Rev.
Debbie Cato
Matthew
19:16-24
Peace
Presbyterian Church
October
26, 2014
“Doing
the Right Stuff”
I
like rules. Rules help me know what’s expected of me. I like to
be sure that I know what I’m supposed to do. I like to know what’s
O.K. and what’s not O.K.
While
I was in seminary, I would drive from Tacoma to Seattle 2-3 days a
week – often during rush hour. For those of you not familiar with
Seattle traffic, let me just say that its a mess. It is 23 miles
from Tacoma to Seattle and it could take over 1 ½ hours depending on
how bad traffic was. To help with traffic, there are carpool lanes
most of the distance. I never used the carpool lane if I was driving
to seminary by myself. The rule is – the carpool lane is for 2 or
more drivers. I would see people driving alone in the carpool lane
and feel pretty righteous. Even though I was sitting in traffic, I
was doing the right thing and they were doing the wrong thing. I was
following the rules.
Monday
night I stopped at Safeway on my way home from meeting to pick up a
few things. I had 16 items in my cart so I stood in a long line
rather than go through the express lanes that say “15 items or
less.”
You
see, I’m a rule follower. Are you a rule follower? I think it’s
probably fair to say that most of us like to do the right thing.
Most of us try hard to follow the rules. Even when we don’t agree
with the rules, most of us still follow them – after all, they are
the rules!!!
Sometimes
as Christians we can be too rule focused. Rules can become how we
“measure our religion.” Doing the “right thing” is what
Christians do. After all, Christians have THE most important rules
in the world – we have rules from God. The Ten Commandments. Rules
given to the Israelites by God himself. There is no better – no
HOLY-er rule maker than God.
For
the Jews, The Ten Commandments – or the “law” as it is called
is how they stayed in relationship with God. The “law” was how
they measured their faith. The more strictly they followed the law,
the more righteous they were. The Pharisees are an extreme example
of this. Not only did the Pharisees strictly follow the law given by
God – they made up more laws more rules; that made righteous living
even harder – nearly impossible. Jesus was critical of the
Pharisees because of their excessive laws.
So
imagine yourself a Jew in 30 A.D. You live following Jewish
tradition and your only scripture is the Old Testament. Ever since
you were a young child, you learned and lived by the law given to the
Israelites. You follow the purity laws and the laws about food.
This is the only way of life you know and you have always tried to
live a godly life. Now this Jewish man – Jesus - comes on the
scene and teaches a different way of living and being. Many of your
Jewish neighbors – maybe even family members are drawn to his
teaching.
You
go to hear this rabbi teach and this idea of eternal life appeals to
you. Wanting to gain eternal life, you get up the courage to go
speak to Jesus. And you ask him, “What good thing must I do to
achieve eternal life?” What good thing must I do.
This
young man – faithful to a religion that is all about doing the
right thing – the good thing, logically wants to know what good
thing will give him eternal life. Jesus response is important –
“There is only One who is good.” Jesus corrects the young man’s
thinking that doing things makes us good. Only God is good. Only
Jesus is perfectly good. And all the goodness in us, comes from God!
Jesus makes that clear at the very beginning of the conversation
with the young man.
But
then Jesus goes on to answer the young man’s question: “If you
want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Which ones the young
man asks? Jesus lists six of the commandments. “All these I have
kept. What do I lack?”
Perhaps
Jesus knew that this young man – so eager to gain eternal life –
was a good Jew. Perhaps Jesus knew this was an opportunity to teach
this young man about the difference between doing and being.
Whatever the reason, Jesus challenges him in a way that even now
surprises us.
“Go
and sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Then, come
follow me.” Sell all my possessions? Now, I don’t have much –
I’ve never had much. But – sell everything and then give the
money to the poor? Whoa! That’s radical.
The
young man must have felt the same way, because he went away sad. He
couldn’t do it. Jesus was asking too much. This eternal life
Jesus talked about wasn’t worth it.
Although
we don’t have a lot of details, the title of this passage – The
Rich Young Man – paints a picture for us of a young man who has it
all. Youth, money, and morality. Since we are told he is young, we
could even presume that his life has been easy. Maybe his family has
always had money. Maybe he has never had to work hard for money and
the stuff money buys. Yet even though he is young and has money, he
comes to Jesus with a sense that something is missing. In spite of
all he has – all the stuff he owns, something is missing in his
life.
