There is an old saying, "If you're trying to make an impression, that's the impression that you're going to make." The rich man in today's Gospel reading seems to be trying to make an impression with Jesus.
The rich man ran up, knelt down in front of Jesus, addressed him flatteringly and asked how to live a holy life. He did all of this knowing exactly what the Law of Moses prescribed for holiness. The rich man appears to be an accomplished sycophant. He wants to be the "teacher's pet" among Jesus' disciples. Nonetheless, the Gospel tell us that Jesus looked at him, and loved him. (Mark 10:21)
It might seem strange that Jesus found something lovable in this bootlicker, but the rich man would have easily fit in with the rest of the disciples. The Twelve Apostles were quite a collection of oddballs and misfits. This rich man's quirks might have been unnoticeable in such company.
We're very familiar with this story. It's one of those Gospel stories that sticks in our memory because of the unusually high demands that Jesus places on the man. He says, "Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21) The man refuses Jesus' offer, and Jesus pronounces quite a harsh judgment on him. He says, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23)
We might find ourselves echoing the words of the disciples, "Then who can be saved?" (Mark 10:26) It is helpful to keep in mind that the disciples' concern was based on a values system very different from our own.
We consider wealth, social status and individual identity as personal and private possessions. This was not the case in Jesus' culture. At the time, wealth, status and identity were possessions that were given by one's family and owned by one's family. Wealth and property were held collectively by parents, adult children and extended family. One's social status and one's personal identity were the result of one's family connections.
The disciples' dismay at Jesus' words resulted from the fact that no one could conceive of having a place in society without the status and stability provided by family connections. Even God's will was something that was given, and found, within the set of family relationships inherited at birth.
The disciples found Jesus' words disorienting because Jesus was telling the rich man that eternal life was to be found by giving up any and every connection that one might already have to eternal life. To the disciples, Jesus' words were a logical contradiction.
While our objections to Jesus' words are based on a different values system than the disciples, the lesson for us is the same. The rich man went away sad, that is, he failed to find the happiness that God offered him. He failed because he held onto what he had. As long as we hold onto the little that we have, we are unable to grasp what God offers us.
The rich man's failure wasn't the result of his net worth; it was the result of his being satisfied with the good that he could accrue for himself. His attempt to impress Jesus with the goodness of his acts since childhood is a testament to his very limited understanding of goodness. Jesus offered him an experience of God's own goodness, and the rich man settled for the little that he already knew.
Our path to holiness is not measured in dollars and cents. Nor is it measured in our personal accomplishments; this is precisely what Jesus was saying to the rich man. The path to holiness is measured by our ability to let go of our own good - our accomplishments, our possessions, the things that posses us and prevent us from embracing the freedom that God offers. The degree to which we free ourselves of our attachments to finite goods is the degree to which we can grasp the limitless Good who is God.
