The Way of the Cross: Going Last
Lent 1B – NL 2
February 18, 2024
Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN
Mark 10.17-31
I’m not going to ask you for money today, but by the end of the sermon, you might wish that I had.
Back in 2011, about this time of year, I was preparing to give my doctoral defense. I had sent off my thesis and wanted to be done with it. I had been part of a cohort that had been together for five years and this was the culmination of much effort. One last thing remained: we had to sign up for presentation slots. I really wanted to go first, not because I thought my thesis was so awesome, but I just wanted to get it over with. But someone else got there first and I decided that if given a chance, I’d go last instead. There was part of me that was trying to be courteous, but if I couldn’t go first, I’d go last. I must admit that I would do so because of the conventional wisdom regarding sitting in an interview: if I couldn’t make a good first impression then I’d make a good last impression.
I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind at the end of this story when he says, “The first will be last and the last will be first.” This is the second of three times that Jesus makes this pronouncement. We first heard it on Ash Wednesday when Jesus takes a child in his arms and upends our idea of greatness. Next week we’ll hear it again when Jesus referees a squabble between two of the disciples, again about priority in the kingdom of God, and asks if they will be able to drink the cup that he is going to drink. In a very short time, Jesus must remind his followers again and again that the ways of the kingdom of God are upside down from our culture’s ways and that the way of the cross is contrary to conventional thinking.
Today, the object lesson is not provided by the disciples themselves but a rich man. In other Gospels he is known as a rich young ruler. This man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. So, we wonder: does he truly want to go deeper into the life of faith or is he simply trying to justify himself? Is he looking for an “atta boy” from Jesus or does he truly want to follow him. My guess is that he is sincere, otherwise he missed a great opportunity to call it good after Jesus’ first answer and say, “Nailed it!” But he presses on and then wishes he hadn’t: Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and follow him. The fact that Jesus looks upon him with love indicates the man was, indeed, sincere in his desire to find life.
Now, here’s where we start to get antsy. Is Jesus’ command just for the rich man or is it meant for everyone. Jesus talks a lot about money in the Bible and the dangers of wealth. The American humorist Mark Twain puts it this way. “It’s not the parts of scripture I don’t understand that bother me. It’s the parts I do understand.” Said another way, “Possessions are their own punishment.” Our possessions can end up possessing us. Biblically, possessions were a sign of God’s blessing But that was something that our forebears perverted with the so-called Protestant Work Ethic. They worked hard to achieve material blessings so that they could be assured that God blessed them.
But, notice what Jesus asks of the rich man: everything he wants to know is from the Second Table of the Law, the Ten Commandments. The First Table has to do with our relationship with God: “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.” However, the Second Table of the Ten Commandments has to do with our relationship with our neighbor. In essence, Jesus is asking the man about what he is doing with his possessions. As the man receives blessings from God, is he closing his fist around them or is he holding them with an open hand? Is the man willing to let go in order to gain the most important thing, abundant life?
There’s a story that is told about how indigenous peoples trap monkeys. They cut a hole in the top of a coconut just big enough for a monkey’s hand to get through. They securely tie the coconut to a stake or tree and put meat inside. The monkey will put its hand into the coconut and grab the meat, but won’t let go even when in danger of losing its life.
Of course, Peter can’t leave well enough alone and wonders about him and the others. They’ve given up everything, right? It sounds like Jesus gives them a pat on the back, giving them the “atta boy” that the rich man was looking for. Jesus tells them they will receive a hundredfold, but then he slips in “as well as persecutions.” Yikes. I think that Jesus wants to remind us that it isn’t what we do that’s important but rather what God does through us. Just as we rely on God for everything that we have, we even rely on God to help us let go of what is holding us back.
This is the second stop on our Lenten journey, “The Way of the Cross,” whereby we make two journeys. The first is the physical trip as we go with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, which will involve suffering, rejections, the cross, and the tomb. But we also make the spiritual journey of the way of Jesus, what it means to follow him. Today we are encouraged to ask what we might be holding onto that keeps us from following Jesus. What do we need to let go of to pick up the cross? It could be physical things like our possessions, but it could also be things like anger or resentment or jealousy or greed or pride. Maybe it’s even letting go of the notion of needing to go last. Whatever it is, know that we don’t go alone or without resources. For the One who gave himself on the cross continues to give himself in the bread and wine, his very body and blood. For with God, all things are possible. Amen.
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