Mark 10:17-31 (NRSV)
Read Mark 10:17-31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Verse 18Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. Verse 19You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" Verse 20He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Verse 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "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." Verse 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Verse 23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" Verse 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! Verse 25It 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." Verse 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Verse 27Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
Verse 28Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Verse 29Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, Verse 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions-and in the age to come eternal life. Verse 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Devotion
Through the years, my congregation has sponsored several refugee families. Perhaps yours has too. These families have come from Liberia, Laos, Nigeria, and Bhutan. Often they arrive with little but the clothes on their backs. They need furniture, household items, coats and boots for the Minnesota winter. Members of the church always respond generously. Perhaps they do because they realize they have more than they need, or because they feel moved to help someone whose life has been turned upside down, or maybe because they want to feel good about making a difference. Yet how often in these situations does the giver end up feeling like the receiver? With the refugees, it happens as cultural barriers are broken down, as smiles and stories are exchanged, as friendships are built. A new understanding of what it means to serve and be served begins to emerge: there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ with these refugees. It is not about who is ‘rich’ and who is ‘poor.’ We are all children in God’s kingdom.
Prayer
Gracious God, use my gifts today to make someone else feel welcome, valuable and important. Amen.