Beyond Giving

 

PROPERS: PROPER 23, YEAR B

TEXT:       MARK 10:17-31

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2024.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        The essence of the Gospel is not the Law – it is the transcendent manner in which we live our lives.

 

            This gospel lesson today is especially relevant.  And it is relevant not because we are coming to the conclusion of the fall financial canvass – what Bishop Greg Rickel called the fall begathon.

 

            This gospel is about true and deep conversion of the heart.  And it impacts how we will exercise our choices in coming weeks. As the lesson from Hebrews today notes, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

 

            Jesus goes from preachin’ to meddlin’ here.  A righteous and faithful young man – we called him the rich young ruler years ago – comes to Jesus and asks about requirements to attain eternal life.

 

            Jesus responds with a few of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”

 

            The young man responds: “I have done these from my youth.”

 

            Jesus looks at him – and this is important – and loves him. Jesus knows he’s about to break the young man’s heart.  He will pierce his bubble. Jesus is speaking to a different eternal life than the young man asked about.

 

            “Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor.” The young man’s heart is broken.  He is a wealthy young man. He does not understand Jesus’ response.

 

+ + + 

 

            I often wonder what literalists and prosperity gospel preachers do with this. It’s awfully challenging – especially to folks like us who have means (which I would translate as comforts), compared to the rest of the world.

 

            The truth of this gospel cannot be explained away by the notion that Christianity is like the Law, which can be fulfilled, or a golden ticket, which assures us of some heavenly destiny. Eternal life begins in the here-and-now, as we live our lives daily.

 

            There is an old saying: Virtue is its own reward. Christianity, fully lived, is its own reward.  When we give priority to the life which Jesus led and taught, with values different from the world around us, we find ourselves being transformed and the world around us seeing that transformation.

 

            A book I read years ago, Stages of Faith, categorizes faith-seekers according to various stages – from those who view faith as some sort of rabbit’s foot, to those who have deep and abiding faith and are able to embrace this mystery of the gospel. The latter folks relate to the world differently.

 

            There are all those types here today – from those who think if we check off the list of rules, we are okay; to those who live faith as the fullness of life.

 

            The young man who came to Jesus was of the first type – a follower of the Law. He did not know the fullness of the gospel of grace.  Yet. He was living the Law, and not living the Gospel.

 

            We live a rich variety of faiths – each of us. It’s important to note – and I do so here today – that as Jesus prepared to break the young man’s heart, he loved him.  Just as he loves each of us.  And he calls us forward -- to the fulness of life that the deep, profound journey of faith can bring us.