Last week we spoke about confession and absolution through the lens of Jesus’ teachings on divorce and remarriage; we spoke on the necessity of confessing that we are sinners, that we the mercy of God freely, for Christ’s sake, not for any reason in ourselves. And this week we find ourselves right back to that point again, with the text of Marks Gospel, which puts forth to us this matter of the rich young ruler.
See, Jesus has just finished teaching about a matter that was hotly debated in His own time. The Pharisees had just finished trying to show themselves just according to the Law before Jesus. And Jesus – WELL, as is always the case – wasn’t having any of it.
And instead, He turns away from their debates about which exceptions, qualifications, and excuses about the Law permit one to break it without penalty, and instead turns toward a little child. The little child is not involved in this debate about the Law. The little child makes no claim to know anything, to be anything, or to do anything. And with this Little child Jesus puts forth the teaching of righteousness AS GIFT. – and He said to them (do you remember this?) – He says to them; IF ANY OF YOU WANTS TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD… YOU MUST BECO0M0E LIKE THIS ONE. That is to say, of course, if you want to BE PART OF THIS THING that God is doing, – you must become used to receiving gifts.
See, the pharisees in Jesus day (and we, in our own, – and the whole world together with us) is so constantly fixated upon the supposed necessity of being enough, or doing enough. About contributing to the table, going tit for tat and quid pro quo. About being fair and equal, and deserving of what were giving. God helps those who help themselves, the world says. And so we picture salvation as a thing WE MUST DO.
And this is just what the rich young ruler does before us in Mark 10 this morning. Look with me at the Gospel text before us this morning, – Mark chapter 10, starting at V. 17. – right after all of this stuff , with the Pharisaical debates about the excuses and qualifications and exceptions to the law (the attempts to justify themselves) and Jesus subsequent dismissal of this all by reason of the free gift of God’s forgiveness, – THEN COMES THE MOST DEAF MAN YOU’VE EVER IMAGINED.
Clearly understanding NOT A MOTE of what was just said, then comes running the rich young ruler, LOOKING TO JUSTIFY HIMSELF before the law. And what is the first thing that He asks the Lord? – is it, “can I get some of that free salvation stuff too? Its not, Lord save me. It’s not, have mercy on me a sinner. Its not even “are you the messiah.” its this; “WHAT MUST – “I DO” – to inherit eternal life?” and that’s the crux of it for this young man isn’t it. After all that He has heard. After all that Jesus had said. About Jesus enforicng upon the whole people that they in fact are the sinners condemned. – and that they in fact, if they are to come at all, – must come as little children, INVITED because they are loved uncondittionally, not because they GIVE BACK according to reciprocal equity – AFTER ALL THAT – His one take away, SOMEHOW STILL is that there is something HE MUST DO – to be saved.
And what’s the rich guy doing here? He’s onlooking for a task to complete, an item to cross of his to do list. Hes looking for a law. And a reward for doing the laws he thinks hes already done. And so, Jesus says to him “what must you do? Come on man, you know what you must do. You already know the Law – do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, do not covet, honor your father and your mother. And what is this? This is to say – DO NOT SIN.
And what does the rich man say? – the laws? I’ve kept them all from my youth. Sin? Never heard of it.
And how common is this? Maybe you’ve been in church too long and you’ve forgotten – go out into the streets and ask people how good they think they are. Ask them if theyve kept the law and theyll say oh yeah well, you know, I aint killed nobody. I aint cheated on anybody. I didn’t do no theiving – theyl’’ say. But what do they miss? – the HEART OF THE MATTER. If you are even angry at another, you’ve committed murder in your heart before God. If you even look at someone with Lust, you’ve commmitted adultery in your heart. It’s not just about your HANDS its about… ??? your heart.
And so Jesus says to Him, ah very well this may be that you’ve done these Laws since your youth. Fair enough. Yet still one thing you lack… – go and take EVERYTING YOU HAVE… and sell it all… and give the money away to the poor.
