St. Timothy's Church

October 11, 2009

The Rev. W. Terry Sweeney

Mark 10.17-31

Proper 23

 

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

 

In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

The final 6 words of this passage are often quoted: All things are possible with God.

 

God being God – and with no other like Him – God who is omnipotent (all powerful); omniscient (all knowing); Omnipresent (present everywhere) – God who can see beyond beginnings and endings – who knows us before we know Him . . . . . . certainly, with GOD all things are possible.

 

It would foolish to come to any other conclusion.

 

But let’s put this passage in its context and see what it and a few verses following may mean to us who have understood this passage to give us the green light to ask God for all sorts of outcomes or favors or actions . . . . . . many have asked for miracles. . . . . many have begged for the impossible to somehow happen.

 

Is it true that we can ask God for the impossible and somehow He’ll grant it?

 

We have an altar rail fairly full of requests that with God we believe are possible.

 

But will He always grant our requests in the way we see as good?  If He loves us won’t he give us “bread when we’re hungry and not a stone”, paraphrasing Matthew 7.9.

 

So on the one hand God being WHO He is, is able to accomplish all things.

 

On the other hand, this verse has a particular context that applies to it.

 

So I’m affirming the verse for its fundamental truth but we also want to look at its particular application in this story.

 

The story of the Rich Young Man coming to Jesus is found in all three synoptic Gospels – Marks offering is the longest of the three and Luke’s is the shortest.

 

It goes like this: a rich young man asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life (this means he was probably a Pharisee since Sadducees did not believe in such a thing).  After a brief discussion about being called “good teacher”, Jesus first directed him to follow the commandments – aka follow the law perfectly – which the young man said he had since his youth.  Matthew adds him saying, “What do I still lack?”  Maybe  question out of pride or out of anxiety? 

 

Mark says Jesus looked at the young man and loved him.  Jesus then directed him to sell everything he had and follow Him.  The rich young man grew despondent and left because he owned much property.

 

God did not command everyone who has followed Him to sell everything.  He didn’t tell Abraham (Gen. 13.2) to do so nor did he tell Joseph of Arimathea (Mat. 25.57).  He told this young man to do so because that’s what was best for his circumstance and state of mind.  Sell what you have and TRUST IN ME was Jesus’ counsel.  The man walked away – despondant.

 

Jesus then told the disciples that it’s going to be hard for the wealthy to enter the KOG.  Of course they were shocked.

 

KEY – They may have been thinking that Israel had received a promise that if they followed the Lord it would receive abundance of material and spiritual blessings (Deut. 28.1-14).  Since riches and good favor came from God (I Chron. 29.12) it made sense that prosperity was a sign of God’s favor.  Job’s friends said, “The wicked man will not be rich” (Job 15.29).  It appears they may have used ones wealth or poverty or their health as a measuring stick to determine God’s favor toward them.  The good were healthy and prosperous, and wicked were sick and/or poor.

 

Of course they were off track and Jesus was amazing them with His teaching.

 

Jesus used an illustration saying that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the KOG.  The disciples seem to fear that no one could be saved. (as we’ll see they were concerned about themselves!) So they asked, “who can be saved?”

 

What Jesus is saying isn’t any different than His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: Enter the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and many are those that enter by it.  For narrow is the gate and constricted the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”  Mat. 7.13-14

 

So, Jesus says it’s difficult to enter the Kingdom of God because the way is difficult and many choose an easier way and don’t get in.

 

Jesus then said, “With men (this is) impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible.”  V. 27

 

Here’s the context – Man’s salvation is only possible through God.  It’s possible that even the most unlikely hard core case of humanity can ultimately be saved with God’s help.

 

So naturally they’re concerned.  What about us?  Then Peter starts to layout the reality of what they’ve “done for the Lord” – the sacrifices they’ve made.

 

 ²⁸Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

 

Here again – I would add – knowing their hearts Jesus replied to Peter by saying:

 

 ²⁹"I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

Jesus gave Peter an answer that seems to include more than the 12 disciples – “No one who has” or said another way “anyone who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields . . . . . “

 

These people will find rewards AND persecutions.

 

The crux of the matter is this – God IS – by that I mean He is eternally sovereign and merciful yet knows and judges the hearts of each of us.

 

It can be said the Jesus knew the young man as he did Nathaniel – from afar – knew that he earnestly followed the law but also knew in the deepest part of his being the young man loved his wealth – his accomplishments – his social status – the perks of being able to use his money and land to his advantage.

 

I’m not suggesting at all that the young man used his power for ill reasons – in fact he may have done just the opposite . . . this is a wavering heart issue . . .

 

Luke 5.9, “He (Jesus) said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

 

Many have commented on this passage to mean the father may not have even died yet – a way to say I’m not ready to follow you (Jesus) give me time to think about it and when the family situation is right, maybe then.

 

Matthew 4.19ff, “ ¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.  ²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

The call to the rich young man was to shed the things of earth that he valued and settle for that which God would replace them with.

Jesus extends an offer of mercy and some will equivocate while some drop everything and follow Him.

The crux of the matter goes further inasmuch as God sovereignly chooses to save while man has often yet to learn why he needs to be saved - how he is saved or is clear regarding the consequences of his salvation.

