Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31
When we are born, everything we
know is about our own needs. We are hungry, we need a diaper change. Our tummy
hurts. We need a cuddle.
By the time we are toddlers and learning words, we use the word “mine” as often as possible. Our toys, our books, our cookies, are all mine. But, right about then, most parents begin to teach us the word “share.” And we learn that some things are not mine, or not only mine.
We may learn empathy, and begin to understand
that sharing means everyone gets some of whatever is available. Children offer
bites of cookies, or ask adults to give more to other children.
However, some children learn that
sharing is not important, that having more than others is a good thing. This
attitude can lead to bullying or cheating. It leads to unfairness when there
are not enough cookies for everyone to have one.
…
The ancient belief was that those who had much more than others was blessed. If
you didn’t have much, you or someone in your family, some ancestor, must have
sinned; your lack was due to unrighteousness. And so you believed that getting
the most was God’s blessing, even if it meant ignoring the frequent calls to
take care of the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner in your midst.
This is what the Prophet Amos is
talking about. He speaks God’s words to the wealthy people of his time, and
ours. You who have much and don’t share it with the needy are sinful and
unrighteous, … and there will be consequences if you don’t change your ways. Learn
to hate evil and love good, so God will be merciful with you.
… When the rich man approaches Jesus, he wants to know how to have eternal life. Jesus has a conversation with him, first about keeping the Jewish life rules. ‘Have you kept the commandments?’ ‘Yes,’ he says. ‘All my life.’ Jesus then says, ‘There’s only one other thing for you to do. Sell everything you own, give it to people who have less, and follow me.’
For the rich man, this is a step
too far, or maybe a mile too far. It means giving up all comfort, like fine
wine, like cushioned chairs, like meat everyday, like servants to do your work
for you. Following Jesus means living in the open, or in someone’s smelly barn,
eating whatever is offered, and sometimes going hungry. It means becoming the
type of person he has been taught is NOT blessed by God. … and he walks away,
because he can’t go that far.
Mark says, Jesus was sad, because
he loved him. I find it curious that this comment comes after the man says he
had obeyed all the commandments. We can’t be sure, but I suspect it was because
the man was so proud of his faith in following the rules. But following the
rules didn’t include taking care of the needy folks around him, as Amos and
many other prophets urged him to do.
… It’s easy for us to judge this rich man. Oh, we say to the man, you should have listened to Jesus. You missed such an opportunity. We would have loved to spend that time with Jesus! But would we really have given up everything to go on the road with Jesus? Are we so sure we would have believed so easily, that we would have acted in such a countercultural way?
We get a clue about whether we
would have followed Jesus then by how we follow him today. Would you be willing
to give up everything to go and tell people about Jesus? All day, every day? If
not today, but when you were young and physically able to do so? Today, are you
willing to put Jesus first when you give your time, talents, and finances to
Jesus through the ministries of Gloria Dei?
So, let’s assume this rich man is
probably more like us than we want to admit. We would find it hard to live
without our usual creature comforts. We would find it hard to have a change in
social status. We would find it a challenge to join the line for food at
Joining Hands in Food Ministry, instead of being the ones giving the food.
... But there is good news for us. Jesus is willing to forgive us for our prideful-ness as we hold so tightly to our wealth, our status, our self confidence. How do we know that? Because the author of the letter to the Hebrews, Paul or one of his followers, tells us that Jesus is our high priest. And he’s the type of priest that loves hanging out with people who don’t obey all the commandments, and admit it.
We can confess our sins, our guilt,
to Jesus and know we are loved and forgiven. Confessing our sins doesn’t
condemn us, but leads us to greater compassion, greater empathy, if we permit
it.
Which takes us back to where we
began a few minutes ago… what we have is not ours – or mine! Everything we have
is a gift from God, with the intent that we share it, so that all may have
their daily bread, and more.
…
I think we all know folks who don’t believe in God, and who claim that
everything they have is through their own hard work. It can be hard for them to
share, to give away what they have because it’s “mine”. Those of us who believe
in God, and understand that what we have is God’s gift to us, find it easier to
give what we have away, because it’s not “mine” to begin with.
This week, I hope you will think
about what you consider yours – or “mine”. Does it control you, or are you
willing to give away significant portions of it, in order to more closely
follow Jesus? Amen
