Pentecost 19

By the Rev. Martha Frances+

Year B, Pentecost 19, Proper 23

11 October 2009

Text:  Mark 10: 17-31

Other Readings: Job 23: 1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22: 1-15; Hebrews 4: 12-16

 

      Jesus & his disciples are headed toward Jerusalem, which means Jesus is heading toward the cross.  Jesus knows it & has predicted his death twice to his disciples.  We also know they don't "get it" yet.  They're still in denial. 

      As they walk along, a man approaches them, & they can tell he is wealthy by the Armani suit, polished shoes, the briefcase, the strut of self-assurance; this man has it made.  He IS somebody.  He respects Jesus as an important rabbi, calling him "good teacher."  Jesus doesn't fall for the flattery; he reminds this man only God deserves to be called "good." 

      The rich man asks Jesus a question most of us have wondered at times:  "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  I guess it's typical for this rich man to think in terms of an inheritance; perhaps that's how he got his money.  At any rate, don't we all want to know how we can get to heaven?  What's the key to the Kingdom, we might say?  How good do I have to be to get saved?  What's it gonna cost me?

      Jesus answers him first out of his own faith tradition.  He's a Jew, so Jesus lists some of the 10 Commandments—the ones that apply to relationships within the community.  The rich man assures Jesus he's lived his whole life according to these laws.  No problem there, he says.  I've aced the 10 big ones!

      I might be exasperated with the young man by now, but Jesus is patient.  In fact, Mark says Jesus looks on him & loves him.  Jesus is fond of this young man.  Only here in all the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, & Luke are we told Jesus loves an individual human being. This "love" isn't the mushy kind of emotional love we might expect but rather "agape" which is Greek for loving concern for another person without regard for that person's merits or worthiness.  Jesus loves him—& us—whether or not he or we deserve it.  Jesus wants a relationship with this young man & invites him into relationship.  Jesus offers a call to this rich man just as he has called other disciples.  Further, this is the only time recorded in the gospels where the personal call of Jesus is rejected.

      What are the verbs Jesus uses in his response to the young man.  Jesus issues 5 commands to the rich man in one sentence:  go, sell, give, come, & follow.  The rich man doesn't have to do anything to earn Jesus' love; he already has that.  Jesus already loves each of us, no matter what we've done or not done.  Jesus wants relationship with us & invites us to discipleship yet leaves us free to respond.  Jesus tells this rich man that, in order to respond fully to the invitation to discipleship, he has to make some choices in his life.  That's where the 5 action verbs come in.

      First, Jesus tells the young man to go & sell.  The young man must get free of his possessions—not just some of them but all of them—whatever he owns. For this man, eternal life—which he's asking Jesus for—is just one more possession, & he figures he can buy it just like he's bought things he wanted all his life.  In fact, because we see that the rich man goes away shocked & grieving, we know that he doesn't just possess his possessions; his possessions own HIM. 

      This reminds me of how dependent I've become on my computer.  It wouldn't print my sermon last night, & furthermore, some of the icons for italics & bold print & such disappeared, so I got really crazy about it.  I finally had to e-mail a copy to the church computer, & I forgot several things I had intended to say.  It was as if I couldn't do my job without the computer.  How crazy!  I've spent most of my adult life doing just fine without a computer, but I have to have mine working now.

      What possessions do you have which own you, which run at least part of your life?  About a year ago, after Hurricane Ike, many folks had to function for an extended time without air conditioning or lights or the ability to cook meals.  But even those inconveniences were nothing like those in Galveston who lost their houses & offices & schools.  However, your loss might not even be a physical possession.  It might be an image you have of yourself which you can't let go of.  You simply can't believe that you've lost your job.  Or physical ailments hamper your ability to do things you took for granted in the past.  Possessions aren't always things we hold in our hands.  What possesses you?

      Jesus' second order to the rich man is to give the money to the poor.  The disciples are astounded that Jesus asks the young man to relinquish his wealth since it was a common assumption that riches were indication of God's favor.  Do we also sometimes believe that those who have ample resources are more loved by God?  Not so.  We are equally precious in God's eyes.

      Jesus tells the young man to give whatever it is that's standing between him & discipleship to someone who needs it worse than he.  Does this mean that we ought to become impoverished in order to follow Jesus?  For most of us, Jesus would call us to evaluate sincerely where we can be more frugal in our lifestyle in order to share more of our resources with those who have little.  Jesus is helping us see we always have something to give & there's always someone who needs it worse than we do.

