I think there is no more uncomfortable passage in the New Testament than the one we just read.
A rich young man comes running to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life.
So far so good. We all want to know the answer to that, don’t we?
And if we didn’t know what Jesus was going to say next, we’d be hanging on the edge of our seats for his answer.
But we do know what he’s going to say. At least, most of us knew and that’s where the discomfort comes in.
Jesus says, You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"
These are the second six of the 10 commandments.
The first four have to do with our relationship with God and the next six, the six Jesus quotes, are about our relationship with each other.
No one argues these are not literal commandments.
The mean what they say: don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t lie.
And this is how the young ruler takes them.
He answers Jesus, Teacher; I have kept all these from my youth.
And we can believe him. Even Moses tells his people you can keep these, they are not so difficult or beyond your reach. And we are still OK with what’s going on.
Even if we don’t believe him, Jesus does. So that’s good enough for me.
But Jesus makes it clear that while keeping the Law is good by itself that will not get us eternal life.
We know that when he says, you lack one more thing.
And now we want to duck and run like we were playing dodge ball and a hundred balls were coming our way.
Because we know what Jesus is going to say and we don’t want it to apply to us.
We want to make this go away; or make it apply just to this guy and not to us.
Because if it does apply to us we’re in big trouble.
Jesus tells the man, go and sell all you have and come follow me.
And the rich young man leaves Jesus behind, presumably aware that at least as far as Jesus is concerned, he has not qualified for God’s kingdom.
Now in truth if this does apply to us in some way, like I said, we feel we’re in big trouble. But perhaps we’re not.
It isn’t that we aren’t faithful disciples of Jesus. We are.
It’s not as if we haven’t given up a great deal to be Christians in this time and this place.
We have. Maybe more than you realize.
Instead of litigating, we quietly left behind all that our former church had and meant to us.
So many have and still give sacrificially so we can build a new church and a new future here, in this place God has given us.
Many of us in our personal lives have had to give up family and friends for the sake of Christ.
So we have not been afraid and we have met the challenge.
Like Peter we can say Lord, we have given up so much just to be with you; will you ask us to give what we do not have?
But I’m jumping ahead of myself.
Let’s come back to the text because I know most who are not faithful Christians, or even those we might call seekers like this young man, will be appalled at what Jesus requires.
Jesus says, How hard it will be for those who are rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
It would seem the Kingdom of God is reserved for the poor; and it is; both the poor and the poor in spirit.
But that is not where most Americans are today.
More and more Americans have bought into the new version of the American Dream -- the one that just costs a dollar - the lottery.
Do you know the odds of winning the lottery?
A game-theory professor once calculated the odds of winning as the same as a poker player's chance of drawing four royal flushes in a row, all in spades –
then getting up from the card table and meeting four strangers, all with the same birthday.
Yet despite these odds, three out of four Americans religiously buy lottery tickets.
And I use the word religiously because that’s the true meaning of this passage. In whom or what do you place your hope and trust?
In one year alone, one hundred million Americans in 36 states and the District of Columbia bought $30 billion worth of tickets.
Thirty billion dollars; none of which made its way into charities or churches.
But while we are spending more money than at any time in our history, more and more Americans are revealing their deep unhappiness.
Neither the promise of quick lottery bucks, nor our personal prosperity has brought contentment or joy
Contentment and joy are only found when we pour out our love and spend our lives for the sake of others.
Just as Mary Magdalene pours out her expensive ointment without counting the cost, so are we to pour out our precious love on the vulnerable and weak,
we are to be spendthrifts with love; reckless with forgiveness; and imprudent with passion.
When Jesus told the rich man to give away all he had, he was simply speeding up the process that each of us must go through in our lives.
We have no choice but to give it all away.
And Jesus wasn’t talking to just a few. Jesus requires us all to give it all away.
We should be giving in a way that makes a difference to those in need.
Our giving should be done in such a way that it glorifies God by changing others' lives for the better.
The giving of our money to the work of God, and the stewardship of our resources is so important, that fully one-sixth of Jesus' words have to do with giving –
the only subject he talks about more is the kingdom of God ....
In this period of recession, our community is filled with needy people.
Some need money. Most need hope. All need love and joy.
Some need solace. Most need prayer. All need God.
And they come to us seeking help; daring to hope we can offer them light in the midst of their darkness.
And it is getting dark in America today, my friends.
It is getting dark in New England and in Attleboro.
The light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ burns brightly among a few faithful but the darkness closes in on so many more who are without that comfort.
An ancient rabbi once asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and the night was becoming dawn.
"Could it be," asked one student, "when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?"
"No," answered the Rabbi.
"Could it be," asked another, "when you look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?"
"No," said the Rabbi.
"Well, then what is it?" his pupils demanded.
It is when you know you have given as freely to others as God has freely given to you.
Because if you cannot do this, then no matter what time it is, it is still night.
There’s an old story about a man who is given a glimpse of the Kingdom of God and of hell.
He was brought to hell and there he saw a wonderful banquet table with the most tempting of foods and the most beautiful plates and table cloths.
He turned to the angel and said hell isn’t so bad if they eat like this.
And the angel told him, yes, but each person who comes here has strapped to his arms a fork and knife four feet long.
They try desperately each night to feed themselves but they can’t manage it.
Then the man was shown heaven. And there he saw the same banquet table and the same wonderful foods and settings.
He asked, do those who come here have the same four foot long forks and knives? Yes, said the angel.
But the difference here is they feed one another.
My friends, the difference here where the light shines, is we feed and clothe and even house one another.
And when we can we shine that light upon those who come to us from the darkness, so the dawn of Christ can rise in their hearts.
AMEN
