Does God hate rich people?

Mark 10:17-27

Big Ideas

• When reading scripture, especially a narrative like Mark, it's important to ask questions like these:
  • What's the story that comes right before this one?
  • What's the theme of this section?
  • Does my reading make sense in light of the bigger context?
• In this story, Jesus is continuing from last week when he said, "The only way into the Kingdom of God is to be carried like a child."
• Jesus is telling the rich man the thing that the man relies on for independence, the thing that is preventing him from experiencing the Kingdom through childlike dependence. For him, it's money.
• We all use money to "flex" in different ways. That is, to compensate for all kinds of needs of our hearts, in order to avoid taking them to God in dependence.
• Maybe the main thing is what YOU think about money, not God.

Questions

1. If the rich man had given everything away, do you think he would have been richer or poorer?
2. If you gave everything away, would you be richer or poorer?
3. If you'd be richer, then what objection or fear keeps you from doing it?
4. When God looks at you, and knows you better than you know yourself, do you think he feels overwhelming joy and love? If not, what?