How would you define the term "good"? Clearly it's a value question. Are our
values meant to change as we grow or should the same things be important to us today that were important to us
say ten, fifteen or twenty years ago? Should we take pride in being basically "unchanged" in terms of
our feelings and understandings from the days of our youth until now? How much of God is in the things or ideals
we truly value anyway? Is God in fact in anything that is material?--These are the questions we will be looking
at this morning.
We have three stories of people whose values are being tested. The Psalmist crying out with a sense of abandonment
in a particularly difficult time,--Job expressing an assurance that somehow, some way God will justify what has
happened to him,--and finally the unnamed wealthy young man in the Gospel who despite all that he has accomplished
in life is still seeking some assurance of his own worth. The fourth reading, our epistle greeting for this morning
expresses the conviction that all of us will be judged but that God is both merciful and grace filled.
This gospel lesson always comes as a prelude to or during the Stewardship season in the lectionary cycle and is
often misused to stress how important it is for us to loosen our grip on our money. While that may be important
it is certainly not what is at the heart of the lesson!
We need to remember that it follows the discussion of Jesus and his disciples regarding the often unseen value
of children, and other seemingly invisible people in their midst. Suddenly one appears before them who "has
it all," the kind of person the rest of us can only envy in terms of their imagined lifestyle.
Such blessings were clearly seen as evidence of God's favor and there is plenty of scriptural background to support
that notion. Consider the law itself which says in Deuteronomy, chapter seven, verses 12-14: "If you pay attention
to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as
he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit
of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, your wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of
your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other
people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young."
Funny then this man's question should be about assurance regarding a future "inheritance." "Good
teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Today, just as in Biblical times, when we inherit we are put in a will. We are given something, we don't do something
for it. Inheriting is totally dependent on what some one else leaves you, the action they take,-- not something
that you earn--but something you are given.
He wants to know what he can do, "how do I do this on my own?"
I've always thought of this man's "going away grieving" as his walking away from grace; back to a value
system that had always supported him in the past but would not work for the assurance he was presently seeking.
He was walking away from the opportunity to know that his legally following the commandments wasn't all there was
to a relationship with Jesus and a certainty of eternal life.
Job also knew that he had been richly blessed, but all his possessions had been forcibly taken away by the very
God who had bestowed them.
Through it all however he remained trusting of God. We don't find Job crying out "What shall I wear,--where
shall I live,--who will provide for me?" What we do find is a person questioning and knowing where he should
turn for the answers. We also find a person much like the psalmist who doesn't hear the answers, who can't seem
to find the access…but who has no doubts whatsoever that the source of his understanding exists!
Remember too that this speech of Job's comes two thirds of the way through a cycle of speeches in response to his
friends' evaluation of what has happened to him. Eliphaz has said that Job has done some specifically great sin(s)
(22:5-11). Bildad has said that his children deserved exactly what they got (8:3-4), and Zophar's stated that God
isn't giving Job near what he himself deserves (11:6)!
Hello!!! Do you blame Job for wanting to go to God??? With friends like this you don't need enemies! You just need
to know what you know.
The rich man, who at this point had apparently lost nothing, no doubt also believed in a just and merciful God,
and that he had received a cornucopia of blessings from that God. There is absolutely no reason to believe that
he did not appreciate those blessings or his life.
Why would he want to willingly relinquish them? What was it that Jesus saw in that man's eyes that not only showed
desperation but won the Lord's compassion? Looking at him Jesus "loved him," and gave him both a challenge
and a choice---stick with the blessings he already knew confident of God's grace, or step out into a whole new
uncertain future without them...and see what your sense of that grace would be then.
How different our values might be then!
Carol Shields, a Canadian author, wrote of a beautiful moment in which her character is visiting her mother in
a nursing home. Looking into her mother's bedside table for something, she is struck by the fact that all her mother's
worldly possessions have come to this: what can be held in a bedside table drawer in a nursing home. Houses, cars,
jewelry furniture, barbecues, china: all gone. All you wind up with is some kleenex, a plastic comb, and a few
mints. Makes you ponder what you're hanging on to,--and why.
Dorothy Solle said "If my hands are fully occupied holding on to something, I can neither give nor receive."
And Martin Luther counseled that "God divided the hand into fingers so that our possessions could slip through."
But both were talking about freedom more than wealth.
It reminded me of a story from "Jacob the Baker" by Noah ben Shea in which an elderly woman, wealthy
and greedy, comes to the wise Jacob for advice. She asks him how she can "take it with her"" when
she dies.
Jacob replies, "Everything of value can be taken over to the other side." Thrilled by this news she "How?
How?"
Jacob responds calmly, "In your memory."
Shocked and disappointed the woman says, "In memory? Memory can't carry wealth!"
To which Jacob replies, "That is because you have already forgotten what is truly of value."
We all struggle with that sense of finding our own "worth." The idea of having to do/or be more plagues
us throughout our lives. We will always need to learn to live fully in the moment, but it is wrong, even evil to
imply that we need to change who we are in order to be who God intended us to be.
I don't know of a single failed relationship, husband/wife or parent/child that did not carry with it the implication
that one or the other party was a failure, that had they only been a little bit more, better at this or that they
might have been successful. But alas their character is irredeemably flawed!
Our struggle theologically is about accepting the gift of grace that has been given to us, not about anything we
do to earn it. First, last, in the middle - whatever, the point is that "for God, all things are possible."
Jesus then addresses the disciples as children in verse 24b, and in so doing continues to make the point that God
is concerned with every individual and desires to name and claim us all.
As you know, Mark's gospel does not present the disciples in a very positive light. They stumble, they falter,
they just don't get it. In fact, so many times they seem to be refusing to get it!
Then, all of a sudden, in verse 26, the light breaks in. We hear the wheels begin to turn as they ponder the truth
that "If someone who is obviously materially blessed by God is going to have to struggle to feel good about
themselves maybe that's not where it's at?"
One can just imagine Mark's Jesus sighing to himself and thinking, "Finally!"
And just as He starts to proclaim the grace of God for everyone Peter, as usual, jumps in and starts claiming credit
for the reign of God becoming visible in Jesus' inner circle of friends. "Look at what we've done by contrast!"
How special we are!
So much for the disciples getting it!
Jesus sets him straight reminding him that it is not a matter of being the first in line.
Grief and pain are only possible in relation to our capacity to love. We cannot grieve or feel badly for that which
we did not truly love. Like Job, and the psalmist we do have the comfort of knowing that God will come. Answers
and understanding will be offered and we will not end this journey in sorrow!
Such is the promise of Grace and so it is we can hold to hope.
Where in the world is God? Every step of the way! From confusion to conviction, catastrophe to clarity. God is
there.
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