In the name of God- Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Well,
there are pledge cards in the pews in front of you, and Jesus encounters a man
asking for advice on discipleship and he tells him “sell what you own and give
the money to the poor.” So this, unsurprisingly, is a financial stewardship
sermon. Now before you tune me out for the next 15 minutes, before you start
feeling anticipatory guilt, before you cover your wallet let’s give Jesus a
chance to speak. This isn’t my message, its Jesus’. I know that this is a tough
passage. It challenges me every time I read it. And let us remember, this story
is found in the Gospel according to Mark- so at its heart, this story testifies
to the Good News.
In
preparing for this sermon I ran across a commentary that noted that people misread
this passage in one of two ways. Either they say that this passage is just an
allegory and it isn’t really about money, or they say that this passage is only
speaking about money. Both of these misunderstandings limit the impact of Jesus’
teaching. So I’ll use that as the structure for this sermon- addressing those
that say this isn’t about money first, and then those that say it’s only about
money.
So
we start by addressing those that say this passage isn’t about money. No sense
in sugar coating it, they’re wrong. This passage is about money. The historical
context for the story is important. Whether it’s the 99% ganging up on the 1%,
the cry for higher taxes on the wealthy, or the distrust of Wall Street, there
are strong feelings against those who are rich. People who earn a healthy
living are often distrusted because it is assumed that they cheated or exploited
others to get that money. This isn’t at all though what Jesus would have
thought about the rich man whom he encounters.
To
be rich in Jesus’ time was to be blessed. If you had wealth, it was because God
was happy with you and gave you these good things. Being rich was a sign of
honor. We though live in a different context, and we understand that being rich
doesn’t mean that God loves you any more than anyone else. But the context of
this passage reminds us that God doesn’t love the rich any less either. We do
God, and the rich, an injustice when we condemn them for being rich.
What
Jesus does speak against though is consumerism. This man comes to Jesus with a
first-world sort of problem. We know that he’s well off because he comes not
asking for healing, because he can afford medical care; not for food, because
he isn’t hungry; but instead he comes asking how to inherit, a financial term,
eternal life. He’s enjoying this life so much; he wants to make sure that it
continues forever.
He
has become used to earning things through his wealth or prestige. Money has a
way of making us feel entitled to things. I was listening to a story last
weekend on the radio about poverty in America. They were speaking with a family
of 6 that lives on $500 a month. I don’t think of myself as the rich man in
this story, but in hearing their story I realized that I might as well be. And
with that, I’ve bought into consumerism. There are things that I feel entitled
to because I have a steady paycheck. If I want to go out for a nice dinner
every once in a while, I do it. I tell myself that I work hard and that I
deserve it. And in a similar way, this man came to Jesus thinking “I’m blessed
because God is happy with me, I deserve the chance to get eternal life.”
Consumerism
places our emphasis on the economy of the world instead of the economy of God.
In the world’s economy, there are fiscal cliffs, uncontrollable debt, and
scarcity. But in God’s economy there is always enough for everyone. One scholar
defines consumerism as “the glorification of individual choice.” But the message
that Jesus continually goes back to is “it’s about the Kingdom of God.” Consumerism
puts our interests on profits and our own comfort rather than making sure that
every person can live with dignity. The Kingdom of God isn’t for sale, nor is
eternal life. The man learns this lesson when Jesus tells him to sell all of
his things and give the money to the poor. The man came to Jesus, perhaps
hoping that Jesus would tell him to give his money to the poor, not to become
poor.
He
couldn’t imagine doing this. And neither can I. Sell everything? I trust God,
but I’m not sure that I could do this. Even many monks struggle with this. They
take a vow of poverty, yet they all own things, often even owning property. But
yet, Jesus calls us to give it all away. CS Lewis said that “nothing you have
not given away will ever really be yours.” If we hang onto it so tightly that
we can’t give it away, then it owns us. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it
again. If you can’t give your money away, it controls you instead of you controlling
it.
But
giving money away still isn’t easy. What does that mean to do with less? Anne
Frank said “no one has ever become poor by giving.” And she’s right, but she
also had a bit more courage than most of us. There is a William Faulkner play
in which one of the poor characters is talking to a rich many about money and
he says “I ain’t rich, I don’t need no money. We fool ourselves into thinking
that if we just had a little bit more money the financial stress would go away.
But we all know that somehow, expenses always rise to meet income. If getting
money, even if it’s for retirement or savings, is our goal, we’ll never have
enough. If everything seems to come simply by signing checks, we might soon
forget that we are, at every moment, dependent on God.
And
though we may never have enough, there are too many people that aren’t even
close to having enough. Too many people die of starvation and preventable disease.
Too many animals are abused and too few children are given education. As I said
in my last sermon, “God only wins when we lose.” When we lose money by helping
those in need, God’s justice and love wins. So maybe giving money away means
not getting a big vacation every year, but if that means those in need are less
needy, then I think we’re all okay with that.
Jesus
didn’t mince his words on this; there’s no getting around it. He said sell all
that you have and give it away. As we’re in our financial stewardship season,
this is a tough message. We’d be ecstatic if everyone gave 10%, but Jesus seems
to be calling us to give 100%. But how
do we do this responsibly? If I sold my house, clothes, and car, how would I
eat? Even Jesus knew that money was necessary because one of the disciples was
the treasurer. Now, yes, this was Judas; but still, he carried the money
because sometimes you need to buy things.
