Breaking Free From Materialism Mark 10:17-27 (Maki Miço )

Mark 10:17–27 tells the story of a rich man who sincerely asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He is moral, religious, and outwardly obedient, but Jesus looks at him with love and exposes the one thing he is unwilling to surrender—his wealth. When told to sell what he has, give to the poor, and follow, the man walks away sad because his possessions hold his heart. Jesus then teaches His disciples that it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, not because wealth itself is evil, but because it so easily breeds self-reliance and blinds us to our need for God. Like a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle, it is humanly impossible for the wealthy to enter the kingdom, but with God all things are possible. This passage confronts our own relationship with materialism and prosperity. We often assume that prosperity is always a blessing that clears away obstacles, but it can create new ones, giving us more creative ways to avoid wholehearted discipleship. If you had a choice between hardship and prosperity, what would you choose?