• Meditation 1: When a wealthy young man came to Jesus seeking eternal life, Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples then asked who could be saved. (At that time, Jews considered wealth a blessing from God.) Jesus responded, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Could this answer be foreshadowing Jesus’ future redemptive work?

• Meditation 2: Verses 29 and 30 contain a challenging concept: “Whoever has left everything for the Lord will receive a hundred times more in this life, along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
  • According to Mark, anyone who has forsaken everything for the Lord will receive a hundredfold in this world but will also face persecutions. This mention of persecutions seems to be an addition by Mark, possibly as a consolation for Christians who were experiencing severe persecutions at the time. Therefore, it’s likely that Mark added this. His record implies that while one receives abundant blessings, including family and material wealth, they will also face persecutions.
  • To summarize Jesus’ words, “Whoever gives up everything will receive a hundredfold in this life and also gain eternal life in the hereafter.” It means that by letting go of greed, one paradoxically gains everything.

• Meditation 3: Verse 41 discusses James and John asking for authority, and the other ten disciples felt angry upon learning this. It seems that a desire for power existed among all twelve disciples. In response, Jesus said in verse 43, “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all.” Even the disciples following Jesus had ambitions for power, suggesting that I might also harbor such desires.

• Meditation 4: My lifelong challenge is to let go of pride, the desire to boast, and the longing for recognition. Even with a little knowledge, there’s a temptation to show off, to wish for a better position compared to others, and to be prideful. I pray today to surrender these in the presence of the Lord.

<Application>

1. When attending local community gatherings, I will practice not speaking boastfully about what I know.

2. I have arranged to meet Nina’s mother on Thursday, and this time, I plan to ask more about her daughter, Nina. This is because Nina’s mother often asks about Sam, and while responding, I sometimes feel pride in Sam’s school life. In this meeting, I will focus more on listening to Nina’s mother than on speaking myself.

Done: I asked many questions about Nina and spent more time listening.