“17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”18 And Jesus said to him,“Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud,Honor your father and mother.’”20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.”21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him,“One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”22 But at these words[a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”
Mark 10:17-27 NASB
There is a video circulating around social media of a white man from a wealthy neighborhood in Raleigh being interviewed. He is standing in front of National Guard tanks protecting a high-end shopping center while military helicopters fly overhead. Here’s a snippet of the dialogue.
Reporter: To see the National Guard in your backyard, what do you make of that?
Resident: It’s a 300 year problem in the making, you know? It is what it is. I’ve been watching it all week, and I knew it was coming. We gotta pay our dues, man. It’s been 300 years in the making…
Reporter: Three hundred years in the making?
Resident: …I don’t know the exact amount of years. But, you know, you go back to slavery and…it all comes to a head.
Reporter: What do you think it’s going to take for this city to heal from what we’re seeing, not only here, but across the country?
Resident: (Silence for 13 seconds) You know, it ain’t gonna heal tonight, it ain’t gonna heal this year, it ain’t gonna heal in 10 years. I mean, if we haven’t fixed it yet… I mean, some things can’t be fixed, I think. Sometimes you commit an act so egregious that there’s no coming back from it….
When I watched this video, the image that came to my mind was the rich young ruler in the New Testament parable. A man wants to know how to make it to Heaven and experience eternal life. Jesus asks him about the commandments, and he says he has kept them all. He’s never hurt a soul, he doesn’t lie, he respects his elders; he’s really a good person. Then Jesus says, “Go and sell all of your possessions, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; come, and follow me.” Read more
Daniel Hughes is the father of four children and the husband of Nicole. He serves as Lead Pastor for Incline Missional Community (IMC). IMC is a diverse, loving, productive, and missional faith community transforming the lives of people who are seeking another chance at a life. Daniel loves to connect with the marginalized and uses this gift in a partnership with the Hamilton County Office of Reentry. He is working to reduce recidivism in the county, and works with inter faith organizations to create new ways for people to belong in community.
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