Di Man Wey Get Everything

One man dey run come for road, and e kneel down for inside dust. E get money, good manners and clean record. E get one question. And for small time from now, e go waka go with sorrow.

Jesus dey move again, e dey go south to Jerusalem with im friends. Just small time before, parents dey bring dem small children come meet am, and e carry dem for im arms and bless dem. Now, as e start im journey, dis man run come and kneel down for im front. Mark tell us say e rich. Matthew add say e young, and Luke call am ruler. E dey eager. E dey sincere. Good Teacher, e talk, wetin I must do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus answer with im own question. Why you dey call me good? Nobody good except God alone. Then e point di man back to wetin e already know. You know di commandments. No kill person. No do adultery. No steal. No tell lie against anybody. No cheat. Honour your papa and your mama. Di man nod. E don dey hear dese ones since e small. Teacher, e talk, I don keep all of dem since I be small boy. And e mean am. As far as e fit see, im life dey for correct order.

Now one of di most gentle lines for di whole Gospel come. Mark say, Jesus look am, and e love am. Then Jesus talk. One thing remain wey you no get. Go sell everything wey you get, and give di money to di poor, and you go get treasure for heaven. Then come, follow me. Di road quiet. Di man face fall. E stand up slowly, turn back, and waka go with sorrow for im heart. Mark tell us why. E get plenty property. Jesus don offer am di one thing wey e come ask about, and e no fit leave wetin dey im hand.

Jesus dey look am as e dey go. Then e look round at im disciples. E hard well well for people wey get riches to enter di kingdom of God! Di disciples shock. So e talk am again, stronger. E easy pass for camel to pass through di hole of needle, than for rich person to enter di kingdom of God. Now dem surprise finish. Then who fit get salvation? dem dey ask each other. Jesus look dem straight for face. For people e no possible, but no be so for God. Because for God, all things possible.

Peter, as e dey always do, talk first. Look, we don leave everything follow you. E dey think about di boats, di nets, di houses and di families wey dem leave for Galilee. Jesus assure am. Nobody wey don leave house or family or farm because of am and because of di good news go lose. Dem go receive one hundred times more, now for dis life, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children, together with persecution, and for di age wey dey come, eternal life. But plenty people wey be first go be last, Jesus talk, and di last go be first.

Why di disciples shock reach like dat? Plenty people for di time of Jesus dey read di Scriptures as if dem dey teach say riches na sign of God blessing. Deuteronomy promise plenty for those wey obey, and di story of Job end with am wey get double of wetin e get before. So if rich man wey dey keep di law dey struggle to enter di kingdom, who get chance? You fit don hear say di eye of di needle na one small gate for di wall of Jerusalem. Dat idea come up many hundreds of years later, and scholars no find any old evidence for such gate. Most of dem dey read di words of Jesus as exaggeration wey e do on purpose, wey almost dey make person smile: di biggest animal wey people know, through di smallest hole wey anybody know.

Di man wey get everything. You go find am for Mark chapter ten, verse seventeen to thirty-one. E run come meet Jesus with good question, and Jesus love am. But e love im riches pass. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you dey hold so tight wey fit stop you from following Jesus?