And this is where playing games with the law will get you friends. When you try to say ah aren’t I a good little boy or girl today, HAVENT KILLED ANYONE YET, having committed adultery ye,t havent stolen anything yet – the Law reminds you that its only 11 am and there’s still time. When you’re convinced that you’ve succeeded in completeing the WHLE TO DO LIST of divine laws, – the Law is quick to add upon it another few hundred. When you feel as though the life you’ve lived demands reward – the Law reminds you that all you’re to be given is a remembrance that the necessity for perfection remains upon you. There is no completing this. There is no doing this. There is no wining this game. For the Law says DO THIS and its demands are never done. They never stop coming and they are never completed. Before the Law – we are all losers.
And that’s what the rich man finds out in this text. There is to be no eternal life from the Law- for it is not given to grant live but to bring death (2 Cor 3:9). Not to decrease sin to butt increase it (Rom 5:20). and why? TO DRAG YOU AWAY FROM YOURSELVES AND BACK TO THE GOSPEL. For the law says do this and its never done – BUT THE GOSPEL… THE GOSPEL SAYS, – BELIEVE, that in Christ, – it is ALL ALREDY DONE.
And so this crucial mistake of this yyoung man. What is it? Is it really that he didn’t sell all that he had? – sure that’s a problem. Choosing money over Jesus when He gives you an ultimatum is a bad option – who’s idea was it in the first place? For what did the young man ask? Did He ask Lord hve mercy upon me? NO. Did He ask Lord save me? No. He says Lord- give me something to DO. – and my goodness did He ever. But if he has just LISTENED. To what Jesus had said previously. If he had contented himself to simply BE like the little child. To RECIEVE the kingdom of God. To BE forgiven. To BE loved. Then this sorrow wouldn’t have come upon him as it did.
And isn’t this the constant danger? – constantly forgetting the gospel, constantly thinking that its something WE DO, or something that WE CONTRIBUTE TO , rather than a gift of God freely given. and while we might not think that we believe that, SO OFTEN THAT’S HOW WE FIND ONE ANOTHER SPEAKING. Example: If this man asked YOU “what must I do to be saved?” What would you say? :
How many of you would say – YOU MUST BELIEVE
How many would say – YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED
How many would say; something about REPENTANCE?
And yet – we forget that none of those things … are things WE DO. None of tyhose things are things that COME FROM US. NO. These things – (yes,, all whch you must have); the faith, the repentance, baptism, Eucharist, confession and absoluton, GOODNESS me – EVEN A MORAL AND UPRIGHT LIFE, yes , and LOVE for God and for others, yes – purity, holiness, A RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH EXCEEEDS THAT OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES – yes,(and I could go on) – all that which the Scripture says you NEED to have – are things that God Himself will freely give you. None of this is your work. None of this is a result of your own doing, your effort, your thinking, your decision, your NOTHING. This isn’t you . It’s GODS WORK. Yes, – God’s free gift. NOT FROM YOU. NOT OF YOU. But yes, – freelly given TO YOU.
And so really, WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? What must you DO? – Nothnig. It’s freely given.
And yet we get caught up on this and stuck in this idea of WHAT I MUST DO. And so we turn to
a better question – mind you, is this; what has God done, in order to secure my eternal life?
Do you know this answer?
- Incarnation
- Taking our sin on Himself
- putting our sin to death through His cross –
- rising form the dead in our humanity,
- and raising humanity up to heaven in His ascension.
Perhpas a second question; and how can I receive this eternal life that Christ hass secured for me?
Do you know where?
- Church; Word, Sacrament, Liturgy
And a last question – having received all this, WHAT THEN MUST I DO?
- Nothing
- sit back and receive this gift of grace.
- Enjoy that forgiveness
- and LIVE in Gods free and unconditional love
and so – we come back to this question. What must I DO to inherit eternal life? – Nothing.
For God hass done everything. For with man, this is impossible. No matter how hard you work to purify yourself or make yourself rightous, you will never be enough. You will never save yourslef. – but God was never asking you to do that. For while we were trying to earn His Fatherhood, He has loving us as His children. And so, there is nothing you must do. Christ has done it all.
And now, He to you, He freely gives it all – as gift.
