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Exegesis and Proclamation"Go sell all that you have..." (Mark 10:17-30)

J.A. Draper

PRESUPPOSITIONS (VORVERSTNDNIS)In the Common Lectionary(1983) this pericope is recommended for use on Proper 23

in Year of the cycle, one of the Sundays after Pentecost. Coming towards the endof this long series after Pentecost, before Advent, the liturgical season does not reallyinfluence the reading of the text and the sermon. The other readings (Genesis 3:8-19;Hebrews 4:103, 9-13) do not directly add anything to the interpretation of this text,although they could be made to relate, since they both raise the question of labour andrest in relation to Fall and Redemption. However, this will not be taken into accounthere.

I wish to modify the usual structure of this series, by including a brief considerationof my own pre-suppositions and those of the addressees. It is a fallacy to suppose thatexegesis is a neutral exercise, as R. Bultmann long ago pointed out (Bultmann

1952:215-235). We do, as a matter of fact, always come to a text with certain ideas ofwhat we will find there and what we are looking for. Our questions will considerablyinfluence the answers we get. The sermon outline given here, although the sermonitself is not printed, was preached in a black urban congregation, consisting of some

very poor members and some rather more aspirant middle class or even professionalmembers. It was preached in the context of a South Africa in transition, where thedebate about economic systems is intense, but with most publicity being given to asupposed "triumph of capitalism over socialism" in the wake of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Obviously, this context, with its attendant questions, must influence any reading ofthe Rich Man who is told by Jesus to sell all that he has and give to the poor. A differentcontext would probably have resulted in a different reading. I believe that it is important when beginning exegesis, especially preparatory to preaching, to reflect on ourown context as analytically as we can (cf Draper 1991:235-257).

A further presupposition of mine concerns the kind of pre-understanding the congregation will have of this text. This text chanced to be the text used in research intoreader-response criticism conducted by Dr. Gerald West and myself into the way Anglicans read the Bible (Draper & West 1989:30-52; cf Ruf 1992:149-174). We foundthat participants almost uniformly across the social and cultural divide tended tospiritualise the text in a dualistic fashion. Even if they accepted that Jesus meant therich man literally to sell his possessions and give to the poor then, he could not mean

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it now for us, because the Bible's meaning is "spiritual." The poor would tend to meanthe "poor in spirit" rather than the material poor, unless the groups were challengedfurther. Consequently, the application of the text was personalised and individualised.My experience of this study also influenced my exegesis of the text in preparation forpreaching.

EXEGETICAL

7. Literary ContextAlthough the overall theme of Mark's Gospel has been much debated, there is anemerging consensus that one of the main strands of the Gospel is discipleship (e.g.Best 1977, 1981, 1989; Rhoads & Michie 1982; Klauck 1982; Tannehill 1985). Thedisciples are variously portrayed: sometimes immediately obedient, often misunderstanding Jesus, obstinately blind, deserting him at his moment of need, but ulti

mately called to go to meet him in Galilee after his resurrection. Their call and dilemmais that of every Christian, and this serves as a bridge of meaning for the reader/hearerof the Gospel. It allows for a "fusion of horizon" between the world of the reader andthe world of the text.

Within the Gospel, the wider literary context of this pericope is Mark 8:22-10:52.This unit is framed by two healings Jesus performs of blind men: the first blind man ishealed in stages (8:22-26), so that at first he sees people like trees walking about andwhen Jesus lays hands on him a second time sees clearly. He is sent home after thecure. The second blind man recognises who Jesus is as Son of David and receiveshis sight back because of his faith. He follows Jesus on the road to the cross after he

is healed. The whole section has the theme of "discipleship under the sign of thecross". The disciples come to confess that Jesus is the Christ, but at first refuse toaccept Jesus' further teaching that this means the way of the cross for him and for hisdisciples also ("Whoever wants to be a follower of mine must renounce self; s/he musttake up her/his cross and follow me." 8:34). The disciples are increasingly challengedand repeatedly fail to understand the implications of discipleship under the cross. Thisis the setting for the sustained ethical teaching given by Jesus in Mark's Gospel in9:30-10:45. Our pericope is a part of this wider schema.

