “let go.” Exteriorly they have indeed left all behind, yet their squabbling for positions of honor (9:34; 10:40) and their aversion to the prospect of suffering (8:32) show that they have not yet interiorly abandoned all to Jesus.
10:29 Jesus does not rebut Peter’s claim. Instead, he makes a great promise, addressed to all who make earthly sacrifices to follow him. The list of possible sacrifices, house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, affirms the radical nature of the Christian life. Jesus’ claim on a person far outweighs the value of home, relatives, or property. On one level, these terms reflect the unusual lifestyle of those called to travel around preaching the gospel, dependent on the hospitality of others (6:8–9). But more broadly, they refer to the detachment that is required of all Christ’s disciples. These words reflect the experience of the early Christians, many of whom turned their properties over to the Church for the care of the needy (Acts 2:45; 4:32–37), and some of whom may have been disowned by their families because of their allegiance to Christ. The motivation for doing so is the same as that for losing one’s life (Mark 8:35): For my sake and for the sake of the gospel. Only Mark (here and in 8:35) includes “and for the sake of the gospel” (see Matt 10:39; Luke 9:24), accenting the priceless value of the good news for which so many had suffered.
10:30 But the promise is of a hundredfold recompense, like the seed bearing abundant fruit (4:8, 20), not only in the age to come but even in this present age. Those who give up all for Jesus will not be left lonely and isolated: they will experience the warmth of hospitality in which fellow believers and even unbelievers will welcome them into their homes (Acts 16:15; 28:2, 7; 2 Cor 8:1–4). As Jesus indicated earlier (3:34–35), they will become members of his own family. They will experience deep bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood with other members of “the family of the faith” (Gal 6:10; see Rom 16:13), which will more than compensate for their loss of blood relatives. Significantly, “fathers” is absent from the list (as in Mark 3:35), since God himself is the Father of the new family of Jesus (see 11:25; Matt 23:9).
Perhaps there is a touch of wry humor in the inclusion of persecutions in the list of rewards, which is only in Mark. Jesus does not want his followers to lose a sense of realism: it is not so much a question of whether as of how his followers will be persecuted. If not by official state repression, it might be by mockery and social ostracism, or by obstacles and trials thrown our way by the powers of darkness. But all that is not worthy of comparison with the eternal life that we will gain in the end—the life the rich man so yearned for (10:17), and that corresponds to the longing of every human heart. Jesus has now given the full answer to the question with which the rich man had approached him.
10:31 Mark concludes the discourse with a saying found in different contexts in Matthew (20:16; see 19:30) and Luke (13:30). It describes a great reversal that will take place at the end of history when Jesus comes in glory. Many of those who in “this present age” were regarded as successful, important, honored, and powerful (like the “firsts” of Galilee in Mark 6:21) will be revealed as the poorest in what truly counts. Many of those who are downtrodden, overlooked, weak, and insignificant in the eyes of the world will be revealed as the preeminent ones in the kingdom.