Mark 10:17-22 records the story of the rich man who came to see Jesus this way:
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 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; Honor your father and mother.'" 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (NRSV)
A frequent observation about this story is that Jesus listed the six commandments (seven if you are Catholic or Lutheran) that deal with human relationships. The Rich man needed to keep the commandments to love and honor God, but apparently, his money was in the way. Jesus was a little more clever than this.
Below are the six commandments from Exodus that deal with human relationships:
Exodus 20:12-17
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (NRSV)
Jesus did list six commandments in verses 18-19, but look closely.
- You shall not murder (Ex 20:13)
- You shall not commit adultery (Ex 20:14)
- You shall not steal (Ex 20:15)
- You shall not bear false witness (Ex 20:16)
- You shall not defraud (Ex 20:15 and 16)
- Honor your father and mother (Ex 20:12)
Notice that while there are six commandments, Jesus’ fifth command is really another form of the previous two. The commandment about not coveting is absent from the list. Jesus asks about the five, which the man says he has kept. Jesus does not ask him about the sixth, denying the man even the opportunity to lie. He just asks him to give up his wealth. The man condemns himself by his action.
I don’t know how often I have read this story without picking up on this five commandment nuance.
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