“Doing the Right Stuff”

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.