Mark 10:23-31
October 20, 2024
In a few weeks we will see children dressed up in a variety of costumes for Halloween as they enjoy the day “trick or treating” and having fun at parties in school or in their neighborhoods. If there was one type of costume that you will see many children wearing, especially boys, I guarantee it will be a Superhero costume. Not only are the Superhero costumes popular, but books, television shows, and movies have been made about our favorite Superheroes. Children love how Superman can fly, how Spiderman can use his web to swing from building to building, and how Batman has all kinds of cool gadgets. Superheroes fight the bad guys and they always win. Children love to imagine that they are a superhero with special powers, because anything is possible if you are a superhero. They can do the impossible and save the world.
In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus talks about people entering the kingdom of heaven. In one case, he describes it as very difficult, not impossible, but really, really difficult. In another case, Jesus describes it as truly impossible. So which one is it?
Last week we saw in the verses leading up to our Gospel lesson for today how a rich man sincerely asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus points the man to Commandments 4-10, concerning things that he would do to others. The man says that he has kept all of these commandments since his youth, and surprisingly Jesus does not lecture him on the fact that we are all sinners and no one has kept all of the commandments perfectly – it’s impossible for sinful human beings. Instead, Jesus loves this man and tells him that he lacks one thing: “Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor…then come follow me.” Jesus’ assignment challenges the man to place Jesus and His mission first in his life to see if he really understands that by calling Jesus “good” he is testifying to the fact that Jesus is God. But the man leaves, filled with sadness as he decides that the price of eternal life is just too great, because he had many possessions and did not want to give them up. In other words, the man decides if that’s what it takes to earn eternal life, it’s just not worth it. So Jesus then turns to His disciples and says at the start of our text for today, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23). The answer is difficult, very difficult.
This surprises the disciples. Perhaps they assume that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing and an indicator then of one’s relationship with God. Money is a good gift from God, but “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). This text warns us about the danger of allowing riches to get in the way of our total devotion to God.
But then it seems to get worse as Jesus goes on to say, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:24-25). The disciples were stunned, because they knew that was impossible, so they asked Him, “Then who can be saved?” And Jesus says, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:26).
It’s not just money or possessions that can get in the way of heaven, but any of God’s gifts that He gives to us can and will be used by Satan as temptations to turn us away from God. For example, in Matthew 10 Jesus said, “Whoever loves his father or mother, or his son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me.” Have you ever skipped church because of family members? Or have you ever seen people turn away from the church because of family?
The truth is no one can save himself or herself. It is impossible. And unlike “difficulties,” there are no grades of “impossibility.” With human beings it is simply impossible. There are no exceptions. No matter what race, gender, or age; no matter how smart, no matter how rich or poor, a human being cannot save himself/herself – not even with a little help from God. After all, the only thing we human beings bring to the table is sin. We are the problem, so we cannot help. But while it is impossible for human beings to save themselves, the same is not true for God. All things are possible with God, Jesus tells us. For us, it’s not just difficult, it cannot be done; but with God, nothing is impossible.
So the question we need to ask ourselves today is: Do we believe in the impossible? Jesus paid the price for your sin, my sin, and the sin of the whole world that was impossible for us or anyone to pay. He came into this world to accomplish the impossible – by living a perfect life, dying on a cross, and rising from the dead 3 days later, in order to pull us along with all the camels of this world through the eye of a needle into heaven.
Even though God has done the impossible and has saved us, paying for all of our sins so we could live; until that day when Jesus calls us home to live with Him forever, the road to eternal life may be hard. Daily life here in this world will have difficulties and at times it will be very difficult, but Jesus explains to the disciples that the benefits of following Him are tremendous – eternal life with Him. In the meantime, though, Jesus says in verse 30 that many of God’s blessings come “with persecution.” In other words, while the benefits are great, the difficulties that come with following Jesus are also great. Jesus implies that we might lose family members over our faith, and some of these persecutions may cause us to think that God has abandoned us. During these moments we will be tempted then to look for security and comfort in wealth.
But let us remember that no matter how difficult life gets for us, eternal life is ours. It is our inheritance that Jesus earned for us, and just like any inheritance that often comes through a relationship with someone, we don’t have to do anything to get it. It is ours through Jesus’ death and resurrection. So in order to keep us connected to Him, to have a relationship with Him in order to understand and experience life with Him today in preparation for the life Jesus has prepared for us in His heavenly kingdom, Jesus has given us the gift of prayer. He has given us the ability to communicate with Him, and He wants to hear from us. Talking to God in prayer is our way of acknowledging that we are dependent on Him as our provider. Nothing is too big or too small to ask God for in prayer. In fact, I don’t want to go to heaven and see a huge pile of blessings with a tag on them that reads, “Never Asked For.”
Jesus tells us that the things of this world will not last and we cannot take anything from this world to our eternal home in heaven. So, knowing this, as followers of Jesus, instead of hording our wealth and resources for ourselves, we give them away. Specifically, we give our money away in our offerings, we give our money away to help others as the result of a hurricane or other disaster – freely, generously, and joyfully, with no expectation of getting anything in return. Now to our world, that is nuts. In fact, that is what all Christians, all church goers should be called – NUTS, which is an acronym that means Never Underestimate The Spirit. It is easy to give when things are going well, but it is truly the Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to give faithfully and generously when God seems distant or when He just doesn’t seem to make sense or when we’re struggling.
Yes, we’re NUTS; actually we are mixed nuts and we’re lightly salted, as Jesus told us to be the salt of the earth. So if we are NUTS, you know what we should call people who don’t believe in the love and generosity of God, who don’t go to church? We have all kinds of names for them. We call them “unchurched, seekers, and the lost,” but people who don’t go to church are simply normal. They try to use their reason to justify everything, just as the man in our Gospel lesson thought he had to do something to gain eternal life, that seemed logical. In this world where no camel is ever going to pass through the eye of a needle, where people do not give their money away freely and willingly without expecting something in return, this story, this teaching of Jesus is foolish to those who are normal. But to those of us who are nuts, these impossibilities are not only possible with Jesus, they actually happen.
