Welcome, I hear snow flakes are on the way. The season is changing fast. In our text Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to die. Along the way he is teaching. A rich young man has a question for Jesus.
V17 Jesus is walking to Jerusalem and a man in the crowd ran up to him, knelt before him and asked a question addressing Jesus as Good Teacher. The man wants to know what he can do to take part in eternal life with God. Note he wants to know what he can do. He and we tend to think of entering eternal life with God as a merit system. If we just do enough good things we are in. The issue is how much is enough? What rules do I keep to assure entry?
V18 Jesus stops him with a question, why do you call me good? Why the flattery? Jesus wants the man to stop and think about who the man considers good. Is Jesus good only because he has been healing, “doing” things? Only God is good. The man needs to think about who Jesus is pointing to. Jesus hasn’t come to promote himself but to point to God.
V19 Jesus then lists some commandments given by Moses. The Jewish people of the day thought that if they followed all of the law codes given in the Torah and because they were God’s special people they would get to be included in the Age to Come-eternal life.
V20 The man replies that he has kept the rules his whole life. Great, he is in! He has done the “right” things.
V21-22 Jesus then bursts his happy bubble by adding one more thing to do. He needs to sell what he has and follow Jesus. The man must have been shocked by the statement. What sell everything I have? The stuff I’ve spent a lifetime acquiring? Jesus, knowing the mans reaction to the request, loved him. Jesus didn’t scoff at him and belittle the man because he couldn’t leave his wealth, rather he looked at him with love as the man left grieving because he couldn’t bring himself to let go of his possessions. It wasn’t that the man was bad but it was because he clung tightly to his stuff that he couldn’t enter eternal life. He needed to put God first and foremost in his life ahead of his stuff. Even though he had done the “right” things in verse 19 he still lacked. Had he put God first? Had he helped the poor? Had he lived the way in which God had intended? The 10 commandments were never meant to be a merit system to get into a special club but were to be guidelines for living with God. All throughout the Old Testament God emphasizes helping the poor, the widow and the orphan. Had the man done those things or had he kept a list of rules perfectly? We live as that man. We want a list to check off to assure us of entry.
V23-24 Jesus then addresses his disciples about entering the kingdom of God with wealth. The disciples are confused at this statement. This isn’t what they’ve been taught. They have been taught that to have a vast amount of wealth shows Gods favor. God only gives wealth to those he likes. The poor have committed a sin that got them to that point. God is punishing the poor for something. Jesus has just inverted the traditional way of thought. Jesus then repeats his statement as he knows their confusion.
V25 In order to emphasize his teaching about wealth he uses an exaggerated illustration. A camel (huge animal) can go through the eye of a needle (extremely tiny thing) easier than a rich man can enter the kingdom of God.
V26 The disciples are blown out of the water. If a rich man, whom we thought God favored, can’t share in the Age to Come than who can? What is the list of items we must complete to enter?
V27 Jesus looked at them and said “you can do nothing on your own to enter into eternal life. Eternal life is a gift from God. You must believe what God has told you to enter into life with him.”
V28 Peter is beginning to grasp this idea and it occurs to him that he has been trying to do the right things in following Jesus. He may not be included either! Who can be included?
V29 Jesus replies that anyone who has given up most everything to follow him will receive even more in eternal life. They also will receive more now as they will become part of a family in a divine community. They will have many brothers and sisters. They will have many houses in which they are welcome. They will have many sets of parents. (Just like when you were a kid and spent so much time at your friend’s house that they considered you a part of the family. Or when the whole neighborhood would report your behavior to your parents.) We are part of a much bigger family. Only God can solve this paradox.
V31 Many who this world, our society, puts first will be last and many who give up some of their wealth and comfort to serve others will be first in God’s kingdom.
So naturally this verse is used against wealthy people but Jesus doesn’t say wealth is bad. He says our clinging tightly to it is. We can have wealth but we need to share it with those less fortunate. This is part of God’s plan. Remember the old cartoon of uncle Scrooge Mc Duck rolling in all of his money in the bank vault laughing? He clung so tightly to it that he had to have it locked up so only he could enjoy it. (I date myself with this cartoon.) That is not what God calls us to do. If we have anything we are to share it to further his kingdom. Poor people have not lost favor with God but have hit upon hard times. We are not to judge the reason that they are poor but help them become whole again. God loves everyone, the poor, the worst of the worst, the downtrodden of society and the wealthy. He hasn’t shown the wealthy favor and the poor disfavor. We are called to be God’s arms, legs and body here on earth and do as He would. We don’t own anything; we are merely managers of Gods things.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment