To be a good and faithful follower of Jesus we need to hear and absorb the message of the gospel - to do this we pay attention to what Jesus says and does. And as we are drawn ever more closely into the heart of the gospel, it is natural for us to ask questions about what this means for us and how we should respond. Never trust anyone who tells you to believe without question - in the gospel stories it is those who ask the right questions who prompt Jesus to reveal to us the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

We had a good example at the midweek Eucharist - one of the disciples asked this question, “Master, teach us how to pray.” Jesus replies in words that we immediately recognise: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...” Jesus teaches the disciple the greatest prayer of all time. And although we remember and take to heart the answer, it began with a question or an inquiry: “how do we pray?” The disciple wants to grow in holiness; he sees how prayer is central to the life of the teacher, how everything Jesus says and does is dependent on the relationship he has with his Father in heaven.

We have another good question in this morning’s gospel - “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The person asking the question is someone of great wealth and possessions, but the question itself is really one which belongs to all of us, to all those seeking to understand the gospel message. Although we die, God made us for life, so how do I receive the life which God has ready for me? 

The answer depends on who is asking. The man who asks this question runs up to Jesus and kneels before him. The image is a powerful one - the eagerness and respect with which the man addresses Jesus mark him out as a potential disciple. We learn that the man has faithfully kept the commandments - he is devout and observant. We also learn that God has rewarded him with many possessions. At the time there was a widespread assumption that health and wealth were signs of divine blessing, while disease and poverty were signs of judgement.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he asks Jesus. This marks out the man as intelligent - he isn’t content merely with wealth and possessions - he hungers for something more. He humbles himself before Jesus - I imagine him kneeling there, his fine robes pressed into the dust of the ground as he waits to hear Jesus’ answer. I think when Jesus sees him and hears his question he sees a future disciple - someone righteous and sincere enough to proclaim the gospel. The circle is an ever-widening one and Jesus calls those from every walk of life. Could this man find a place among the others?

We usually take Jesus’ side in these encounters - we like to think our wisdom is like his. But imagine you are a witness to this encounter - I wonder what your attitude now would be to the man? If you were poor maybe you would resent him coming up to your master in this way. “Who does he think he is, in all of his finery etc?” If you were a disciple perhaps you would feel that there are currently no more positions available, since the team is already set and you really don’t want another rival for Jesus’ attention, especially someone as wealthy as this one. Or maybe you would be annoyed that the man has interrupted the journey Jesus and his followers were about to make and you were thinking, “come on, we have to go now!”

I wonder how many saw the man as Jesus did. Because we have this unexpected line in the Gospel, which says “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” That for me is one of the most beautiful things written in the whole gospel - “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” But love prompts Jesus to convey an unwelcome command: he says to the man: “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Note that Jesus doesn’t strike the bargain on the man’s terms: he doesn’t say at the end, “and then you will inherit eternal life.” Instead he simply says, “come, follow me.”

The man’s response is perhaps not surprising. He is “shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” The key word is “grieving” because the thought of giving away his possessions fills him with sadness. His attachment and love for his possessions becomes the barrier to him becoming a true disciple of Jesus. 

Which brings us to the heart of the gospel. Becoming a Christian makes demands on us. The gospel has a particular message which is often at odds with the messages you received as you were growing up or the way you were taught to be successful and achieve your personal goals. To live the gospel life means to detach yourself from your possessions and set your heart instead on the things of God. After a while possessions and wealth - which we accumulate as security - become an encumbrance. We were not born to love our cars, our phones, our computers - we were born to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself.

There is treasure awaiting those who are brave enough to take the leap and follow Jesus, leaving behind those encumbrances which keep us bound. A famous example of a rich man who did not walk away grieving was St Francis of Assisi, who divested himself of wealth, status and possessions to take on the life of a mendicant beggar. For St Francis, as it was for Jesus, the gospel life was one of continuous self-offering and dependence on God, not on the  accumulation of worldly goods. They found treasure on earth - through loving and giving. 

Our gospel reading began with these words, “As Jesus was setting out on a journey...” It’s a journey we are all invited to take with Jesus but one which, as I say, makes demands on us. The things we hold dear, the beliefs we have fastened onto, the attachments we have formed to routines and habits, may have to be swept aside if we are to make the journey. Don’t make Jesus an add-on to your life while keeping everything else just as it is. What is the question you have for Jesus now? Sometimes while on the journey you need to stop and ask questions, to take your bearings and make sure you are going in the right direction. 

What is the question he will ask of you? When we see ourselves not as a disciple but as the rich man kneeling before Jesus, then we will be in a better place to hear what Jesus is saying.