Asking the right questions

Jgs2:11-19
The children of Israel offended the Lord by serving the Baals. Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.

Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel, and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them. He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about whom they were no longer able to withstand. Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them, as in his warning he had sworn he would do, till they were in great distress.

Even when the LORD raised up judges to deliver them from the power of their despoilers, they did not listen to their judges, but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods. They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken, and did not follow their example of obedience to the commandments of the LORD.

Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived; it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors. But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors, following other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.

Mt 19:16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?”

And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

In today’s gospel the young man asks, "What good must I do to gain eternal life?"

Often we're given this story of the young man as a lesson of the love of wealth and how difficult it would be for a wealthy person to get into heaven. And certainly Jesus Himself points this out to us. It’s not a literal command to each of us to give up all that we have earned—although we certainly should give a portion of what we have to help the poor—rather the message is, to me, much more.

While the young man’s question is well intentioned, it is a question that betrays his lack of clarityand maturity of faith as to what’s really important, and perhaps that is why Jesus knows to put this hardest challenge to him.

There is nothing wrong with seeking after eternal life, but it is not the greatest good in terms of attitude. The greatest good does not start with this question -- it starts with another, which is supplied by God's Holy Word and tested by the command Jesus gives to the young man.

In Deuteronomy, we are told that it is best for us when we "Love God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." (Deut 6:5)

The young man's question should have been, "How do I learn to love God in this way and so enter eternal life to continue in this love?" And the answer is as Jesus implied in His command -- give up every other lesser love, abandon all desire for good things and desire only the One Good, and we'll find the path.

This sounds hard, but it is made easier by the Holy Spirit who helps us and by training the will to think always first of God and His glory and only second of our own desire. This is how we "sell all we have and give it to the poor." When we serve with the love of God foremost in our hearts, we have met the need Jesus articulates. And we must do this day by day, because each day we have a new chance to "sell all we have and give it to the poor." And day after day, if grace is there, the Holy Spirit supports this action.