Riches

Text: Mark 10:17-31

Focus: Riches

Function: To help us be in better tune with finances.

Form: Storytelling

Intro:

We just finished the book of James. I am reminded that it too speaks about faith and riches. I think that it's description of riches is a little telling for our culture, he identifies the wealthy as those who could afford a gold ring, which, is almost every married American male.

Sadly, we are going into another political season and a lot of it is about the rich and the poor and the perceived savior of either side.

I remember hearing a strategist in 2011 talk about a viable candidate as one who would be able to deliver “zingers” under pressure.

“Gotcha's,” they are called. When the sin of pride runs strong in a person, and that is one that is hard sometimes for Christians to hide -that is, the sin of pride, when it runs strong in a person, they can be proud of the times they made their opponent squirm because they were able to deliver a “gotcha” against someone they disagreed with.

Well, being proud of it is sin, it is the sin of broken community. I love the first ever contemporary Christian song I ever sang: “Pass it on.”

We sing the line in there: “we will guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride.”

Isn't that a great way for Christians to be noticed? Isn't that Pope Francis did so well in his speech to congress?

He said hard things with love, and who knows, maybe the love he demonstrated will indeed conquer a multitude of sins.

He could have used “gotcha's” to ridicule the most powerful nation in the history of humanity, but instead, he believed in us enough to try to win us over.

And, I believe that he won the hearts of many people. We have seen a crack in the armor of those who misuse this passage about wealth as a means for justifying wealth.

I suppose of there was one passage of scripture whereby those outside of Christianity could judge those inside Christianity and expose “gotcha's” between our lifestyle and the teachings of Jesus, it would be over this passage.

I have heard it assassinated by many people. One person said this: “the needle gate is a small gate in Jerusalem and not only is it narrow, but it is short and camels have to be have their loads removed and be hobbled to move through the gate. So, it is hard, but not impossible.”

I believe the more obvious word picture, a camel being threaded through a sewing needle, and impossible task is exactly what Jesus said.

I could say, “gotcha” to that preacher, but I think I might have said it myself once. Maybe.

Jesus was speaking about our relationship to money. That part is pretty simple and pretty obvious.

And what is not as obvious is that Jesus does not condemn wealth in this passage. Yes, Jesus poses an impossible scenario, threading a camel through the eye of a needle, but then, the text is clear to add that with God, anything, including the salvation of the rich is possible with God.

God can save even the rich. That is grace, my friends.

So, the preacher who did mental back flips with the image Jesus pictured came to the right conclusion, but all he needed to do was read a little bit later in the passage.

Jesus does not condemn wealth in this passage, but He certainly places an huge restriction on it.

St Francis of Assisi took it literally, and stripped himself naked in front of his father, renounced his wealth and went off to sainthood.

Jesus is teaching about the way that wealth becomes our god. Remember, God said, “You shall not have any gods before me.”

For the first 3 centuries, Christianity spread quickly across the Roman world. It didn't spread because of apostolic miracles, those did seem to die off with the 12 Apostles.

It spread because the Church was consistently taking serious the teachings of Jesus and was giving away its worldly possessions to the poor.

Almost all the welfare was done by the Church and the church did it well until it was taken over by the State in the 3^rd Century.

And as always, states become corrupt, so the system became corrupt and we have not been able to return it to the Church, yet.

When the people in the church lived sacrificially for those who are not in the Church, and when the people in the church did continued the work of Jesus Christ with simplicity, with peace and in community, the church grew because the world around it felt its blessing in very tangible ways.

Remember my favorite part of this passage: ”²¹Jesus looked straight at him with love and said,...”

We know that He can save the rich because He looked at this rich man and loved him also.

I know that my perspective sounds odd here, but remember, Christianity was not popular among the rich, the wealthy and the powers that be.

Jesus message was one of love and the bible says they hated Him because He didn't love money.

Jesus was telling them that more and more was not important. Enough is indeed enough. Love others.

So, the people who loved money killed Jesus. For the most part, the people who had money did not follow Christ.

Nope, it seemed that Christianity was for the oppressed, the poor, the weak, the marginalized, the dispossessed, the outcast, the illegal, the refugee. For the most part, rich people didn't follow it because of the demands placed on them with their wealth.

But Jesus loved this man. Jesus makes it clear that they can be saved.

The first will be last is the end of this passage. In Luke's story of the Rich man and Lazarus, the rich man is in hell because he didn't share his wealth with the poor man who died on his doorstep. And the poor man is saved and in heaven and if we were to learn about salvation from this passage alone, the poor man was saved simply because he was poor.

The bible makes it clear that God loves the poor.

The Bible makes it clear that God sides with the poor, the weak and the dispossessed.

So, when Jesus is reported as “loving” this man, and then actually declaring salvation possible for the rich, those words shocked most of the people who were already Christians because Christianity was historically, a religion for the poor.

Remember our study in James when James says “Isn't it the rich who oppress you...”

It is almost as if there is class warfare, or an acceptable prejudice, against the rich.

Yes it is possible Jesus is saying. The author noticed also that not only did Jesus speak kindly to the man, but his body language communicated deep regard and affection for him.

Jesus loved the man.

We also believe that Jesus loves the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.

So, with His love spoken to us, let us hear what Jesus said to the rich man: “Sell it and give it to the poor.”

Hmmm.

He was speaking of the controversy of wealth.

And it is our problem.

First, we have to admit that it is indeed our problem.

Do we sell it?

Then, we would be poor.

I suppose that there is a lot to be said for Job's statement of faith: “naked I came into the world, naked I shall leave it, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

That is really the question, especially for the Christian: “Who owns it?”

The text tells us the man left because he was very wealthy and he didn't want to give that up. We know that there is nothing that a man can give in exchange for his soul.

The soul, and all that it owns belongs to God.

To me, the problem was not wealth, but faith.

The wealthy do tend to trust their wealth instead of God. The very idea of having to depend on God for our daily bread is contrary to our culture.

Anyone who does that today would be guilty of not planning very well.

But here is the thing. It all belongs to God. Even if we earned it, it was God who gave us the strength to earn it.

And the moment we recognize that, the better off we will be.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.