Two Scripture Lessons: For God All Things are Possible

10/15/00 - For God All Things are Possible

October 15, 2000
Rose McLean

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil." High praise, indeed! And from God, no less! Do you wonder what God would say about you? I’m not thinking God would have such high praise for me. But on the other hand, that might not be all that bad. Look where it got Job!

READ JOB 1:13-22

The story goes on to the point where Job himself is afflicted but through it all, Job’s faith doesn’t waver. Oh, he questions the justice of it, all right, but he remains in relationship with God throughout the struggle.

There are lots of sermons that could be preached on the story of Job, but today, I just want to contrast his faithfulness to God with that of the rich man in the Mark scripture.

Here we have another man who has lived an upright, moral, religious life and who apparently continues to seek ways to be in closer relationship with God and indeed to assure eternal life. The scripture says he runs up to Jesus—he can’t wait to ask his question, he is in a hurry to know the answer, he runs up to Jesus and says, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" One could hope that at least this one time, Jesus could simply answer the question. But no; Jesus responds with another question: "Why do you call me good?" And then Jesus launches into the theology that ONLY God is good and reminds the man of the last six commandments—the ones that have to do with our relationships with one another.

You can almost feel the relief from the man as he hears Jesus numbering off the commandments: don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t defraud, honor your parents. "This is great," the man must be thinking by now, and he answers Jesus, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." I can only imagine that he must have been ecstatic with happiness, to know that he has done that which he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus must have sensed this man’s enthusiasm and deep desire to be with God forever because the scripture says that "Jesus, looking at him, loved him." Aren’t there people that you just love? Not just your own kids or family, but people that you really like who have enthusiasm for life, who try to do the right thing, who just seem like good folk? I think that Jesus sensed this about the man. He loved him.

And yet, he could see a potential problem. He had to tell the truth in love. There was just one thing standing between the man and complete commitment and it could be easily fixed: Jesus had the remedy. Simply follow this prescription: "Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Jesus wasn’t asking him to give everything up. He was simply asking him to change banks. Trade his stock in possessions to stock in heaven. But it was too much.

When this man who had run up to Jesus full of enthusiasm and hope for eternal life heard this answer, his whole demeanor changed. One translation says that "his face fell". He went away grieving, for he had many possessions. What a sad story.

He didn’t lose his worldly possessions and family like Job did. He kept them. But he lost his chance for life in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus used this encounter as a teachable moment for his disciples, saying, "how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God."

I don’t know about you, but I would just as soon that man had never given Jesus the opportunity to say those mean things about us rich people. I’ve asked around, and I have yet to find anyone who tells me that this story is their favorite one in the Bible. They always say something like Jesus and the children, or David and Goliath, the Christmas or Easter story, but they never say about the one where Jesus says mean things about us rich people.

And yet, I identify with this man. I have kept the commandments, for the most part. I have lived a fairly respectful life—at least as far as you know. I buy Girl Scout cookies every year and have my tires switched back in the spring. And I want to know what I need to do to have the good life—not just for now, but forever. I think I understand this man and what motivated him.

There are a couple points that have been problematical in the interpretation of this scripture. People say, "well, Jesus wasn’t saying that having possessions in itself is bad, it’s just that if that is what is standing between you and complete commitment to God, then, having many possessions is bad." I notice that many of us affluent North Americans are quite relieved to know that it isn’t the possessions that are bad. That feeling of relief worries me. It makes me think that maybe for me it is the possessions.

And as if Jesus could read my mind and in order to clarify that it IS the possessions, or money, or wealth—however you want to define it. He goes on to be clear and specific: "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God", Jesus says. Just how hard is it? Jesus clarifies even further: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Gosh, Jesus. We get it. You don’t have to hit us over the head with it. Or do you?

That leads right into another possible misinterpretation of this scripture. The question, "What must I DO to inherit eternal life?" suggests that salvation is up to us: That we can earn our way into the Kingdom by doing the right things and not doing the wrong things.

I don’t think that is what this scripture is about. I think it is about acceptance and discipleship. God loves us. Jesus loved the man in the story. It is difficult for us to receive God’s love if our hands are grasping and holding those worldly goods: money, power, popularity, self-righteousness. We don’t earn an invitation to God’s kingdom by our acts of righteousness; we joyfully accept God’s grace or we don’t.

I think that’s why it is so difficult for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God. We believe that we are self-sufficient. It isn’t so much about selfishness, although that may be a factor in some cases. It is about wanting to trust ourselves and possessions to give us the good life, rather than God. We have confused God with possessions. We have made possessions our God, and tried to make God our possession. Only when we get that straightened out can we enter God’s kingdom.

And if we do accept God’s love, out of gratitude and love for God, we give away all that stands between us and being a faithful disciple.

Now if we were in the midst of a finance campaign, David would be preaching. And it would be a great time for him to invite us to look at ourselves and our giving and to see if our possessions are getting in the way of our accepting God’s invitation to full discipleship. I’m glad I don’t have to preach that sermon. Clearly, that’s one for the senior pastor.

It would be premature for me to assume that at our Church Conference in two weeks we will vote to go into a building program. Although it would definitely increase our opportunity to minister to the needs of our congregation and South Anchorage. And it would be way out of line for me to suggest that we pledge to raise funds for a Habitat for Humanity House at the same time that we raise money for our building fund. The timing is wrong for such a suggestion and it is too radical of an idea, so I won’t go there. As Rosanne Rosannadanna always said, "never mind."

But I digress. There is one part of the Mark scripture that is such good news that I can’t finish without bringing it to our attention. After Jesus said those discouraging words about how hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples were astounded and discouraged. But Jesus reminded them that "for God all things are possible."

Friends, there is hope for you and me. We can let go of those things that are separating us from God. We can open our hands and hearts and receive God’s grace. We can follow Jesus and become Disciples, because for God all things are possible. Thanks be to God!

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