Impossible

Mark 10:17-31

 “Impossible”

11 October 2015 St. Andrew’s Chapel Singapore

Has anyone ever had Christ look you in the eyes and say drop this important thing and follow me? Have you ever had Christ speak through someone or something else asking you do drop the important thing you are doing or working towards and say, “follow me?” Now some may have seen Christ face to face. I haven’t, which makes it sometimes hard for me to read this and not yell at the young man, “Do it! Follow him! He’s everything you need!”

When Jesus typically speaks to me, especially on weighty matters such as what I need to shed to fully let his light shine through me, it’s usually not so overt. Usually, it’s only through years of hindsight that I look back and go, “Oh, that was Jesus telling me to alter course to starboard and avoid the collision.” My parents would probably tell you I’m a bit stubborn, though I do come by it honestly, and so me realizing lessons years later wouldn’t surprise them too much. And I’m sure when they read this sermon later today, I’ll hear their true thoughts.

Today we read the story of someone who Jesus loves, yet he can’t see Jesus is asking a request made in love. And that’s an important fact of this story because it’s the only time I can find where Mark specifically says Jesus loved someone. So, in love Jesus asks us to shed what weighs us down from fully following Christ.

I don’t think Jesus is looking to criticize this man. Jesus asks him if he follows the Torah, which he does. Following God’s word is important and forms a solid base for our lives. This man has built a solid foundation and is loved by Christ. But, just following the letter of the law isn’t ever enough for Jesus. We are called to live into the intention of the law, the reason behind why God gave us the law. In a manner similar to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus looks at him with a caring smile letting this man know he was proud of him and tells him to kick it up a notch.

And this moment is where most of us pause. Some of us, like this young man, walk away. Others just stay with what we’ve been doing. This man is not doing anything wrong, in fact, he is doing everything right and it is pleasing to Christ. But, Jesus is shaking up his view of the world. Christ is asking him to give up some earthly goods for the ultimate good. Jesus wants him to engage in a little delayed gratification. And that is a huge ask. We all want immediate gratification. Just like this man, we all want something to show for our efforts.

Now, we’d love for this story to end at verse 22. Then we’d be able to get on our high horse and say, those wealthy people need to give their share to the poor. Look how Jesus is going after those who have too much and saying they should give everything they have to the poor. But, Jesus never really stops at making the Kingdom something that only pertains to the individual to whom he speaks.

Jesus immediately looks at his disciples and says that it would be easier to thread a needle with a camel than for those of material wealth to enter the Kingdom of God. And for once, the disciples knew that Jesus was implying everyone, even our beloved disciples because they immediately asked, “then who can be saved?” They are worried they’ve wasted their time and that they’ve given up too much for no return.

So, this begs the question, what do we need to give up to thread the needle? Now, before we go down that road let’s take a closer look at exactly what Jesus asked of the man. One way to translate the Greek is to sell whatever you hold in high regard. And if we read the passage that way, it really changes this from one of Jesus making a statement about money, but rather, Jesus telling us all to take a real hard look at what we hold in regard.

Do we hold worldly things, worldly goods in a higher regard than the ultimate good? What worldly goods, material or otherwise, are making us look like a camel trying to squeeze into the eye of a needle? What is bloating our spiritual life such that we aren’t in top shape? What area of abundance can we give from to further the Kingdom?

Some of us need to loosen our grip on our money. Some of us need to let go of things. Granted, all this moving we do forces that on a regular basis, but what else can we shed allowing us to focus more on the Kingdom or that allows us to better show the Kingdom to the world? As I sat in my sparsely furnished townhouse this week because my furniture is still a few days East of Singapore after reading this passage I realized I’m functioning relatively well with what little I possess right now. I can think of some commentaries and other pastoral items I am really missing right now, but most of what isn’t here yet isn’t vital to my living our God’s plan in my life. I pray I remember these thoughts when it’s time to move again.

Do we let our perceived need to learn something or do something overshadow our true need to better follow God’s plan for our lives? Is our focus on the next promotion, a more prestigious job, or some other aspect of our career making us too large for the needle’s eye? Is our stress and worry over which college our children attend, or for the students, which college we choose distorting our vision such that we think we can fit through small spaces? Maybe it’s a feeling that you aren’t spiritual enough or don’t know enough about the Bible? Whatever it is, Christ is telling you to leave it with him so he can transform what is holding you back into the ultimate good of his Kingdom.

Most likely only a close friend or a spouse knows what is holding you back from threading that needle. But, God knows and is telling you. Just like this man, Jesus is lovingly looking you in the eyes and telling you what is making you feel like a camel squeezing into the Kingdom. God is asking you to fully surrender into complete freedom.

Earlier I mentioned I came by my stubborn nature honestly. As part of getting ordained, I had to verbalize my call story and tell it over and over and over. Well, for years Jesus was lovingly looking me in the face and telling me I had to surrender what by all indications was shaping up to be a successful career. The scales started to fall off my eyes as I got to know and love a bunch of middle school students in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Then, I finally realized what Jesus was asking of me when a truly Godly woman, who had no idea I was starting to listen to what Jesus was asking, verbalized my call one night in Montreat, NC.

At that moment, I couldn’t hide behind my ignorance of the call. In that moment, Christ was looking at me through Ann’s eyes and using her voice to say, “give up that career you are holding on to and give it to me. Come follow me.” Those two pesky words, follow me. Christ was saying, “come be my disciple and together we’ll change the world one person at a time. I need you for this to work.”

In that moment I had a choice and it was stark: follow him or, like the man today, walk away. Now, I didn’t drop my resignation letter the next day. There was a lot of prayer and discussion with pastors in the next few months. But, thank God I didn’t walk away. Am I the best Christian? No. But I’m happier and healthier than if I hadn’t followed Christ.

In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer described two types of grace. “Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”

In this passage, Christ is asking the man and the disciples do you want cheap grace or do you want costly grace. The man chose cheap grace. The disciples stuck around and chose costly grace. Cheap grace is born of humanity, costly grace is of Christ. Cheap grace is temporary, costly grace is eternal. Cheap grace is easy, costly grace looks impossible like threading a needle with a camel. I can find cheap grace on my own, but I need Christ to discover costly grace. Let us always be on the lookout for where Christ is calling us away from cheap grace and into costly grace.