Proper 23B

Proper 23B

October 14, 2012

I had a friend whose little girl was very sweet, but her manners were not.  Long past the time when parents stop prompting their kids to say “please”, the little girl would frequently miss the chance to say please or thank you.  Her mom talked to her about being considerate, and how ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ were both polite, and conveyed to the other person you were trying to be considerate.  The little girl got better.  But one afternoon, the little girl, with markers in hand, damage already done,  and a twinkle in her eye, looked at her mom, and said, “Mom, can I draw on the tablecloth?  Please?” 

At that moment, the mom felt like she’d won the battle, but might be losing the war.  Her daughter knew the rule, but entirely missed the reason. 

Her story reminds me of the wealthy man in the Gospel today.  

This man comes to Jesus, asking what I’m guessing he hopes is a rhetorical question.  What do I need to inherit eternal life?  He’s hoping, if not secretly certain, that he knows the answer.  Jesus quizzes him on law.  Honor your mother and father.  Check.  Don’t steal or commit adultery. Check.  Don’t bear false witness.  Check.  Check. Check.  I’m imagining the wealthy man is so happy that this was Jesus’ line of questioning – following the law.  He was good.    Check. Check. Check.   

Jesus tests him.  He responds, thinking he’s passed the test with flying colors.  Waiting for the accolades and affirmations from Jesus, he is startled by Jesus’ response.  And the response from Jesus startles us still.  You lack one thing.   Go sell what you own, and give the money to the poor.   What?

The man has been following the law, doing what he ought to do.  This must certainly feel like an instance of bait and switch.  Nowhere did it say anything about selling everything and giving the money to the poor.  Or did it?

We’ve all heard about the two great commandments.  Jesus explains that all the Jewish laws could be summarized these two great commandments.  First, love your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.   The second, love your neighbor as yourself.   In the Decalogue or the 10 commandments, the love your God commandments are all at the beginning.  Keep the Sabbath.  Don’t worship idols or say God’s name in vain.  After those, come the love your neighbor commandments.   Honor your mother and father.  Don’t murder.  Don’t covet. 

Maybe it’s coincidence, but in today’s Gospel, talking to this wealthy man, Jesus mentions only those portions of the law that can be summed up with “love your neighbor as yourself”   Jesus pointedly asks the wealthy man if he’s been keeping the laws that are our charge to show our love for our neighbor.  And the wealthy man believes that he has. He’s kept the law.   Done it all.   But Jesus still says he’s lacking one thing. 

This is exactly why he reminds me of my friend’s daughter.  He follows the laws, but has missed the fundamental principle that the rules are trying to point to. 

To be described as a wealthy man, we know that on a socio-economic scale of his time, this man was up here.  To be up here, means that there are some who are a little lower, some lower still and some all the way down here.  Regardless of the rules he has followed, how much good he has done, how much of his wealth he has given away, he has retained more.  He followed the rules.  Maybe he loved his neighbor.  But did not love his neighbor as himself. 

But God always leaves room for redemption, and so the story continues. 

It continues with an opportunity for the wealthy man to inherit eternal life, which is, afterall what he came to Jesus seeking.  And Jesus shares this really difficult message in a beautiful, tender way.    

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said.. 

What a great way to share hard news, huh?  Looking at someone, loving them, and saying..  If we could all remember the “loving them” part, when we’re talking with others, how much nicer all our interactions would be.

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Jesus sees that the man has followed the law, but up until now, the man has missed the point.  He has not loved his neighbor as himself.  So looking at him, loving him, Jesus gives him another chance to act – to love his neighbor as himself.  He asks him to sell his belongings and give the money to the poor. 

Jesus has shared with that man exactly what he needs to do.  The man’s response?  He is shocked at Jesus’ pronouncement.  Shocked and grieved.   And he walks away.   Despite having lived a life of following the law, still seeking eternal life, asking all the right questions of all the right people, he chooses to walk away.  

Interestingly, this is the only healing story in the Gospel of Mark that is unsuccessful.  Jesus meets people who are blind, who have apparently died, people who are possessed by demons.  Jesus heals and restores them all.  The wealthy man does not leave healed or restored.  Rather, he walks away grieved and shocked.  This failure isn’t because of Jesus.  The man walks away.

This man may not be possessed by demons, although demons may have been easier to fix.  This man is possessed by something so powerful he gives up.  He walks away, after a law-filled life.  He is possessed by possessions. 

Even back then, thousands of years ago, our stuff got in the way.  Just like it does today. 

And the most ironic thing about stuff is that it is all a gift from God.  The man in the story had wealth.  We don’t know if he worked hard and saved, or inherited his wealth.  But in any case, it is because of God’s grace that he had wealth.    And in return for providing the wealth, Jesus asks him to love his neighbor as himself.  To use his wealth to help level the playing field.  

We all have wealth, although it’s not all financial.  Some have a wealth of talent, or time, or compassion.  Some have a wealth of resources.  If we have “more”, than obviously someone has less.  We cannot honestly say that we love our neighbor as ourself, if we don’t continually try to level those imbalances.  Provide for those who have less from our wealth. 

It is so easy to get trapped, or possessed by our possessions.   In 1950, the average home size was 1000 square feet.   Just fifty years later, our homes had doubled in size to 2000 square feet.  At the same time, family size decreased.  We have more space for smaller families.  Nationally some call this an epidemic, this being possessed by our possessions.  They’ve coined a term, “Affluenza”, and can cite health, social economic problems caused by our need for working to make money to acquire, maintain, insure and store our stuff. 

Lots of people are nervous about this passage, and go between feeling guilty  about wealth, to being angry about feeling guilty about wealth.    But like the man in the story, he’s given a chance.  We’re given a chance again, and again and again.   Having wealth is not the problem.  Wealth, like everything we have, is a gift from God.  We are stewards of God’s gifts here and now.  So now we’re like the man who’s tried to follow the law, has wealth, and asks Jesus what he needs to do. 

Love your neighbor as yourself.  Right now, next time you have the opportunity to volunteer, at tonight’s dinner, you have a choice.  

Don’t feel guilty or angry about wealth.  It’s a gift from God.  The problem is not the wealth itself.  The problems arise in the choices we make when we steward those gifts, steward that wealth.  When we prioritize our wealth and our belongings before God and before our neighbor.   

While here, we are stewards of God’s gracious gifts – the time, and talent and wealth we have.  Our challenge is to hear and see Christ clearly telling us what we need to do to have eternal life.  Our challenge is to choose life.    Our challenge is to choose not to walk away.

Regardless of who you are and what gifts you’ve received, whether that’s money, or talent, or time, or compassion, in order to have eternal life, we need to use what we have here and now to help bring Christ’s  kingdom here and now.  To love our neighbors as ourself.  Our job is to take the gifts and abundance we have, and help make that happen.  Here and now.