Last year, addiction visited MTV's hit show Real World. The show presents what happens when you put seven young strangers under one roof for four months. In one episode, she falls down drunk in a disco, throws up half-naked in the shower, and has her stomach pumped in an ambulance. Other scenes show her drinking at home, then at a club and later being carried by a bouncer. A promotional spot for the program shows her lashing out at cast members who urged her to check into rehab.
Addiction is a crippling affliction.
In our text, Jesus sees it in a rich man who is looking to inherit eternal life. In verse 17, an apparently eager man places himself in Jesus' path. It refers to that which we receive by birthright, a gift or a reward. Jewish tradition understood Israel's status as a chosen people as entirely a gift of God. Their attitude toward eternal life was the same.