The parable about the rich man is a story about missed opportunity. The man in the story might have been the 13th apostle had he met the challenge proposed by Jesus. He begins to squander his opportunity with his very first question—what can I DO to inherit eternal life. Putting it this way suggests that he wants eternal life on his terms. He prefers his way of doing things. Not to be put off, Jesus answers with a gentle reminder about keeping the commandments.
The man remains unconvinced and presses for more instruction. We might expect a rebuke from Jesus since the man did not accept his first response. Instead, Jesus acknowledges that indeed there is one thing more that the man lacks. Notice, however, that Jesus never explicitly identifies what that one thing is. Rather, he proposes that he sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him. In effect, Jesus wants him to rid himself of those things that tie him down and hamper his freedom. Then, he can follow Jesus wherever the journey leads.
Following Jesus with such abandon would have led to a different kind of life, eternal life. Although Jesus cloaked his proposal with mystery, he offered a gift of love. Accepting love always requires trust and abandon, and this is what the man lacks—a willingness to trust Jesus and abandon his own way of life. Thus, he missed an opportunity to be yet another apostle. His story, however, provides us with at least three good reasons to follow Jesus.
First, Jesus appeals to our natural fondness for adventure in inviting us on a journey of love. This is the whole point in asking the man to exchange his love of wealth for love of others. Jesus wants the man to journey with him, who is love itself. Jesus invites us to go on the same adventure of love. He is fully aware that accepting his invitation means that we abandon our fear of the unknown and trust in him. He also knows how difficult following him can be at times.
Second, Jesus appeals to our natural fascination with mystery. We like the mysterious. This is what makes Halloween and ghost stories so much fun. Jesus tells the man to follow him without saying where they shall go or what they will do together. Jesus makes this same appeal to mystery in asking us to follow him. His invitation comes without details. We do not chart the way. We do not decide when to rest and when to go on. We do not even know what the experience will be like along the way. We simply answer his call and follow him.
Third, Jesus appeals to our natural desire for community. The invitation is to voluntarily associate with Jesus and his followers. Living in community provides the most fundamental way we experience love, especially in our families and faith communities. In community, we can learn how to love.
These three elements—adventure, mystery, and community—are the heart and soul of the proposal that Jesus makes to us. With these elements, Jesus aims to show that the journey of love, however mysterious, is an adventure that leads to eternal life. That adventure begins with a genuine attitude of trust and abandon. Our choice to follow Jesus calls for us to think about our lives in comparison to how Jesus invites us to live—seeking peace, honoring justice, showing mercy, and above all, loving others in our community without bias and judgment. We have nothing to fear on this adventure when we trust the Holy Spirit to show us the way and to provide the necessary grace to walk the path (2 Cor 12:9).
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