What
did he lack? What else does he have to do? I’m sure he expected
Jesus to give him one more commandment – one more rule for him to
complete. One more check-mark on his list of accomplishments.
Jesus
understood what was behind the young man’s question. He thought
that knowledge alone was all he needed. He thought that whatever
needed to be done he could do on his own. This rich young man
thought he could do something to have eternal life. He was
preoccupied with having. But, eternal life is not another
possession. This young man is concerned with doing while believing
needs to come first. Discipleship in the kingdom is more than just
obeying commandments, it requires 100% commitment. Being a part of
God’s Kingdom requires sacrificial discipleship.
Jesus
knows this rich young man is most vulnerable when it comes to his
possessions. He knows that for this young man, sacrificing his
wealth is necessary for him to be 100% committed to God. Jesus knows
that we must treasure God more than we treasure anything else. But
the young man is so attached to his possessions that he is unwilling
to part with them. His possessions mean more to him than the gift of
eternal life. This young man
– so eager for eternal life – treasures his wealth and
possessions far more than he treasures God. As long as he could obey
the rules – as long as he could do the right stuff, he was good.
As long as he could DO, he was in control and eager to please. But
Jesus was asking him to BE a certain way. To be sacrificial, to be
100% committed to God.
If
he gave everything away, he couldn’t rely on himself anymore.
Giving everything away would require him to be totally dependent on
God. Giving away his possessions would force him to put all his
trust in God rather than in his money & his stuff. Giving away
his possessions would be giving away control. I don’t know about
you but for me – that’s scary.
True,
he had not murdered. He had never lied or stolen anything.
Presumably, he honored his mother and father. But had he in fact
“loved his neighbor as himself”? He thinks so. Perhaps he was a
kind and thoughtful guy. Perhaps he showed respect to other people. But,
Jesus knows that many people in his community were poor and hungry.
This young man standing before him, wanting the key to eternal life
had great wealth. Jesus is aware of the unequal distribution of
wealth. Jesus asks him to “go and sell his possessions and give
the money to the poor.” This would be loving his neighbors! Jesus
tests this young man because he knows that he cannot “love his
neighbor as himself” while his Jewish brothers and sisters have
nothing. But the young man can’t do it. Jesus is asking too much.
As a result, this rich young man fails the test. He really doesn’t
love his neighbor as himself. This young man – so confident that
he successfully obeyed the commands – so sure he did the right
stuff – realizes he has fallen short. He misses out on eternal
life. He walks away sad.
At
this point many of us might be feeling pretty good. Few of us have
great wealth. We don’t store up expensive possessions while people
in our community go without. We give money and time and resources to
help our neighbors. This story in Matthew doesn’t have much to say
to us. This lesson doesn’t apply to us. We aren’t like the rich
young man. We don’t have anything to worry about. Don’t’ we
wish!
Jesus
isn’t telling a parable that applies to everyone. He isn’t
talking to a crowd. Jesus is talking to the man who asked the
question about eternal life. Jesus is talking individually to this
young man. The rich young man is being called to follow Jesus in one
particular situation. Because of his situation, Jesus asks him to
give up his wealth and follow him.
But
this is a challenge to each one of us. For this particular young
man, it was his wealth. What is it for us? What is it in our life –
yours and mine - that requires radical change? What is it in your
life; in my life, that gets in the way of our relationship with
Christ? What is it that we depend on more than God? What do we need
to give up in order to follow Jesus and gain eternal life?
The
catch is that God calls each of us into unique situations. Each of
us is called into faith in a way that is unique to who we are. We
aren’t all asked to do the same thing because we each have unique
circumstances – unique barriers to giving everything up for God.
But each one of us is challenged to let go of things and give up
control so that we can truly rely on God alone.
Today’s
passage from Matthew reminds us that discipleship in the kingdom is
more than just obeying commandments, it requires 100% commitment.
Being a part of God’s Kingdom requires sacrificial discipleship.
What is God asking us to give up so that we are totally dependent on
Him? What radical change do you need to make in your life to fully
follow Christ?
It’s
probably safe to say that like the young man, most of us have not
murdered. Most of us don’t steal and cheat. But are we really,
truly loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? Are we focused on
“doing the right things” or “being in a relationship with
Christ so that we can have eternal life?” If you are like me and
you like to follow rules – this is hard. It’s uncomfortable.
Just like the young man, we can make a decision. Are we going to
take a risk and follow Christ or are we going to walk away sad?
May
His kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.