Unpleasant truths Wis 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30 It has been said that there are three things one should not discuss in mixed company: politics, religion and money. Jesus apparently did not get the memo. In Jesus’ defense, though, he did not begin his interaction with the man in today’s Gospel on the topic of money. Jesus responds to the young man’s question (Mk 10:17) by telling him what he already knows: God alone is good (10:18), you shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness nor defraud; and you shall honor your mother and father (10:19). Essentially, Jesus turns the young man’s attention back to the Law of Moses, which includes these commandments and expands on them. They provide a foundation for how to live a life based on love of God and love of neighbor or, in other words, a life that merits the promise of eternal life. The man responds by affirming Jesus’ assumption that he indeed, knows the commandments and lives by them (10:20). This is when the story takes a turn, and Jesus brings the man’s attention to a significant flaw: his accumulation or hoarding of wealth (10:25). The man offers Jesus no response. Instead, he walks away, as our translation says, “shocked and grieving” (10:22). The man’s intensely negative emotional response is interesting. If his true desire were to learn how to be worthy of eternal life, one might expect him to be more open to the advice Jesus gives him. Perhaps we might even expect him to head off to make the suggested changes. However, as the saying goes, “There’s none so blind as those who will not see.” By having Jesus tell the man that he already knows what he needs to do to attain eternal life, the biblical authors suggest that this man is in denial. The man’s reaction affirms this. It seems the man did not truly want to know the answer to the question, but, rather, was hoping Jesus would allow him to remain “blind” to the truth. Perhaps he was hoping that Jesus’ answer would free him from the responsibility of changing his relationship to money and possessions. In other words, he did not want to admit to himself what he needed to change, because then he would have to do it. Jesus finally forces him to admit the truth, and, in that moment, the man could not handle it. That he simply walks away distraught suggests he may not ever be willing to change. We all have moments where we must face an unpleasant truth about ourselves. These are often some of the most difficult moments to endure. These unpleasant truths can take many shapes. For the man in our story, it was an unhealthy attachment to material items. For me, it was a very negative attitude that was slowly destroying the good things in my life. Often these unpleasant truths are defense mechanisms that we created to protect ourselves in some way. Obsessive focus on material items is a way to feel safe, to feel powerful or to distract oneself from other painful aspects of one’s life. My negative attitude protected me from myriad disappointments, rejection and loneliness. These mechanisms do actually work at first, that is why we develop them. Eventually, though, their magic fades. Then we are stuck not only with the original fears we tried to protect ourselves from, but also with a new monster of our own making. By forcing the man in our Gospel to face the truth, Jesus gave him a chance to truly start the work that he needs to do. Since Christians are meant to be a people of hope, I like to imagine that the man eventually accepted the advice and changed his life for the better. The season of Advent is not too far from us now. Then Lent will arrive at our doorsteps shortly after that. These are both reflective liturgical seasons built into our year to help us through this difficult kind of work. May we remember to be compassionate with ourselves when we face our own unpleasant truths and help those we love to do the same.
About the Author Kate Oxsen is an assistant professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union.