Posts Tagged: inheriting eternal life

“The Man Who Had it All and Lacked One Thing”

On August 26, 2022 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“There’s a story of Reb Yehiel Mikhal, the Maggid of Zlotchov. He lived a life of great poverty and hardship, yet he was constantly joyful and filled with gratitude. Once, a disciple saw him praying the morning prayers, and he chanted the blessing, ‘Barukh Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh Ha’olam, She’asah li kol tzarki – Blessed are You, Divine Being, Our Divine Nature, Sovereign of the Universe, for fulfilling my every want.’

​The disciple asked, ‘how can you pray that blessing, when you are in such poverty?’

‘Poverty,’ replied the master, ‘must be what I really want!’ (https://www.torahofawakening.com/torah-of-awakening-teachings-408656/wanting-what-you-dont-want-parshat-vaykhel, accessed 08-25-2022)

“Mark 10:17   And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Mark 10:23   And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult 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 a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:17-31, English Standard Version)

There are times when we need to focus on the one thing that we lack, which may be what we have—or at least what we think we have.

The young man in Jesus’ story had it all, but he realized that he didn’t really have it all. He didn’t know how to inherit eternal life. He knew the commandments and felt that he had done a good job obeying them, but he still sensed that he was missing something.

According to Jesus, there was one thing that the young man lacked. He lacked the poverty that would allow him to be generous to the poor and the poverty that would allow him to follow Jesus.

There is a song that Mark Cable wrote and performed that says, “If you can’t give it away, then it owns you.” Yes indeed!

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