The more immediate literary context of the story of the Rich Man is also important.When the disciples try to stop people bringing children to him, Jesus responds "Let

the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs tosuch as these. Truly I tell you : whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a childwill never enter it" (10:13-16). The story of the Rich Man which follows is an illustrationof this principle, that one can only enter the kingdom like a child, empty handed andtrusting, open to growth and malleable. "In the archetype itself the child as potentialfor the future moves through the abandonment of a secure origin, through risk anddanger toward adulthood" (Via 1985:128-133). In what follows the pericope (10:23-31 ), the disciples show their unwillingness to surrender their security. Their world viewstill rests on the assumption that material prosperity is equivalent to divine blessing.Jesus re-affirms that it is impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom, except by grace,

since they do not come empty handed like a child. The disciples see even their ownrenunciation of home and property in the context of a future material reward (10:28),

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statement of this section expresses the principle of eschatological reversal: first/last,last/first (10:31).

The literary context thus indicates that our pericope of the Rich Man illustrates thenature of discipleship as self-emptying openness to God and the neighbour which isunderstood in a material and not simply a "spiritual" sense.

2. Socio-Economie ContextThe old Testament law establishes a society based on freehold subsistence farming,where the land is theoretically owned by Yahweh, but where each family head holdsthe land in trust for future members of the family. Even if the land is alienated from thefamily by misfortune, it must be returned to the family in the Jubilee year. The adventof the Davidic monarchy began a process of land accumulation by the rich and powerful ruling classes (e.g. 1 Kings 21:1 -29), which reduced the ability of the free peasantry

to survive. The Greek and Roman conquest of Palestine saw the further introductionof vast estates, farmed by slaves. Herod the Great built up vast royal estates, whichthe Romans sold off to theJewish aristocracy, who mostly lived in Jerusalem, leavingthe management of their estates to overseers. The peasants were subjected to thecrushing double tax burden of religious tithes (which went to the priestly aristocracy,who also owned much of the land), and Roman tax ofabout twelve and a half percent.Many peasants abandoned their land altogether, others supplemented their incomeby becoming day labourers, waiting in the market place for work in the harvest. Jesushimself shows in many places his sympathy and solidarity with the poor (e.g. Luke4:16-21 ; Matthew 11:28-29, 20:1-16). It is in this context that we should understand

Jesus' challenge to the Rich Man to sell his possessions and give to the poor (Draper1991:121-141). We are told that the Rich Man had ktmatapolla, which is variouslytranslated as "great wealth" (REB), "many possessions" (RSV), but the word ktmatais mostly used to describe property, fields (Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich 1957:456). It is notaccidental that the disciples, who have left everything to follow Jesus, are by way ofcontrast promised that they will be compensated with the receiving of land (agrous),but now in the solidarity of the Christian community (Mark 10:30).

3. Analysis of the PericopeIn terms of its form, this is an unsuccessful call to discipleship, which contrasts the

successful call to discipleship represented by Jesus' disciples who have left everything to follow him. It must be noted, however, that the man is sympathetically portrayed in Mark's Gospel. He is in earnest: he is described as "running up," "falling onhis knees" and respectfully "asking him." He addresses Jesus as "good Teacher."Such behaviour is beyond what one would expect towards an ordinary teacher orrabbi. It is all deleted in Matthew's Gospel, which turns the rich man into a presump-tous youngman who simply comes up and speaks directly at Jesus. Luke also omitsthe description of the man's good faith and transforms him into a "ruler" who is "exceedingly wealthy." It is a sequel to the positive description of the Rich Man by Mark,that Jesus is described in this Gospel as "looking on him and loving him," something

omitted in the other gospels. This heightens the tension in the story and leads us toidentify with the plight of the Rich Man. Surely Jesus cannot turn away such a goodperson!

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shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This is a well worn question (Schweizer 1970:210refers to Psalms 15 and 24:3-6) and was usually answered by referring, as Jesusdoes here, to the Torah. However, Jesus challenges the man's assumptions about"inheritance" of eternal life, which was a usual Jewish understanding of the implications of God's covenant with Israel, i.e. that "all Israel will be saved." He does this byrefusing to accept the title "good" for himself, since only God is allowed that title. It isnot human deserving which merits eternal life, but God's goodness.

Despite these reservations, Jesus answers the question in terms of the moralrequirements of the Ten Commandments, with one highly significant addition: "youshall not defraud/rob."1 This is a clear reference to the kind of exploitation of others bywhich riches are accumulated. Again, it is the material aspect of the problem of richeswhich is in mind in Mark's text.

The Rich Man's answer again heightens the tension of the story: "I have spent a

lifetime keeping the Torah." Yet he still hungers and thirsts for eternal life. This is ananswer which renews the positive impression of the man's earnestness: he knows hisfulfillment of the law is not enough. Notice again that Matthew turns the answer into anegative in his account: this is a cheeky young man who replies brazenly, "I have keptall these things, what do I still lack?"

