With God All Things Are Possible
John Odegard, Minister for Discipleship and Faith Formation
Grace, Mankato, MN
Lent 1 – Narrative Lectionary 2
Mark 10.17-31
Brothers and Sister in Christ today I bring you the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Each of us may hear a different truth in the scripture today, and to many of us, it might not always sound like good news. If you read into this passage, and think about the light it shines on our own lives, it can be a hard one. When I was looking for a theme for today's sermon I kept coming back to Jesus love for us, but it’s hard to focus on that when most of this passage is Jesus telling us how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God. Maybe you are thinking to yourself that it seems pretty cut and dry. This guy was rich and loved money so much he couldn’t get into heaven. It seems simple, and I’m not rich so it’s not a problem. Maybe you are thinking “I can barely keep food on the table and pay my bills” This doesn’t even relate to me. It can be too easy for some of us to think we are those last ones that Jesus was talking about, that this is all good news. But that ignores a lot of what is really going on here.
If this is just about the money, then why did the disciples seem so worried when Jesus told them how hard it is to enter into the Kingdom?
This rich man managed to follow the commandments all of his life. That's more than I can boast. How many of us can say we have kept even one commandment for our entire life? That we have not slipped even once, especially considering the extremes that Jesus goes to when telling us what is a sin. He tells us that to hate is the same as murder. Truly all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. His own disciples are distressed to learn this man who has done so well following the commandments, is still not ready to enter the Kingdom of God. If not him, then who else stands a chance they ask?
Rich or not, who among us is ready to do as Jesus asks this man, to sell all you have and give it to the poor? I know I have some stuff that is going to be hard to part with. Jesus talks about leaving it all behind, not just our wealth. He brings up leaving our possessions and families to follow Him, but I have to be honest, I really like my girls at home. I like watching them grow up. I don't know if I can give that up. Do any of us stand a chance?
Because it’s not about the money, but it’s not not about the money either. It’s about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and the things that keep us from it, whatever they might be. The very thing that Jesus wants from each of us is at the heart of this text and what He demands from this man. It is not about being rich or poor, it is about those 3 words. Come, Follow Me.
As the German Theologian Dietrich Boenhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die"
So there you have it, we have gone from a slightly distressing piece of scripture that we feel may or may not apply to us, to downright terrifying. Jesus doesn't want our stuff, He is King. He wants us. In one commentary on this text, Author Matt Skinner says, “Here is a deeply religious person so well-attuned to his practices that he can sense that there is more out there than what he has experienced so far. He asks Jesus about the "more," but his question focuses on what needs to be added. He seeks the limit, or the next step, but discovers instead that eternal life entails the surrender of one's whole self.”
Jesus is excellent at saying a lot more than what he is saying out loud. There's more to this exchange than just giving up what we have and putting God before riches. I don't think storing up treasure in heaven is the whole point. I believe Jesus wants to make a difference, right now, through us, just as much as He wants us to have eternal life. He wants us to grow into a life in the Kingdom of God.
So what does that mean, to enter the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom is one of those things that I have heard pastors use as a trick question: Is the Kingdom of God here now or is it something to look forward to?
Yes. As Pastor Scott will tell you, when a pastor asks a question like this, the answer is always yes. It is both something to look forward to, and it is here among us now.
I believe the Kingdom of God is among us when we accept that God is ruler and creator of all, without end, worthy of endless praise. The Kingdom of God is something to look forward to with joyful anticipation when He comes again in glory to make everything new. But, the Kingdom is also here now and He is already making everything new, He is inviting us to live into this Kingdom now with those same words, Follow Me.
The Kingdom of God grows when we follow His commandments to love God and love our neighbor. The Kingdom of God exists in the space between you and those in need and you enter into it when you cross the divide separating you from them.
Jesus is calling us to be Disciples, to give up whatever it is that keeps us from living into this radical and life changing Kingdom that grows from the smallest seed into a tree so large that birds can nest in its branches. Jesus calls us to a life of Discipleship, one that bears good fruit. Like the rich man, we need to search for whatever it is we are carrying, that keeps us from it. Our judgments, pride, or wealth. Perhaps we struggle with joyfully giving and sharing what we have with people if we feel they don't deserve it. Perhaps we are bitter with how our life has turned out thus far, angry with a God who seems content to let us suffer. Maybe we believe we don't need to try anymore because we have done our part around here, and it's someone else's turn now. Think about it for long enough and you will find something, probably a lot of things.
It will be very hard to follow Christ. We will fail. Over and over again we will fail. Following Jesus is hard, and none of us will ever be perfect. But, because we are not perfect, God can use us! Because of that, we have an opportunity to live into the Kingdom right here at Grace! No, the Kingdom of God doesn't only exist at church, and not just through all of the great things we do here. Like feeding the hungry through lunch for a buck at Crossroads and the Food for Friends teams, serving those in need with the thousands of dollars we give to charitable organizations, or growing new disciples through our youth programs and confirmation classes. Yes, I believe the Kingdom of God is present in those things, but I believe it is equally present when we are being honest with each other. Sharing our burdens and being open about the times we fail. When church is a safe place for everyone to be honest about who they are and where they are, that is a time when the Kingdom of God is here. When we say “All Are Welcome” and it is more than words. When truly all are welcome, including the refugee, the illegal immigrant, the homosexual, the person who struggles with their belief in God, the person who cheated us out of fifty dollars last week, the sinner, the saint, and our best friend all get treated the same, as a beloved Child of God. When we put our judgments away and treat this like the Holy place it should be, a place for everyone. And when we do our best to carry that same light out into the world. Then each of us is taking part in the Kingdom of God right here and now.
It is our calling as followers of Christ to love God and to love our neighbors, and that never stops, no matter how much we have done already. It never ends.
I wish I could send you off today with an easy, lighthearted sermon. This passage isn't easy though. There is no loophole. Jesus really is calling us to change and even the best of us have room to improve. Jesus really does expect more from us. He knows how much we do each week and how busy we are, and he wants more. He will keep wanting more until He has all of us. Not in the sense that we are neglecting our other vocations, as parents and members of society, but so that we bring our faith in Him with us into those contexts. So that everything we do reflects our belief that Jesus is Lord.
We don’t serve others because it will save us. There is nothing we can do to earn eternal life. We serve others because we have already been saved. We live a life that produces good fruit not because we are perfect but because we believe with God, anything is possible.
This whole exchange begins with Jesus making a very important point. He asks, “Who are you calling good? Only God is good.” Right away, Jesus is pointing to God's goodness, not ours. God's love for us is all about how good God is, not how good we are. Jesus knows this rich man like he knows me, and you, and everyone else who comes to Him. He knows where we struggle to live into God's plan for our life. Jesus knows we haven't been able to follow all of the commandments. He looks at us, and like the rich man, He loves us. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Our Savior looks at you, and He loves you as you are, broken, imperfect, and as we heard on Wednesday, dust. We are dust, and to dust we will return, and yet the God of the universe loves us. So much that He became human and died for us, so we could live. Knowing us completely, knowing we will never be perfect, Jesus says to us, Come, Follow Me. As much today as 2,000 years ago, Jesus is inviting us into a relationship with Him and the Kingdom of God. Come, Follow Me.
Here again is the good news. With man, it's impossible, but with God, anything is possible. Praise be to God! Amen.
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