FAVOR OF THE LORD
21st Sunday after Pentecost
Psalms 90:12-17 and Mark 10:17-31
October 13, 2024
We all are probably familiar with this scripture… you know… it is the one where we get to jeer at the rich man….that person who has more possessions than we do. We get to say, “Well he might have money and possessions, but I get to go to heaven.” Doesn’t that sound about right?
Or maybe you think you are that rich man, and you start feeling guilty and contemplating, “Is Jesus really talking about me? Do I really have to give up all my possessions? Maybe I will send in that pledge card after all, and I will take some of the old things around the house to the thrift store. That should show that I’m willing to give up my possessions. I’m sure Jesus is referring to all those movie stars and tech owners anyway. They are really the ones with all the money.”
The first thing that strikes me in this scripture is that this man comes looking for Jesus. There is nothing in the scripture that leads me to believe he came to challenge Jesus like the rulers and the Pharisees either. He obviously had heard about Jesus and the good news, and he wanted to get in on it.
This speaks to me of someone who is not arrogant, rather someone desiring eternal life.
He addresses Jesus as “Good Teacher,” to which Jesus responds and sets the record straight, “No one is good but God alone.” Jesus was not taking any credit for the glory and power of God.
Then Jesus answers his question as to what he must do to have eternal life by saying, “You know the commandments.”
The man responds stating he has kept the commandments ever since his youth – or in other words – since his age of accountability. Whatever we think of this man, he has been obedient to God’s commandments.
My favorite statement in this entire scripture comes next:
Jesus looking at him – LOVED HIM.
In all my years of hearing a sermon on this scripture, I have never heard nor picked up on this phrase! JESUS LOVED HIM!
Jesus looks at this man, and he acknowledges him with love. How beautiful is this phrase, and how sad that so much emphasis is put on “the rich man” being bad that this very important phrase is omitted!
Yes, Jesus even loved the rich man.
Now, the man goes away grieving, and wouldn’t any of us go away grieving if we had to give up our possessions? Don’t we find it hard to give up the things we’ve worked hard to have? Or maybe some of our inherited possessions are very precious to us because they all remind us of stories with our family and friends. Is this really a bad thing?
(Can talk about some possessions here or show some such as my 1st grade George Washington…something I inherited…)
Our possessions give us comforts and many have special meaning to us because they belonged to someone we love or have loved.
In reality, we can’t jeer at the rich many too harshly because we all have possessions we could clearly give up.
After Jesus tells the disciples it will be harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, Peter…perhaps wanting to secure his own inheritance in eternal life…points out to Jesus how he and the other disciples have given up everything to follow him.
Jesus gives affirmation to Peter, all who give up what they have and follow Jesus will inherit eternal life.
There is one more point that should be noted when Jesus hears the disciples asking of each other, “then who can be saved?”
Jesus addresses them as “children.” I believe he addresses them as children because they are young in their understanding, and to remind them they are all children of God.
Jesus looks at them, just as he had the rich man. He acknowledges them and their concerns, and replies, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God. For God all things are possible.”
We alone are not capable of inheriting eternal life, it is only possible through the grace of God.
From a very young age, we are taught what we can and can’t do. We are shown and encouraged to keep striving for the big challenges we face until we conquer them. So as humans, this is a hard thing for us to grasp knowing we are totally dependent on God to provide our inheritance for eternal life.
In this scripture, it is important that we remember Jesus acknowledged and loved the rich man in the same way he did the disciples, and in the same way he loves us. It’s a reminder that we need to be careful who we judge because they are loved by Jesus, just the same as we are.
As with many of the stories in the Bible, we are left with as many questions as answers. It doesn’t say what the rich man did when he got home. Maybe he did give away all of his possessions and followed Jesus.
We really don’t know because we have no more information in regard to the man after he went away grieving.
Jesus says many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
Many who are considered first in society will be last in the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t say they won’t be there at all, however. All things are possible with God.
What we can’t do ourselves, we can do when we have favor of the Lord. God can save us when we can’t save ourselves. All things are possible because we are all acknowledged by Jesus and he loves us.
During this past year, it has been hard to hear and see what people have lost in these storms that we have been dealing with. Many of us may have lost possessions that were precious to us, but what we haven’t lost is the possibility to follow Jesus and have eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
To God be the glory.
(Silent Reflection)