        As the long, hot summer reminded us, we all have responsibility to care for our earth, & "going green" is no longer an option for those who are tree-huggers; it's a necessity for all who want our children & grandchildren to have a fruitful, healthy environment.  Each of us needs to participate in being a good steward of our resources, giving back a generous portion to God.  Participating in the ongoing stewardship of Hope so we can meet our obligations through 2009 is one way we can give as Jesus challenged the young man to do.  For the rich man, he needed to give sacrificially.  Otherwise, he wasn't really opening himself up to God's being first in his life.  Are you & I doing so?

      The last two commands Jesus gives to the rich man are come and follow me.  Remember, this is a "call" story.  Jesus wants relationship with the rich man, & to have that relationship, the man has to lay aside that which has been his god & get off his duff & become a follower, a disciple.  He's got to act.  He can't sit around & give 1000 excuses why he can't go.  Neither can we! 

      Mark's gospel emphasizes that Jesus expects his disciples to renounce the old life & get on with life in the Christian community.  When a person is baptized in the Episcopal Church, we are asked to renounce 3 things: (1)Satan & all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God, (2)the evil powers of this world which corrupt & destroy the creatures of God, & (3)all sinful desires that draw us from the love of God.  On All Saints' Day, the first of November, we'll have several children presented for baptism, & we will all renew our baptismal vows.  Please plan to be here to affirm once again the covenant of baptism & to support these children we agree to help their parents to rear in the Christian faith & community.

      The next question is "Do you turn to Jesus Christ & accept him as your Savior?" Throughout our lives, we must recommit to this turning around, this change of direction & orientation of life, which Jesus asks of the rich man.  Can you answer "I do," & show it in your subsequent actions?

      We must regularly evaluate our own lives & make these questions personal.  What in your life is the Satan, the spiritual forces of wickedness which keeps you captive? What spirit of rebellion have you not yet let go of?  What evil powers in this world corrupt & destroy you?  What sinful desires draw you from the love of God?  This covenant is found on pages 304 & 305 of the  Book of Common Prayer. 

      Jesus is telling this man—& later tells his disciples—that entrance into the Kingdom of God demands our best obedience, yet the best we ourselves can do is not enough to achieve the abundant life we seek.  No, we can't earn it; we can't DO anything.  It's not any more possible than it is possible for a camel to go through a needle's eye.  Don't believe the folks who tell you Jesus' comparison here is about a camel having to unburden himself to go through a small door in the wall in Jerusalem.  That makes a nice story, but there's not one shred of evidence that such a door existed in Jesus' time.  The whole point is that it is really impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  Frederick Buechner updates the image:  "for a rich man to get to Heaven is about as easy as for a Cadillac to get through a revolving door."  It's impossible for us to work hard enough to earn our place in God's Kingdom either.  This isn't about our earning anything.  It's about God's gift to us.  As Jesus says, "for with God all things are possible." 

      Then what's all this about renouncing the old life & being open to the new?  Isn't it to earn eternal life?  Nope.  It's not about being worthy of anything.  It's about responding to the grace & mercy God has already offered us by letting go of whatever gets in the way of our receiving that agape love Jesus holds out to us.  The real tragedy of this story is that the rich man goes away shocked & grieving, unable to accept the gift of love which Jesus offers in God's name.  It's right there.  Jesus holds it out to him.  If this were a movie, we'd all be cheering at this point like the folks do to encourage the kid running for home plate at a Little League game.  But the rich man can't let loose of those possessions in order to accept the life abundant that Jesus offers.  How incredibly sad! 

      Jesus' disciples ask in exasperation, "Then who can be saved?"  And Jesus says, "All of you.  Anyone willing to let go of those things that keep him or her burdened down & unable to come & follow me.  Come on.  You can do it!  All of you can do it!  The offer stands, & I've already made the sacrifice.  Come join the community & we can travel together." 

      Jesus is still saying, "Come; follow me!"  We don't have a separate altar call in the Episcopal Church.  But we're all called to come forward to share in the community meal of Eucharist.  Then we're invited to participate fully in the joys & responsibilities of the Christian community, continuing in worship, study, fellowship, & spreading the good news of Christ to all we encounter.  None of us needs to go away sorrowful like the rich young man.  We can pray for the courage to let go & let God lead us to more abundant life, right here & now.