If
this reading is about money, how do we respond? Do we sell it all and start
living in a commune? This is where we need to move into the second half the
sermon, addressing those that say this passage is only about money, because, they
too, are wrong. This passage is about a lot more than money.
About
a year ago I was talking with Bishop Curry about preaching during stewardship
season. And he commented that the readings that we often get during October
aren’t as much about money as they are about the Kingdom of God. Jesus isn’t a
financial planner; he is the Messiah. He didn’t come to preach about finances,
he came to preach about the Kingdom. And he tells us that the “Kingdom of God
is among you.” And if the Kingdom is a present reality, we need to live in that
Kingdom, working to build it instead of work against it. And how we use our
money will determine whether we are working for or against the Kingdom. So this
passage is indeed about something much larger than money.
The
way that Jesus responds to this man is easy to miss. Before he tells him to
sell his possessions, he looks at him and loves him. Jesus didn’t chastise him
for being rich, he didn’t condemn him for being selfish, he didn’t challenge
him for attempting to buy eternal life. Instead, he simply loved him. Jesus genuinely
wants this man to have eternal life. Jesus sees that he is ripe for true
conversion. He yearns to do the will of God, and he’s been trying by keeping
the commandments. He just quite hasn’t gotten over the hump of living in the Kingdom
of God instead of the kingdoms of this world. This wonderful addition reminds
us that in our life of discipleship, we are loved and supported. It reminds us
of those great words from our reading from Hebrews today: “For we do not have a
high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one
who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We
can have boldness to act as disciples. Jesus has walked this plight of
suffering for the sake of the cross. Our Lord knows what it means to live
without, and he knows what it means to rise from the deaths that plague us. We
can be bold enough to live in total commitment to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
The
man in this passage is often called the “rich man.” He has been defined by his
wealth, and Jesus confronts him to give up his wealth, because that is what
prevents him from entering the Kingdom of God. What defines you? What prevents
you from going “all in” for the Kingdom of God? Maybe it’s an addiction, pride,
an old grudge, a sense of entitlement? If you encountered Jesus, what name
would you get? Would you be the man with a short temper? The woman with control
issues? Are we overly devoted to our jobs, or even to our families? Do we exercise
more than we serve others? What could Jesus tell you to give up that would shock
you and send you away grieving? The message this morning is clear: whatever
defines you, Jesus calls us to give it up for the sake of following him in
living for the present Kingdom of God.
There
has been a lot of talk recently about politics and whether or not “you built
that” or whether the government helped you to build it. That’s a fine debate to
have in a presidential debate, but it’s not even a question for the Christian.
Whether you built it or not, give it to God. Your family, your business, your
wealth, your reputation, your life- they aren’t yours to clutch onto. Instead,
they’re God’s blessings bestowed upon you. Whether or not you built it really
doesn’t matter, so long as what we’re seeking first is to build is the Kingdom of
God. This passage would actually be a lot easier to deal with if it was just about
money, but it isn’t that simple.
But
let us not lose sight of the fact that this is Good News. It is Good News that
the last will be first. It is Good News that God is with us when we choose to
be the last. It is Good News that for God, all things are possible. It might be
impossible for us to put a camel through the eye of a needle, and in a similar
way, it might be impossible to come up with the courage to live fully for God,
to give up what is most dear to us for God’s Kingdom. But it is Good News that through
God these things are indeed possible.
It
might be Good News, but perhaps it isn’t welcome news. Our passage from Job
today shows us of the great power of lament and complaining to God. At the end
of Job, the text literally says that God restored all the fortunes to Job
because he talked to God. If this is a hard message, talk to God about it. Tell
God that you don’t like giving until it hurts. Tell God that you’ve worked hard
to get where you are and you don’t think it’s fair to give it up. Tell God that
you want to trust God enough to do this, but you need help taking that first
step. Take the prayer of St. Augustine before God- “give me the grace to do as
you command, and the command to do what you will.”
This
isn’t supposed to be easy. A lot of people assume that this rich man went away
and didn’t sell his possessions. But maybe he did. Perhaps as soon as Jesus
told him to do so, he realized that he must. So he walked home, thinking of all
that he’d have to sell, and he mourned the loss. Jesus didn’t say “sell all that
you have and be happy about it.” This is tough stuff. Faith isn’t always easy.
But God is with us. God’s Kingdom is present. We can do this together.
It’s
a tough passage to get in the midst of a financial stewardship campaign. We are
reminded that this passage is about money, challenging us to consider how we use
it. And this is a passage about much more than money. We are invited to
consider how we define ourselves and then give up those attachment that bind us
to the kingdoms of this world instead of the Kingdom of God. Though it is
difficult news, this is Good News. It is Good News when Jesus says “Truly I
tell you, there is no one who has left house or family or fields, for my sake
and for the sake of the Good News, who will not receive a hundredfold now in
this age…and in the age to come eternal life.” So we pray and struggle to give
it away, knowing that we will be blessed to be a blessing in sharing God’s
blessings.
I know, the
children, the mortgage, aging parents, bills, the uncertain economy, the
future. I know. I struggle with this too. There are days when threading a needle
with a camel seems easier than following Jesus. So what hope do we have? And
who is brave enough to do all this? The question hasn’t changed much over
years, and neither has the answer. For us, it is impossible, but for not for
God. For God, all things are possible. Thanks be to God.
