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Mark 10:17-20
A man ran up and knelt before [Jesus], and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”

To ponder
I thought then of catechism classes, about chanting the answer to a question, an answer that was “because he has said it and his word is true.” I could not remember the question. - Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie, Purple Hibiscus


What do I need to do?
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” this young man asks. We know what he means: “Have I done enough to get into heaven?” Most of us have wondered that. But it’s interesting that he uses the word inherit. What do you do to earn an inheritance? The answer is simple - absolutely nothing. The only criterion is that you are yourself, the receiver, the person to whom your benefactor is leaving their legacy. So what then can we do to inherit eternal life? Nothing. It isn’t a matter of what you do, but who your are.

The gift of eternal life is the inheritance we receive at baptism, as we are washed with water and with God’s promises: God claims us beloved children. We receive the mark of the Holy Spirit. We belong to God forever. Through Christ, God does all of this for us.

Prayer
Grant us peace, dear Lord, when we are tempted to try to earn your goodness and mercy. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)