Obedience and Surrender

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, October 13th, 2024:
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Mark
10.17-27

(For the longer version, see the print edition of Living with Christ.)

As Jesus 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?”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You 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; Honour your father and mother.’”

He said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, 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.”

When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It 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.”

They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For humans it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

There’s a popular expression: actions speak louder than words. In this Gospel we meet a young man whose actions aligned exactly with his intentions. He was obedient to a fault, keeping every edict, commandment, and word of the scriptures. And yet, even this perfect young man had his doubts.

After all, he wouldn’t have asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life if he wasn’t already convinced that his actions weren’t enough. If actions speak louder than words, what speaks louder than actions? I wonder how many nights he stayed awake, wondering if he had done enough, if he had built up enough “credit” with God to bypass any obstacle. He was ready to be obedient to every commandment, and that had to count for something.

But you can’t get into Heaven through following all the rules, any more than you can graduate from university on the merit of a perfect attendance record. This young man, who was looking for that final task to push him over the top, had a rude awakening.

“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.”

Leave everything. Abandon every comfort. Stop doing the expected, and come and do the unexpected with Jesus.

For Christians, obedience is an important gift. There are lots of times when I don’t perfectly understand why there is a certain rule or edict, and yet I seek to be obedient because I trust the One who directs those rules. But obedience isn’t enough. Like the young man Jesus encountered in the Gospel, I can be perfectly obedient and follow every instruction, rule and custom. I can remember every saint’s day with the right cake or craft, pray my rosary every night, attend daily Mass and not eat meat on Fridays (unless it’s a feast day, which I can also carefully track and observe). Those are all good things, but they aren’t the thing. My obedience will neither save me nor work to bring about the Kingdom.

I embrace eternal life not through all the expressions of my obedience, but through my total surrender to Jesus. Where He calls me, I follow despite my fears, despite how it makes me look, and despite how uncomfortable I may feel. That total surrender is what Jesus invites me into every day. If actions speak louder than words, surrender speaks louder than actions. That’s how we move from being automatons following our series of appointed tasks into transformed persons who are empowered to take on our vocation and participate in the work of the Kingdom.

Jesus, let me never forget to answer Your call, and teach me to surrender to Your will always.

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​Stéphanie Potter

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