In Mark, however, Jesus loves the man for his honesty and longing for righteousness, butputs his finger on his problem, a problem he had already identified by adding"do not defraud" to his list of the Ten Commandments: "One thing is still lacking foryou: Go, whatever you have sell and give to the poor, and you will have treasure inheaven, and come follow me." The problem is wealth. Wealth prevents the Rich Man

from entering the kingdom like a child. He cannot come in emptiness and opennessto grow into God and the neighbour. It is not simply the emptiness and commitmentto God (laying up treasure in Heaven), which is represented by selling his possessions, as spiritualising interpretations would imply. It is also emptiness and commitment to the neighbour, since the goods which are sold must be given to thepoor. Thisis picked up by Matthew's Gospel when it inserts the command to love one'sneighbour as oneself into the list of the Ten Commandments Jesus recites to the RichMan. It is underlined in Mark by the following dialogue between Jesus and his disciples, in which Jesus promises that the redistribution of wealth is for "this age"although it will not be gained without "persecutions" (10:30; cf May 1989).

Finally, the goal of self-emptying by selling his possessions and giving to the pooris given by Jesus' challenge, "Come follow me." This is a call to surrender a lifeobsessed by security and to take up a life directed towards God's becoming, i.e. thekingdom of God. This is a life of following Jesus under the sign of the cross. The RichMan is not able to make the surrender and goes away filled with real grief. His manymaterial possessions prevent him from putting himself under the rule of God. This fulfills Jesus warning in the preceding pericope that no-one can enter the kingdomexcept like a child and acts as a warning to the readers/hearers of the Gospel. It is ascandal to the world and a source of amazement even to the disciples, as the followingpericope shows.

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HERMENEUTICAL1. Discipleship, as we have seen, served as a hermeneutical bridge for Mark's readers/hearers. It can and should serve the same hermeneutical function for the preachertoday. Although the set reading does not continue to record the disciples' reaction, theinclusion of the "before and after" of the story should be an important lever for inter-preting the passage.

2. Twentieth century South Africa is not the same as rural, pre-industrial first centuryPalestine. There are significant parallels, in terms of great disparity of wealth, wherean increasing part of the population lives in grinding poverty and need, and in termsof the occupation and partial colonisation of Palestine, first by the Greeks and then theRomans. However, there are also significant differences, for instance in the complexeconomic structures of a post-industrial society. The interpreter must resist the temptation to leap too quickly to a one-to-one application of New Testament texts to today.

Where we can find helpful parallels, after careful analysis of both the text and our ownsituation, then we can talk of a "relationship of relationships" (Boff 1987:140). TheNew Testament offers us a framework for interpreting our own society, not a blueprint!There are, however, significant parallels between first century Palestine and our modern South African society, with its colonial heritage and its vast wealth/land disparities,to allow us to draw analogies.

3. Certain aspects of our modern capitalist philosophy make a virtue out of theaccumlation of capital and visualise it as the blessing of success for hard work. Partof the mythology of capitalism is that the poor are poor because of their lack of initia

tive or laziness or, in South Africa, because of racial inferiority. Certain strands in thewisdom literature in the Old Testament also saw riches as God's reward for virtue andpoverty or sickness as God's punishment for sin. This perspective was quite generalin first century Jewish thinking, as even the reaction of the disciples shows. The collapse of the Eastern Block has led to a resurgence of free enterprise optimism, alliedsometimes to certain forms of Christian prosperity teaching. This lays a double bur-den on the poor: not only must they suffer the reality of poverty, but they must inter-nalise their poverty in the form of guilt. This general environment seems to underly theworld of the narrative. This story stands as a living protest against the cult of prosperityand as a call to self-giving openness to God and neighbour. Whatever the virtues or

vices of capitalism as an economic system, it must not be identified with "Christiancivilization," as some have tried to do (eg. the Family, Home and Propertymovement,which originated in Brazil, but has emigrated to South Africa).

4. At a more local level, every Christian congregation has its own socio-economicstratification. Even in black township congregations, especially in the so-called "mainline churches," there is a subconscious adoption of the values of capitalist society.Without wishing to pronounce on which economic system should be adopted in themacro-structure of society, which would be inappropriate in a sermon in mostinstances, the negative effects of an idolisation of wealth form a point of contact with

the world of the narrative.

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HOMILETICALThere are many possible directions a sermon could take, which takes as its startingpoint the exegetical and homiletical observations we have made. What is important isthat the preacher should choose one coherent focus and keep it sharp. The focus

could be the cost of discipleship, the question of the use and ownership of the land orpossessions (ktmata), the question of economic system, the question of materialsharing in the community, the question of our desperate but self-destructive desire forsecurity. On this occasion I choose to look at the question of material sharing in thecommunity and its relation to broader economic issues facing South Africa in a timeof transition.

