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Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 15, 2006
Delivered by Susan Pinkerton, Seminarian
Opportunity of a Lifetime
Several years ago I was in Europe visiting my daughter while she was an exchange student in Switzerland. It was a lovely and fascinating trip, filled with historical sights, beautiful cathedrals, incredible pieces of art, and delicious food. However, one the most powerful memories I have of this vacation was my luggage - my huge, dark green suitcase with its two tiny wheels at one end and its flimsy, skinny handle at the other. It fast became the albatross around my neck during the entire two week trip. Intent on being prepared for all types of weather conditions, I packed clothes for most any season you could imagine. LL Bean would have been proud. However, soon after my arrival it became clear that I had made a terrible mistake. As soon as my plane landed in Paris, I began the marathon of scrambling to catch trains, subways and buses for the next weeks as we made our way through Europe-all the while having to wrestle with this giant green monster of a suitcase that seemed to grow heavier and heavier!
By the end of my trip, I viewed my packed possessions as a horrendous burden that I was forced to drag throughout the continent-like a ball and chain.
How much better it would have been and how much more I would have enjoyed myself if I had done the sensible thing and traveled light, packing only the essentials, taking only what I needed and not lugging this ridiculous green suitcase every step of my trip. But, I seem to learn the hard way, as do most of Christ's followers.
In today's Gospel reading, we heard the story about the rich man who seeks Jesus out, runs up to him, falls on his knees and asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus stops and gives this man his full attention. He wastes no words giving him an answer. However, it is not the answer the man counted on or wanted to hear. First, Jesus reminds him that he must obey the commandments. The man quickly answers and assures Jesus that he has been faithful in keeping all these laws since he was a child. Then the text says that, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him and 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." Mk 10:21
We all know how this part of the Gospel story ends. The man is not able to do what Jesus has asked of him. He does not give up his many possessions and therefore, cannot accept Jesus' invitation to become one of his followers. Incredulous and broken hearted, he leaves Jesus and we never hear about this man again. He disappears into history.
I believe that the power in this story is not so much of what Jesus says but it is what he does when the rich man approaches him. "Jesus, looking at him, loved him." But it is so subtle, so nuanced, that it is easy to miss. In fact, it is completely omitted in the other Gospels of Matthew and Luke. But its subtly does not detract from its importance. These six words give us a tremendous insight into who this rich man might have been, who Jesus is and who we are called to be.
What about this mysterious rich man who appears and disappears out of nowhere? This man is never identified or given a name. We know nothing else about him except that he is wealthy, he is an observant Jew who follows the commandments of Moses and recognizes Jesus as a respected teacher.
We conclude that Jesus does not know him either---therefore, it is all the more remarkable that he "looked at him and loved him." Why and how could Jesus or anyone love someone you don't even know, have never even seen before? This is not to be confused with the romantic notion of "love at first sight." What is transpiring in Mark's story is much different and more profound. So, what is going on here? What does Jesus see to cause him to feel this outpouring of love for a prefect stranger?
To help flesh out this story and put it into perspective, it is helpful to know a little historical background as to what is going on with Jesus at this time. When the rich man runs up to Jesus, he and his disciple are beginning their final journey to Jerusalem. Jesus knows his time is running out and he will be arrested and killed once he enters the city gates. So time is of the essence. This is a time of urgency and intensity. Jesus takes every opportunity to spread the Good News. We feel this intensity in Jesus' exchange with the rich man.
In the few moments of their brief encounter, I believe Jesus sees this unnamed man for who he really is. I believe that Jesus sees deep into this man's soul. It seems as if Jesus has a divine x-ray vision that can penetrate the obvious and superficial and go directly to the heart of one's essence. And, based on what he sees, Jesus loves this man for who he truly is and could be. He sees this man of earthly means and stature, on his knees in the dust, humbling himself before Jesus, asking what he must do to have eternal life. I believer that Jesus sees his sincerity; his hunger to have more than mere earthly possessions; his earnestness to be a part of this Kingdom that Jesus has been preaching about for the last three years. He also sees his fears, his frailties, and his brokenness. I believe that Jesus is so taken with this man's sincere desire for something better, something larger than himself that, "he looked at him and loved him." Because of what he sees, Jesus extends the rare invitation to him to become one of his followers; one of the chosen few. But, tragically, it is an invitation the man cannot accept and he turns and walks away.
But what does this mean to you and me today, as we sit here this Sunday at St. Peter's in the year 2006? Isn't Christ reaching out to us, extending us the same invitation he did to the rich man over 2,000 years ago? To let go of all the things that stand in the way of following Him. I believe his instruction to give away our possessions and give the money to the poor is a metaphor for letting go; letting go of all those things that get in our way; letting go of that which overwhelms us with constant demands for our time that we can't possibly meet. Are we struggling with an addiction that consumes our time, money and energy that we can't think or function beyond our own immediate needs? In other words, are we so attached to our earthly things and earthly concerns that we, like the rich man, we miss the invitation that we have a deep, unspoken yearning to accept?
But this is a hard saying and not an easy invitation to accept --- but I believe that it is not meant to be easy. Jesus is asking us to let go of all those things that hold us back from fully embracing and participating in God's Kingdom. But the Good News is that we don't have to do it alone-nor can we! It is only with God's help is this letting go truly possible. "For God all things are possible." 10:37 We simply are invited to take the risk of taking God at his word and letting go of all that separates us from him...a scary thought for most of us.
But, as with the rich man, Christ peers into the very bottom of our souls. He touches the very essence of who we are. In his divinity he plumbs the depths of our humanity, just as he did when he looked at the rich man. And, just like the rich man, he looks at us and loves us - we are his beloved. Christ loves the part of us that has the capacity and the desire to love him back. And, if and when we do respond and love him back, a relationship is formed that goes beyond all temporal boundaries. It is a holy relationship, grounded in divine love that endures for all eternity---this is what the rich man wanted so desperately to capture.
Several years there was a wonderful movie called The Mission. Some of you may remember it. It is a story about Spanish Jesuit missionaries in the South American jungle during the 16th century. They are protecting a tribe of Indians deep in the Amazon from Portuguese slave-traders. One of the slaver traders has a conversion experience and as part of his penance, he must scale up an enormously high water fall in the middle of the Amazon the jungle to the village of these Amazon Indians he had previously sold into slavery. It is a tortuous climb, over steep, slippery, rocky cliffs that rise several hundred feet in the air. However, this penitent must make the climb with all his heavy metal armor tied in a large bag, strapped to his back. He struggles and falls over and over again to climb this mountain, which seems like an impossible feat. But he finally succeeds. He reaches the top of the mountain and collapses from exhaustion. At this moment the Jesuit priest silently goes over to this man; takes out a large knife and swiftly cuts the rope and releases the bag of armor from the man's back and we watch it as it falls down the side of the mountain.
So also, our souls are relieved of their heavy burdens when we are willing to trust God and let go of all that separates us from Him. Then and only then are we able to accept Jesus' invitation of divine love to follow him. Because Christ looks at each one of us and loves us more than we can possibly imagine. He loves us for who we have ever been; who we are; and who we are to become - his beloved. Amen.
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