Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - Tuesday in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
[Judges 6:11-24A and Matthew 19:23-30]Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves be sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life...."
The story of the Rich Young Man, on which the Church reflected in the gospel scripture yesterday, continues to day with the response of Jesus' disciples! We already know how the young man responded. He "went away sad, for he had many possessions." When Jesus comments that material wealth can be an obstacle to discipleship, the disciples take another deep breath! They had always assumed material wealth meant God's blessing! If the wealthy are not "blessed," then who is? Furthermore, what, then, is the incentive for "giving up everything" to follow Jesus? Jesus' response to the whole situation falls into two parts. The first part responds to Peter's question: "What will there be for us?" [The second part comes tomorrow! Stay tuned!] Jesus gives a two part response to Peter, too! The first gives the Twelve a special role in the future "kingdom." The second concerns ALL disciples and makes it clear that those who give up everything they hold dear to follow him will not lack what they need (in fact they'll get a hundred times more!) and will also inherit eternal life. Basically that's what he promised the Rich Young Man and we saw what HIS response was. The basic dynamic in Jesus' response is that one has to "let go" before one can truly "have." Discipleship is not a matter of material wealth or material poverty. It means letting go of whatever we "have" - a lot or a little - and giving priority to following Jesus with the trust that we will have sufficient resources and relationships to sustain us. In our materialistic culture right now, that demand seems "unrealistic" and "counter-intuitive!" That's where the second part of Jesus' response comes in. Stay tuned to tomorrow's parable. AMEN
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