1. To begin, I tell a story (hypothetical) of a wealthy man of a well known local family,who is well liked and well respected, who has a conversion experience and wants to

join the congregation. Many of the congregation know him personally. What would

their response be to his application: would it be welcomed without reservation? Thefurther question is asked: why would the congregation be so anxious to have him? Hewould most likely make a good contribution to the church's financial needs: he wouldraise the general prestige of the congregation; he has much education and many skillsto offer.

2. What would that man's response be if he is asked to sell his possessions andshare with the poor before he can join? He would most likely go away and try anotherchurch. Yet Jesus' call to the well-respected, moral rich man who earnestly seeks tobecome a disciple is just that. Whey did Jesus do this? Is there any other evidence that

Jesus directed his preaching to the poor and oppressed? Here the literary frameworkof the story of the Rich Man is introduced and explained: enter like a child and it iseasier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. If it is good news to the poor, howdoes this affect those of us in the church who are not poor? My own church is notorious in some countries of the world as the church of the professional or upper classes.Even in South Africa this is, within limits, partially applicable. This refusal of Jesus tomake special concessions to the wealthy must come as a shock and a challenge.

3. Some information about the economic conditions of first century Palestine isgiven at this point, to indicate the vast disparity of wealth, and to highlight Jesus' proc

lamation of the kingdom of God as reversal: first/last, last/first. God's rule could not beanything other than a just rule, and this has economic consequences. This meanssomething in terms of a new kind of attitude and practice in our local community: cooperative ventures, self-help schemes, participation in feeding and educationschemes, etc. This is the focus of the central section of the sermon.

4. In the context of the sermon, attention is now focused on broader social issues.The point must be made that there can be no direct one-for-one application of a firstcentury pre-industrial text to a twentieth century industrialised society. Nevertheless,the question is raised whether a system based without qualification on the accumula

tion of capital, without any form of equalisation or redistribution, can be compatiblewith this central aspect of Jesus' proclamation. Concern for the poor and limits onexploitation seem indispensible for a Christian ethic

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5. The whole thrust of the sermon is then related to the social responsibility of theChristian both within the local congregation and in the wider society. The sermon ends

with a positive appraisal of the possibilities opening up nowfor Christians in a chang-ing South Africa.

BIBUOGRAPHYBauer, W Arndt, W F & Gingnch, F W A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and OtherEarlyChnstian Literature(Chicago University of Chicago, 1952)Best, E "The Role of the Disciples in Mark" NTS 23,1977 377-401Best, E Following Jesus Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark(Sheffield JSOT(JSA/74) 1981)Best, E "Mark's Narrative Technique" JSNT37,1989 43-58Boff, C Theology andPraxis Epistemologica! Foundations (Maryknoll Orbis, 1987)Bultmann, Rudolph "Das Problem der Hermeneutik", in Glauben und Verstehen II Gesammelte Aufsatze (Tubingen Mohr,1952) 211-235Draper, Jonathan A " For the kingdom is inside of you and it is outside of you Contextual Exegesis in South Africa" in Hartin, J & Petzer, J Text and Interpretation New Approaches in the Cntiasm of the New Testament, 235-257 (Leiden Bnll,1991)Draper, Jonathan A & West, Gerald "Anglicans and Scripture in South Africa" in F England & Paterson, Bounty in Bon

dage The Anglican Church in Southern Africa Essays in Honour of Edward King, Dean of Cape Town, 30-52 (JohannesburgRavan, 1989)Draper, Jonathan A "Chnst the Worker Fact or Fiction'", in Cochrane, J R & West,G The Three-Fold Cord Theology, WorkandLabour, 121-141 (Pietermantzburg Cluster, 1991)Klauck, J "Die erzhlerische Rolle der Junger im Markusevangelium Eine narrative Analyse" NT24,1982 1-26May, D M "Leaving and Receiving A Social Scientific Exegesis of Mark 10 29-31 " Perspectives in Religious Studies, 1989Rhoads, D M & Michie, D Mark as Story(Philadelphia Fortress, 1982)Ruf, Margarete Kontextuelle Bibelarbeiten zu dem Thema "Jungersein/Nachfolge nach dem Markusevangelium" Eine Prak-tische Studie Durchgefhrt in Lutherischen Gemeinden in Natal (Unpublished MA thesis of the University of Natal, Pieter-mantzburg, 1992)Schweizer, Eduard The Good News According to Mark(London SPCK, 1970)Via, Dan The Ethics of Mark's Gospel-In the Middle of Time (Philadelphia Fortress, 1985)

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