At first glance, this passage and therefore, you would assume, this sermon is going to focus on money. But you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s about what’s possible and for whom. It’s about the values of God’s Kingdom.
Yes, it is a rich man who approaches Jesus, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus, after a comment about calling him “good”, turns to the commandments. Note that the commandments that Jesus lists are a close approximation of the “second tablet” of the Ten Commandments – those that deal with our relationship with each other (whereas the “first tablet” are the commandments that address our relationship with God those that deal with the Sabbath, the name of God, and idols).
In a discussion of eternal life Jesus starts not with what this man believes, but with how this man lives.
The man contends that he has followed the commandments since his youth – a contention that Jesus doesn’t challenge. Jesus responds then by telling him that he lacks one thing: to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow him. This grieves the man greatly, because he is well off.
One thing I love about this story is that there is no real contentiousness in this encounter. This man is not out to trick Jesus, like we have seen in so other encounters in the Gospel of Mark. This is not a conflict between a “bad guy” (the rich man) and a “good guy” (Jesus). No…this man is genuinely curious.
Perhaps he had heard of Jesus, heard of a promise of eternal life – which wasn’t a universally-held belief in that day – and wanted to know how he could get such a thing. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
What I love even more about this story is how Jesus cares for this man. Jesus loves this man. He looks at him with love, with compassion and tells him just what is standing between him and eternal life. Jesus tells the man that he needs to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and then follow him.
Talk about the cost of discipleship! But then Jesus goes on. You see, this guidance doesn’t apply to just this one, single, solitary man.
“How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (vss. 23-25)
Just as the rich man grieved when he heard Jesus’ instruction to sell all he had, so too are the disciples “perplexed” (vs 24) and “greatly astounded” (vs 26) upon hearing Jesus’ teaching. “Who then can be saved?” they ask.
“For mortals, it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” (vs 27)
Which gets us back to the original question asked by the rich man. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” What does one…what does anyone do to inherit… anything?
By its very nature, inheritance is not anything we “do.” An inheritance is inherently a passive act, a gift received upon another’s death. We don’t “do” anything to gain an inheritance. An inheritance is a gift. Similarly, there is nothing one can do to inherit eternal life. Eternal life is a free gift given by God – the God for whom all things are possible. We receive this gift because of Jesus’ death. We inherit eternal life as we join the family of God, ritualized through the waters of baptism.
So why all the money talk, then? Why the instruction to sell everything, and the astounding comparison about a camel and an eye of a needle? In Jesus’ day, much as in our own, wealth was seen as a sign of one’s blessings, favor, or set-apart status. But Jesus turns that notion upside down by inviting his followers to, themselves, turn the financial equation upside down. “Sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then come, follow me.” Jesus’ movement, his life, and his ministry would stand in stark contrast to the values of the world at the time.
But it’s not all about money, as important as money is. Jesus speaks in similarly challenging ways when he invites his followers to lose their life for his sake, to take up their cross, and to follow him. Life and death get turned around, as do wealth and poverty, as do notions of power, wisdom, and faith.
With Jesus, everything gets turned upside down. “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (vs 31)
We don’t know how the rich man acquired his wealth. Was it a result of his hard work or luck? Did he inherit it?
And where does God fit into his story? How is God responsible? How did God act toward the rich man who walked away from Jesus?
The rich man may go away grieving, but he doesn’t walk away to condemnation. I don’t believe so, anyway. It was a hard word that Jesus gave him, and a hard word that Jesus spoke to his disciples. But it was a necessary word. If we’re trying to “do” things to enter the Kingdom of God, we’re going about it all wrong. And if we’re seeking to enter the Kingdom of God unchanged by God’s values, well, we’re going about it all wrong, too.
Remember, for us it is impossible. But for God, all things are possible.
I have no doubt that our Lord has priorities when it comes to the Kingdom of God and how it is ordered. Scripture and the Christian tradition testify, again and again, to our God’s special love and care for the poor, oppressed, and hurting of the world. And I know because we hear Scripture and Christian tradition testify again and again that God wants you and I to share in that care and concern for the poor. When justice for all, but especially for the disadvantaged, becomes a priority for us, we are living Kingdom values here and now. But there is only so much that we can do in the here and now.
When the reign of God comes in all its fullness, our Lord will set things straight.
I have no doubt that the poor and suffering of this world will inherit a privileged place in the world to come. And I have no doubt that, as a relatively well-to-do person in this world, I may have a different place in the Kingdom of God than I do here and now. And even if that means I’m closer to the last than I am the first, I’m fine with that.
Because even if I am last in the Kingdom of God, because it’s the Kingdom of God, it is still pretty darn good.