Mark 10:17–31 (NIV)

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ 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.”

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Artist’s Writeup - Heather Caliri

“Jesus gives the rich young ruler--and us--a shocking answer to the question of how to get eternal life. He tells us to move past our to-do lists and share our hoard of resources with our neighbors. Are we ready to leave the map we’ve made of “goodness” and experience the wild ecosystem of heaven right now?”

Deuteronomy 8:11-19: “Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

To Inherit?

“One can rarely do anything for an inheritance; by definition, an inheritance can only be given.” -Chuck Cambell 

Eternal life? 

“Human beings were not created for slavery, but to be the lords of creation. This is explicitly stated in the Book of Genesis. We were not created to lead drab, narrow, or constricted lives, but to live in the wide-open spaces. We find confinement unbearable, simply because we were created in the image of God, and we have within us an unquenchable need for the absolute and the infinite. That is our greatness and sometimes our misfortune.” -Jacques Philippe, Interior Freedom

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

Before beginning your time in the message and scripture passage, consider sharing a meaningful moment from your week.

CONNECT WITH GOD (Select one of the below practices or choose a practice from a different week.)

Attending to God through Art

Alone: Using the artwork What Must I Do? by Heather Caliri, highlighted on Sunday, October 5th (solanabeach.church/invited-series-artwork), spend quiet time reflecting and journaling on what you see in the piece. Pray that God quiets the many distractions within you and beyond you in order to focus on the gift of this artwork before you. As you focus on the art, you might journal your reflections to the following questions: How am I responding to this piece today? What feelings, hopes, longing, or even conviction does this stir in me?

Confession Breath Prayer (from Pray Like a Gourmet, David Brazzeal)

During a time of quiet stillness, allow your natural breathing to symbolize confession. As you exhale, think of one thing at a time that you wish to confess and release from your life. As you inhale, think of those things you long to breathe in and restore in your life.

Example: Exhale frustration–inhale peace. Exhale doubt–inhale assurance. Reactivity–Love. Selfishness–Giving

TIME FOR PERSONAL AND SHARED REFLECTION

• Together or in smaller groups: Pray and Read Read Mark 10:17-31
• Alone: Read Mark 10:17-31 again. Offer an extended time for personal, quiet reflection (15 minutes). Reflect/journal on one or more of the following prompts:
• What is your response to the passage? 
• What does this type of open-handed surrender mean for you? 
• How might this challenge your own assumptions and expectations about life in the kingdom of God?

• Together in pairs or smaller groups: Share your reflections from your time of journaling. Remember to listen with intentionality, and resist the temptation to fix or give advice.  

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE 

If needed, read the passage again. Then select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.

• Review the main points from the sermon outline. 
• Which part of the sermon feels most applicable to your life? 
• Share with one another what you notice about the themes of invitation in this passage.  
• Why do you think Jesus listed some of the commandments before telling the rich young ruler to sell everything? 
• Consider Deuteronomy 8:11-19. How does this inform your understanding of Mark 10:17-31? 
• Name and explore some assumptions and expectations that are disrupted through Jesus’ response to this man. 
• Which connections do you notice between this passage and the prior passages in this message series?
• How does the passage point to Jesus’ way in the world?

ENGAGE AND EXPLORE 

Together: explore the quote below from the message outline, in connection with the passage and the themes of invitation throughout this series.  

“Human beings were not created for slavery, but to be the lords of creation. This is explicitly stated in the Book of Genesis. We were not created to lead drab, narrow, or constricted lives, but to live in the wide-open spaces. We find confinement unbearable, simply because we were created in the image of God, and we have within us an unquenchable need for the absolute and the infinite. That is our greatness and sometimes our misfortune.” -Jacques Philippe, Interior Freedom

PRAYER 

Pray together, in intercessory prayers for the world. Pray for those who are without shelter, enough food, pray for wars, pray for instability across the world and here in our own communities. Conclude your prayer with “Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayer.”