Mark 10:24

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “My children, how hard a thing it is to enter the kingdom of God!

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possessions are not
the only catch point
for a larger present
to be hooked fore and aft
into living presence

appreciation easily erodes
with every learned control
over self and others
and we are coded
for dominion

heads do not rest easy
with dreams of more
addicting our fantasies
driving our ambitions
erasing our connections

there is much to not do
to not claim hospitality
to not restrict hospitality
to not limit mercy
to not presume mercy

for every catch
a release
constrained by caughtness
resisting release
ease is not easy

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There are some commentators who suggest that verses 24 and 25 are reversed. Regardless of which comes first the combination packs a punch.

It is difficult to enter the presence of a Wisdom-oriented G*D that moves as she will. That which we have come to rely upon shifts right under our feet. We become disoriented when our theories of how the world works turn out to no longer have a bearing. From dominion and land we presume privilege and power, control over our lives as we dance around a golden calf that gives the answers we desire.

Again and again such a constructed world comes crashing down. It is difficult. And that is an understatement.

Whether then or now there are fantasies about having our cake and eating it, too. In recent days there has been an adjustment to the American tax code that greatly benefits those with property. Here is a description of the difficulty—Swanson₂₃₁.

While you are digging around in this scene about giving everything away, you might listen in on discussions about levels of taxation in the United States. Sometimes those who oppose taxes argue that taxes are too high because there is corruption in the federal government. There surely is such corruption, but it exists in equal measure in the corporate world, or in any world you would choose to specify. But the argument against taxation gets interesting, at least in terms of this scene in Mark’s story, when the argument for lowering taxes swings to the notion that “it’s your money.” Which side of this argument would the young man find himself on? Why?