The lesson to learn is that following Christ comes from His call and our will’s turned to Him.

The inheritance of eternal life comes from what Christ has done and won for us – it’s imputed to us – and not earned through our own personal piety or merit.  Wealthy or poor – regardless of what we’ve accomplished – or feel we deserve . . . . . God who is just and merciful calls into His fellowship those whom He will.

Look for a moment at Phil. 2.12-13 – the matter of our will versus God’s and think about Jesus asking the rich young man to sell his property and follow Him or the call to Peter and Andrew..

Phil. 2.12-13 lays out a clear distinction between our will and God’s sovereign will. 

 

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

 

So my working and willing are necessary. They are real. But they are not first or ultimately decisive.

 

God’s willing and working is decisively under and in my willing and working. The word “for” is crucial. I work because he is working in me. I will, because he is willing in me.

Paul did not just tell us to live this way. He modeled living this way one chapter later. He said in Philippians 3:12,

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

His pressing on to secure the resurrection from the dead (v. 11) is rooted in Christ’s decisively securing him for the resurrection from the dead. In other words, all Paul’s striving is real, and it is certain because Christ makes it certain.

He modeled the same thing in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Let me offer this illustration.  It comes from Bishop Bill Atwood of Kenya and the Ekklesia Society – Bishop Atwood said,

“A few months ago I was riding through rural Kenya and saw a woman who could not have been as old as she looked. She was bowed over carrying a heavy load of sticks across her back, bent over so far she was actually looking straight at the ground as she walked along the side of the road. Looking around, I didn't see any side roads, homes, or villages in the area. It was evident that she had a tremendously long way still to go. As we road along, I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit urging me to stop and encourage her and give her some money.

 

I thought about it for a while as we sped along and the road changed, no longer offering a shoulder or place to turn. I started to tell the driver to stop anyway, but the traffic was heavy and dangerous so I mulled it over trying to find an easy way to do it. Before too long, I heard myself sigh realizing that it was not "practical" and apologized to the Lord for missing the opportunity. I've thought about her and her burdens a lot since then, always asking for another opportunity.

 

A few days ago I found myself going through rural Kenya again, this time in a different area. After we had been driving for about three or four hours I saw what looked like the same woman carrying the same incredible load of sticks on her back. She had come up quickly and we had zipped past, almost before being able to notice her. It was uncanny, though, that she looked exactly like the woman I passed before. When the two images collided in my mind, I realized that the Lord was offering a second chance. The road in that part was paved and smooth and before I could even say anything, we had moved far beyond her. I told my driver, "John, we have to turn around."

 

"Beeshop," he said, "we have been going so slowly and now we are just able to go quickly. Can't we just go on?"

 

I told him, "No. The Lord told me to pray for that lady and give her some Shillings."

 

"Oh," he said. "Then we must go back and find her."

 

I told him that the Holy Spirit was dealing with me and we had to go back to the woman we had just passed. Frankly, I was afraid that when we went back we wouldn't see her. It's not that there was anywhere for her to have gone, but I half expected that she was not really going to be there. Eventually we came to a place where he was able to turn the car around and headed back to where I had seen her.

 

Before too long we saw her again, walking stooped, almost shuffling under the weight of a bundle of wood that rivaled her in size.

 

We had to go past her and turn around again in order to get close, but we were finally able to catch up. I got out and went to speak with her. My Swahili (they call it Kiswahili here) is not very good, but I was able to take her hands to greet her and pray a blessing for her.

 

Then I handed her a Shilling note, which would have been huge for her. She straightened, unburdened as though she had thrown off the load she carried. "Asante sana, askofu!" (Thank you, Bishop) She was beaming and shuffle dancing in the dust by the roadside. "Asante sana, asante sana, asante sana," (thank you, thank you, thank you) she repeated, twinkling and dancing.

 

When I got back in the car, John said, "Beeshop, you have given her a great testimony. Tomorrow (Sunday) she will go to church and she will say, 'I was walking carrying wood and crying out to the Lord, I have no money, Lord do not forget me. How will I manage? I have no money for food.' Then she will say, 'The Lord did not forget me. He sent the beeshop to me to give me money. He prayed for me and blessed me and gave me money. God is so good!'"

 

Christ may not be telling you to sell what you have, give it to the poor and follow Him.

 

Following Him however always has some component of sacrifice – leaving behind this life to follow Him into the one to come – while living out our days.

 

Some of us are called to sacrifice more than others largely because the Lord knows that is what is best for us.

 

How many “old women”, “Bum’s”, street people, neighbors even friends have we known we were supposed to help, befriend, love, assist, provide for and yet we “blinked” – passed them by – walking away feeling sad that to help them meant we had to part with some of our material goods – things we worked for – earned –deserved to enjoy .  . . . . . .

 

Or have we said we don’t have time today – maybe tomorrow – or the next time . . . . .

 

Thankfully Jesus often gives us second and third and fourth chances to act.

 

I must believe that if we run after Jesus and follow Him day by day that our wills, as imperfect as they are, will more and more be turned to His will and actually want His will over ours.

 

We will come to see that the things we once cherished are simply passing away and that His Kingdom is eternal and never ending. . . . .

 

Amen.

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