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“The Saddest Person”
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31

October 15, 2006 - Kim M. Henning

Outside of Plymouth, 100 cheese makers are reportedly very happy. They won the lottery. $208 million dollars worth of lottery. If you do the math, each cheese maker will receive more than $2 million. That’s a bit more than they could earn making cheese. The world is drooling with envy.

Given $2 million, what would you do? You would need an investment counselor to begin with, but then what? What dreams would you realize?

Let’s begin with this simple thought: our money has a story to tell. What does your money say about you? Are you content or do you need more? What does your check book say? What does your credit card say? Our money has a story to tell.

A man, one day, came running to Jesus and he fell at Jesus’ feet. “Good Teacher, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’”

How’s that for a big time question? What must I do to inherit eternal life? In part, that is why we come to worship—to think about questions like that. What must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do to grow my relationship with God stronger? How does my life reflect Jesus Christ? That is why we come to worship–in part. To think, to meditate, to pray about the ‘big questions.’

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds, “You know the commandments. ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’ “Teacher, I’ve done all those since my youth.” the man replied with pride.

But Jesus wasn’t finished. He looked at him. He loved him. Then Jesus said, “You lack one thing: go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

We have a stunning story, here! It is one thing to come to worship because of the music, because of the community, because it is beautiful to pray. It is one thing to come Jesus because he lifts my heart. But we have something more going on this morning.

Jesus ‘looks’ at him. The Gospel writer, Mark, tells us that Jesus had this look of love in his eye. He loved him. He loved him. He loved him. Then Jesus said, let’s talk about money and let’s talk about the poor.’ I don’t think he came to Jesus to talk about money. Why can’t we just talk about faith? Why can’t we just talk about “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” Why can’t we just talk about.... “You lack one thing: go and sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked (how dare you!) And went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

He walked away with his hands in his pockets. He held onto what was his. We may not like this story, but this is yet another of those difficult teachings of Jesus. Let me say this simply. If we want to follow Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus, “we have to talk about the other gods in our lives.....and in his case it is money.”

This man, who “had many possessions”, walked away. And as I read that story, it was like he was walking into his own hell. It is like he has lost all sense of reality.

Let me say two things that seem important. First off, when Jesus says, “go and sell what you own, Jesus is speaking with hyperbole. Just as when Jesus said, ‘if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out’ Jesus does not mean for the man to deplete himself to zero. We have to have money for health care, we have to have money for food. We have to have money for shelter. Jesus was friends with Mary and Martha. They had a home. Jesus was friends with Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus, even with his conversion, did not deplete himself to zero. The first thought is this: Jesus is speaking in hyperbole.

The second thought is this: Following Jesus is more than “being good.” Disciples of Jesus must do more than avoid ‘bad things’ – like killing, like swearing, like stealing, like coveting, like committing adultery. The beauty and wonder of Jesus’ ministry is that he pushes his followers to go the second and the third and the fourth mile. “Give your money to the poor,” Jesus says here, “and you will be wealthier than you can possibly imagine.” In another place Jesus said, “Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.” In another place, “forgive each other, seven times seventy times.” Obeying the ten commandments is not enough to follow Jesus. Just like in our homes....’you can obey all the rules’ but everyone can be miserably unhappy. There is a spirit, a Holy Spirit inside us and a Holy Spirit around us that is inspiring, prodding, pushing us to more than rules.....to give, to share, to be hospitable, to be kind.

Remember, remember, remember.....the story begins with Jesus looking at him and Jesus loving him........and the man did not return love for love. He put his hands into his pocket, and he held on to his artificial, phony life.

Let’s say this simply. Jesus says, ‘we have to make a decision about our money.’ Money has a story to tell about us. You know what is so interesting about being a follower of Jesus Christ is this: the OT says straight out, ‘give 10% to the work of the Lord’. That’s it. Done. In contrast, the NT says that the first will be last and the last will be first and the NT says that the smallest are those who want to be served and the greatest are those who serve; and the NT says ‘as the Lord has blessed you, so we must be a blessing for God’s world.”

Well....

If you haven’t yet......I hope you will soon take time to visit with one of those people from our congregation who spent a week working in Biloxi, MS cleaning up have Hurricane Katrina. You should know this. The mess has mostly been cleaned up. And Biloxi in most places looks like a deserted town—empty lots everywhere where once there stood buildings, dark streets where once there were lights. It just looks deserted, so empty.....like its waiting for something to happen.....

Of course you know that the Casinos are up and running. I have talked cynically about the Casinos—even in the last newsletter. They are magnificent and beautiful in a city that is in disrepair. But I need to say one more thing.

There is a little more to say. With all the work yet needing to be done —home after home after home----what amazes me is that the churches are rebuilt and running. That says a lot, doesn’t it. Before individuals thought to spend money and time and energy on their own homes, they fixed up the house of God.

With mortals, decisions like that are impossible. But with God, all things are possible.