Proper 23 B + The eye of the needle + 10.10.21

 

Patheos.com

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Job 23:1–9, 16–17; Ps. 22:1–15 Hebrews 4:12–16 St Mark 10:17–31)

Growing up, one of my best friends had a sign in her family's living room. It said "Solidarity" but in a foreign language, perhaps that of one of the countries of Eastern Europe, and no doubt there was a story behind that banner. I am not sure I ever asked for the details. But "solidarity" is what comes to mind today as I muse on this scripture passage from the gospel of St. Mark.

But first, let us remember last week, when we heard about Job. Job experienced the opposite of solidarity. When he was in pain and suffering, his friends added to his anguish by blaming his troubles on him. Instead of feeling surrounded by care, Job felt abandoned and alone. Don’t be a Job’s friend 😊.

In contrast, Jesus invites us into a community of radical mutual support. In the passage from today, a man came up to Jesus and, calling him good, asked him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. I see this man as like many of us at different times, misapprehending the point of faith. Faith is not a box to tick off, it is a way of life. This man somehow wanted to ingratiate himself with Jesus (by calling him good) and then he wanted to tick off a box of following the behaviors that would get his name written in the book of life. He must have felt so proud, as he told Jesus he had followed all the commandments from his youth. Little did he know that Jesus had a trick up his sleeve. 

This moment, so very real we can imagine it two thousand years hence, the hinge tinged by Jesus' love, turns this moment of fulfilling obligation into a story about the true nature of discipleship.

Because to truly follow God, this man must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow Jesus. We are told he went away sad. I always hope and trust that was not the end of his story. 

In both the stories of St. Benedict of Nursia and St. Francis of Assisi, we hear of young men of means who lived carefree lives. Upon hearing God's call, they gave up everything and in their own ways followed Jesus by forming monastic orders. They moved from relative self-sufficiency or dependence on their rich families to becoming entirely dependent on the kindness of their communities, and they both expanded those communities to support a growing community of monks and nuns. 

Jesus' invitation here is something that to a normal person of wealth is impossible. He suggests a radical letting go of the essence of this man- that is, his wealth, that which supports him in the life he has, we assume carefully crafted. And instead, this man is to become dependent upon Jesus and his ragtag band of followers. 

When I asked a friend what she thought of this passage this week, she said that when we follow Jesus we gain many things! I agreed that the rich man needn't have felt so sad, as what he lost in physical wealth, he would have gained tenfold in spiritual wealth, but perhaps more tangibly for us incarnational humans, in the society and community of other Christians.

I suspect that Jesus saw around this man the moat of his wealth. He was a castle, carefully constructed and fortified by all he had built up. Now he had his future guaranteed in this life (as he understood it), he needed to work on eternal life. But between him and the road to eternal life, there was a chasm. And that chasm was his need to control his own destiny.  Jesus, pointing to God who is good, said, you must be willing to give it all up! When we are addicted to control, we must be willing to relinquish everything, to hold life lightly, and to trust in God's guidance. 

The man wanted concrete steps to salvation that he could control, but Jesus was trying to tell him it simply doesn't work like that. We may think we own houses, fields, and have family, but they are not ours. They belong to God. Anything that God has blessed us with needs to be given back to God at some level in order to bear fruit in the world. 
I am the first to say that I try to rationalize this. I loved the interpretation that explained that the eye of the needle was the name of a particularly narrow trading gate which could only be passed by camels by kneeling. What poetry! We must humble ourselves in order to follow God. That is the way to salvation. But no, it is not that simple. We must go beyond just humbling ourselves. We must be willing to give it all away. To place it all in God's hands. This is why the poor are our often teachers. When they have often already given it up.

But note, Jesus is not talking to the crowd here. He is looking at and loving this one particular man. You get a sense, just as it alludes to in the passage from Hebrews, that he was able to see into this man's heart. And love him, with all of that. Think of that! Jesus, looking at you, and loving you, even with, perhaps because of everything that goes into your heart! What grace.

But his command to the man was exactly that. His command to him. 
What is required of each of us is different. But also in a way the same. We must acknowledge that every good gift we have comes from God, and when we do so, we will be willing to give freely of what God has given us. Not all of us sell everything and run away to follow Jesus. Many of us prudently manage what God has given us and find ways to be generous with it as we can.

And these gifts God gives are not all financial. Perhaps you have a skill or additional time that can be given back to God. When we do our stewardship call this year, our call will not only be for financial gifts given as is possible for each individual and family, but for you to tell us-first of all, what gifts you are already giving to the church so we can thank you! And then if there is a gift or skill or simply a gift of your time you would like to offer, that will be welcome also. 

But the point here is not for the maintenance of the church as an institution only.

It is to remind us that we rely on each other. In salvation but also in everyday life needs such as our need for human connection, we as a church are here for each other. Jesus modeled a new vision of family and community life, one that encouraged inter-dependence. In Christian community, we may give up a tiny bit of our security at first, and our self-reliance, but when we trust others and God to help care for us and be a part of helping care for others, our life becomes so much richer. And ultimately, I believe it is more stable.

I am listening to a book called The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. And in it a young girl and her grandmother receive lodging from an elderly couple during the Vietnam War after their house has been bombed. When the girl's grandmother thanks the couple for their help, they respond with a proverb, whole leaves protect broken ones, or something to that effect. I thought the image was so profound. And very much what we strive to do in Christian community too. We who are whole try to cover those who are broken so that they can mend and in turn protect others. This is a dynamic process of giving and receiving. And in it we experience true solidarity with each other. And dependence on God. And when we feel that, we know we are walking on the narrow path of salvation. Amen