So here I am in the pulpit of the Episcopal
Church in Palm Beach, a town not known for being impoverished, with the task of
preaching on a Gospel text that says "go, sell what you own, and give the money
to the poor ... How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the
Kingdom of God." Further complicating my task is the strong feeling in most
congregations that certain topics - like money - are distasteful and unsuitable
for sermons. How splendid to be in this spot this morning!
Do you think that Jesus would have said such
things to the rich young man, if it were known that he faced massive medical
expenses for his spouse, parents or children? Or if he happened to be a
generous benefactor of many worthy religious and charitable organizations? Is a
vow of poverty prerequisite to being a disciple of Christ? Are all well-to-do
people despicable?
In the Bible approval of wealth is found in
stories about the Genesis patriarchs and elsewhere. That riches are a gift and
a blessing is part of the tradition. While hard work and resolution are
commended, acquisitiveness, covetousness, love of money, and social injustices
are emphatically condemned. Biblical writers knew that these vices are likely
to foster insensitivity to godly values and promote callousness about harm done
to others. In the Bible, wealth is given by God for the purposes of meeting the
needs of the poor. Provision for them is a major purpose of work, not the
accumulation of wealth sought for its own sake. It is clear that the rich are
to be stewards of their resources, which ultimately belong to God.
In Jesus' day the moneyed minority were the
possessors of abundant land, gold, silver and natural resources taken from
oppressed and exploited, ordinary people. The treasures of the rich, including
their surplus fortunes, were hoarded; their abundance was not shared - not
shared even through reinvestments in profitable activities that could
ultimately benefit the needy through their own labor. Moreover, the rich tended
to view their resources as an approving gift from God - with not a little
contempt for the poor. Additionally, some idolized their wealth; they had been
willingly seduced to worship only what they could see and quantify. They
defined their most fundamental identity, who they truly are, in terms of their
possessions. No wonder we hear elsewhere in Scripture the words of Mary's song:
"He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty
away." (Luke 1:53)
We might also ask, "Who are the poor?" Is their
poverty self-inflicted, the consequences of laziness and financial
incompetence? In the Bible the primary view is that their situation is not a
consequence of personal failings, but a result of social factors, particularly
injustices visited upon them by the wealthy. In that setting a poor person or
family had no hope whatsoever of improving their economic condition. They are
needy, without power, and abused by those with greater power. They do not have
the capacity to provide the essentials of life for themselves. In those days
the vast majority of people were the "poor," not just a minority, and not to be
confused with the indolent of any age.
It is within this context that on his way to
Jerusalem Jesus met the rich young man, who asked "Good Teacher, what must I do
to inherit eternal life?" After challenging him to think about what he was
saying, Jesus probed further. We gather from the text that the young man's
obedience to traditional Commandments was insufficient, and his attachment to
his wealth was an impediment to genuine discipleship. Notice that Jesus did
"love him" and never condemned his wealth, which was morally neutral. His
assets were not sinful, but they were problematic. He was not a bad man, just
short-sighted, a bit pitiful. In the eyes of the Lord, his passive
respectability and security were insufficient. Sadly, he was unable to
contemplate a life without the stuff with which he had been sustained. Just
perhaps, with earthly treasure in hand, the young man wanted to make sure he
had bought into the treasure of the Kingdom of God as well. When he realized he
couldn't have it all on his terms, this fellow "was shocked and went away
grieving." The Gospel is harsh with the self-serving rich of Jesus' day,
because they could have so much more if they were better stewards of what they
had. Jesus shattered the notion that the wealthy elite were automatically
closer to God.
Some Christians believe wholeheartedly that all
of the various sayings of Jesus are absolute laws to be implemented
immediately, in this case to "sell what you own, and give the money to the
poor." However, to perceive his words as formal rules for policy-making is to
miss the point. Instead, everything he teaches in the realm of human affairs is
designed to integrate outward behavior with inner disposition. From him we
learn that it is not sufficient just to conform outwardly to Commandments.
Merely "going by the book" is falling short. Rather, good actions must be bound
up with appropriate motives, intentions, and sentiments that claim individuals
in all their relationships. In this sense, Jesus' teachings are radical; they
get to the root of the matter - a real orientation of the whole person toward
God and a life of active righteousness. By implication, Our Lord's directives
invoke the necessity of God's grace for any of us to walk his demanding
path.
Christ's many, severe teachings have an
additional function. They are designed to illustrate what life would be like
for an individual totally dedicated to God. They interpret the perfected life
in covenant with God; they portray Jesus' own life: a life of generosity
without so much as an inclination toward selfishness, malevolence, betrayal,
deception, or other flaws. In addition, the demands of the Gospel symbolize the
fully established Kingdom of God, the Kingdom consisting of truly faithful
persons living in a transfigured community of mature love, a community of
justice without an exploited, hopeless poor! Christ taught that both in the
present and in the future, earthly measures of power and status do not apply in
the kingdom of God. His teachings expose our often foolish ways and are beacons
for our journey, drawing us ever closer to God's Word.
Jesus is not a philosopher designing a tight
ethical system of rules and regulations applicable to everyone everywhere under
all prevailing societal conditions. Nonetheless, he provides us with a context
for discerning moral options, his (neither soft nor easy) "Summary of the Law"
- "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great Commandment. And the second
is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." In Jesus' own words
"On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." The Summary is
the only absolute Commandment upon which all else depends during our journey
toward the fullness and perfection of the Kingdom. His many biddings flow from
the Summary to particular circumstances, including the right use of our
financial resources for true social victims. From him we learn that each of us
is under an obligation to promote the interests of others with whom we come in
contact, whether at home or at work. Mutual love, justice, unselfishness,
humility, equal regard, and generosity of spirit, all accompanied by God's
Grace, are emphasized in all human associations. One might say that the
Christian life is the loving concern for the well-being of persons under the
inspiration of and devotion to Jesus and the ideals he personifies, with
special concern for the poor.
In his demanding Summary of the Law Christ has
provided each of us with the moral context for our lives. We are challenged in
today's Gospel Reading to face the difficulty of entering the Kingdom of God
when impermanent material things have a firm hold on us. You and I are
challenged to reflect on whether we possess our material resources or whether
they possess us, whether we identify ourselves primarily as children of God and
inheritors of everlasting life or as addicts to stuff that will pass away. We
are confronted with the Gospel's requirement for economic justice and its
implications for those among us who are policy-makers powerful in business,
industry, and government. We are faced with the problem of wealth both for
those who have wealth and for those who yearn for it.
Later in this Service, when we present our
offerings at God's altar, we affirm the Creator as the source and owner of all
we have. We acknowledge our gratitude and our stewardship: the wisdom to use
our resources responsibly and not only for ourselves. In this regard, there is
no precise formula for Christian stewardship; each of us must examine our own
circumstances and consciences. Furthermore, rich or not, every one of us is
challenged by the Gospel of Christ to examine any and all barriers to a full
life that may exist for us individually and corporately. Jesus invites us to
give up all the impediments in our lives so that we may have that everlasting
life which can begin here and now. Moreover, we should not become overconfident
that we have ever reached the last word on such affairs. I suspect that in all
matters Jesus would offer harder sayings that would jolt us, humble us, guide
us, and grace us to keep the pilgrimage advancing, during this, our journey
toward the Kingdom of God. Amen.