In Mark, the one asking the question is told to not only observe the Law, but to "sell all you have and give to the poor." The man goes away sorrowful, "for he had great possessions."
I am sure that if I were a better student in my Greek studies, I might understand why the question was "what must I do to inherit.." We inherit that which belongs to our father/mother. Maybe the man seeks to inherit what The Heavenly Father has. Maybe he was realizing that eternal life comes like an inheritance - we do nothing to earn it, it just comes our way out of the graciousness and saving of our parent. Maybe.
But there is also the possibility that he looked to this inheritance as something to which he is entitled; something that must be given to someone so why not him?
Being a child of God entitles me to many things; but I pray I never act out of a sense of entitlement. Being a child of God assures me that many good and wonderful things will come my way; but may I never take them for granted.
"What must I do to inherit eternal life?" There is nothing I can "do." It is a gift that comes my way. It is my inheritance as a result of faithfully living as the child of the one who has eternal life to pass on.
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