“Go, Sell What You Have, and Give to the Poor and You Will Have Treasure in Heaven; Then Come, Follow Me”

The angels encouraged me to dedicate Sunday’s angel message to the Gospels – so here is today’s Gospel – from the Gospel of Mark 10:17-30. With a guided message behind it.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
Peter began to say to him,
“We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

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“For God , all things are possible”  – for what is impossible to humans is not impossible for God- for He created all things, knows all, understands all and loves all that He has created.

Pray in faith for all things– for anything that is needed. For God sees all and nothing is impossible for Him.  

In the Gospel, Jesus did not look upon this man with disdain, rather looked upon Him with love- knowing fully that what he asked would be difficult, but also knowing God and what God adores. Jesus loved this man- as he approached Jesus with an honest and sincere heart. Jesus is very loving to all who approach him.

Giving to the poor is something God and Jesus both see as important. This was not just about a charitable act, but also answering the call of God and Jesus- who asked this man to follow Jesus as his disciple. This man had many possessions and did honor God by the Ten Commandments, which God likes, but for God all is possible, and also called this man to be a servant of others and disciple of Christ Jesus, giving all he had to the poor to follow Christ.  

God does provide for spiritual needs and physical needs. Leaning on God is truly  important – in all ways. Giving is special to God, who gives justly and effortlessly. In following his son Jesus, many are saved.  Doing what Jesus asks of us is important – in every age. God loves all- especially those who listen and accept the Words of His Son Jesus Christ- who has the words of eternal life. Jesus was not attached to earthly possession, great wealth, social status, prestige or earthly power. Rather, He listened to God to the point of complete obedience and followed God’s Words to the letter- knowing that He was to lead others in the same way. 

Following Christ – is also accepting him in our hearts. It is loving God first, before all earthly matters and possessions, loving His Son, and loving each other as much as God loves each one of us. 

In Jesus Name- guided with the Angels