Sermon: A Wise Heart

Our reading from Mark today is one that can make us uncomfortable. Maybe we think we could be included in what was said to the rich young ruler Are you thinking, hang on a minute Maranny, I am not rich, young or a ruler. No matter what age you are I am sure you like me feel if we have enough to cover our day to day needs we feel comfortably off, what Jesus would say to us if we asked him the same question and more importantly what would be his answer.

Does it seem to you that some people have everything going for them? In St Matthew we hear that the man is young and in St Luke that he is a ruler therefore he is a rich young ruler-obviously God has blessed him. We also learn that he keeps the commandments. Now he comes along asking what he should do to gain eternal life. He comes running to Jesus and throws himself at his feet. His question is not a test for Jesus because he truly wants to know, and we as readers should be just as interested. Surely here is a chance to have the young man as a useful disciple, but there is something startling about this situation when a rich young man of authority throws himself at the feet of a penniless wanderer from Nazareth. When I read the story I have some sympathy with the man, just as I often have sympathy with Peter, as Jesus appears hard on the young man, just as recently we have seen him being hard on Peter.

Maybe it was the way the question was phrased. First there is the flattery-'Good Master'-and then 'what must I do to gain'. It would seem that this man was in the business of making a profit. He did not come to give of himself but to gain for himself. He already had many blessings but he wanted more. No doubt he was willing to give something for it, but we all know we can't buy for ourselves Eternal Life, that has to be earned! Jesus replied that the man cannot pay the price. God does not want things instead of ourselves; he does not want even prayers or sacrifices unless we give ourselves to him.

Obedience to commandments is good but God wants more, he wants our love. The young man declares he has kept the commandments from his youth. Is he lying self-deceived or does he really believe he is telling the truth, Jesus does not challenge his claim so I think we need to accept it as true, probably in the same way that Paul claimed to be blameless with respect to righteousness under the law (Philippians 3:6) Maybe I do think that Jesus was hard on him but we also read that Jesus gazed at him and he loved him.

There is always the danger of being possessed by possessions! Instead of owning things, they begin to own us. A trivial example you may think but I collect thimbles. Years ago I had probably about fifty, now it is over three hundred and having them has become a bit of a burden. They have been given to me by many friends, I have only bought a few myself. When they were few in number I could look at them easily and remember the friend who gave me the thimble. Now it is getting harder to recall who was on holiday where and gave me the thimble. And then there is the dusting!!! When I go, they are left to my God-daughter, who also collects thimbles, will she really be happy with 300 and more thimbles? Trivial as I say but nevertheless an example of how instead of possessions we can come to be possessed by them. And then again some of us could be possessed by lack of possessions. We spend much of our lives seeking to gain, to get, to have and we can be in danger of losing sight of loving and giving of ourselves. Money can be a good reflection of this. Some people's pockets are as hard to reach as their hearts.
Here was a man given a glorious opportunity, the same one that was offered to Matthew when he was at the tax desk." Leave it all and follow me." Jesus invited this man to a great adventure, offered him the way to eternal life. But he went away grieving, and it is possible he would grieve for ever. We don't know what happened to him, if we had been around then, I am sure we would have prayed for him. We know why he grieved, 'He could not enter the fullness of life because of the things that were around him in his life

We read that the rich man "went away sad, for he had many possessions." Jesus lamented, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God." He said this, not because wealth is a sin, but because it's so easy for those with wealth to rely on themselves rather than trust in God. As I said earlier we don't know what happened to the young man in Mark's Gospel after his encounter with Jesus. Change doesn't come easily, but Jesus tells us that with God anything is possible. I would like to think that the rich man went home and thought about what Jesus asked him to do. What Jesus was asking him to do as he asks all of us, is give God total commitment, and that doesn't come without cost. A wise Elder said at a small meeting at Northgate, the problem today is the big C, he wasn't talking about cancer he was talking about Commitment!! Is it commitment to regular worship or commitment to swimming lessons, the golf course, sailing on a Sunday and I could go on. I have never forgotten it and as usual this morning, walking Lucy our dog, I heard his voice again saying Commitment with a capital 'C'. I also thought, are we really so much different to the young man, it may not be riches that get in the way, but so many other things

Even though he couldn't fully commit that day, perhaps he was able to take a first step by letting go of one possession, and then another and another. What is the first step that we can make today that will move us toward giving our whole selves and trusting God completely? Giving total commitment!

Finally we need to, keep in mind that for an inheritance to be given and experienced, someone has to die. Thanks be to Jesus, the good teacher that all things are possible with God. Amen