We don't know much about Jesus' childhood



COMPASSION LIKE JESUS SERMON SERIES #L4G . . . Live For God Mark 10:17-31 Pastor Robyn Hogue October 14, 2012 Skyline Presbyterian Church The front of our local grocery stores have been crammed full of candy for the past three weeks. Halloween “Trick or Treat” might not be until the end of this month. But candy creators want us to stock-up and stock-pile. As kids it was such a rush to come home after “making the rounds” of the trick-or-treat neighborhood and ceremoniously dump out all that candy crammed into our paper bag. Every piece would be inspected. Perhaps some cautious trades made with siblings. Then each of us got our own bowl to keep our “cavity central” separate from everyone else. Here’s what I observe: Halloween candy is consumed according to two very different philosophies. There are the “hogs” and there are the “hoarders.” The “hogs” dive right into the bowl, scarf down all their favorites the first night, eat until queasy, and then finish it up during lunchtime at school the next day. The “hoarders” not only stretch out the life-span of their goodies until Thanksgiving. They also allow themselves only one or two “favorites” per day, mixing in the less desired goodies to fill out the daily ration.There are obvious problems with both of these strategies. The “hogs” either get horrible stomach aches, or suffer an out-of-control sugar rush that leads them to harass little sister, drive the dog crazy, and get grounded by a frustrated parent. The “hoarder” flaunts their “I still have candy” status over others. They still have candy at Thanksgiving time or even next Fourth of July! But eventually they end up with stale, rock-hard, break-your-teeth “goodies” that really are not good (although they would never admit it). For both kids and adults it is hard to know how to deal with “wealth,” with “stuff” we have that others may not. No matter how big or small your “bowl of candy,” you’ve got to decide how you are going to deal with it and dispense of it. In today’s gospel text Jesus’ directive to the rich young man is both dramatic and daunting. Sell it all. ?As Jesus is continuing on His journey to Jerusalem, He suddenly encounters a potential disciple. While Matthew and Luke identify this individual as “young” and “a ruler,” Mark does not provide any descriptive details about the man at this time. That the man runs to Jesus and then kneels before Him suggests a sincere earnestness in the man’s demeanor. He addresses Jesus as “Good Teacher” and asks Him how he may “inherit eternal life.” Because the man has asked about what actions he should take (“What must I do?”), Jesus offers him the example of the second half of the Ten Commandments. These are the commandments that deal with human interactions and relationships, adding on the command “You shall not defraud,” an addition that portends the monetary issues that soon come up.?The man’s response may strike twenty-first century readers as spiritually arrogant. He asserts he has “kept all these since my youth.” In Judaism it was assumed that a pious and obedient Jew would and could keep all the commandments — all 613 of them. Jesus does not seem to take the man’s response as anything but sincere, and Mark’s text declares that Jesus “looked at him and loved him.” The Greek helps us here to know that the “look” Jesus gives is a scrutinizing look that sees right through the man and yet still loves him.?Jesus now reveals that there is one more thing this man must do — although Jesus’ directive is actually three-fold. Sell it all. Give the money to the poor. Follow me. Jesus invites the man to discipleship. What the man lacks is a life that first and foremost is defined by a relationship with Jesus. The security and status of the man’s riches are without merit. Indeed, they serve as stumbling blocks not stepping stones into the kingdom. It is only when the man makes following Jesus his first priority that he will gain “treasure in heaven” and the promise of eternal life.?Only now does Mark reveal that this individual is in fact enormously wealthy. He has “many possessions.” Not surprisingly, his reaction to Jesus’ directive is less than enthusiastic. He is “shocked” (“stygnazein”), with the verb used here literally meaning “gloomy, dark, an overcast sky.” The good news of the gospel, the invitation to be a disciple, to be in relationship with Jesus and to follow Him, is overshadowed by the gloom and doom message of putting his wealth aside. The man chooses his own safety and status over a new life in relationship with Jesus and though he is “very sad,” he declines discipleship and departs.Sell it all. Give the money to the poor. Follow me. Is there any one of us who wouldn’t have had a problem “following through” on such a stark commandment? But note this: Jesus doesn’t give a time line. Jesus just tells the truth. And the truth is we cannot “take it with us.” Jesus gives us a vivid image of the fact that we cannot “take it with us.” He said it is as likely to find a “rich man” in the kingdom of God, as it is to find a lumpy, grumpy old camel sliding through the eye of a needle. We all have to “give it away.” No one can take one cent with us. The only question is when will we give it away, and to whom will we give it? How we will accomplish that inevitable end of giving it all away, and where will our wealth go? Welsh poet David Whyte succinctly summed up that decision when he wrote, “I don’t want to have written on my tombstone, when people finally struggle through the weeds, pull back the moss, and read the inscription there, ‘He made his car payments.’” Dream bigger. Be a disciple. To be a disciple means that we don’t just “pay the bills.” We “pay it forward.” To be a disciple is to be a trustee; a manager. Trustees own nothing. Yet trustees are legally accountable for every dime they spend. Every church has a legal entity known as “trustees.” They go by other names in some places, but legally every 501-C-3, every church, even every estate has to have a “trustee,” a legal entity that is lawfully responsible for how that institution is being run and how the assets are being used. The job of a trustee is to oversee an institution or estate and to make decisions that fulfill the intent of the One who set up the trust.Sound legalese and boring? It’s not. Because you are a trustee. I am a trustee. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are trustees for the kingdom of God. Our primary responsibility as a trustee is to introduce others to Jesus, to help others learn about Jesus and to help others commit to becoming a Christian. Giving of ourselves, of all that we have, of all that we are, is the investment we make in the next generation of disciples.If we can see ourselves as trustees, then we acknowledge that we are merely the present caretakers of God’s goods — “entrusted” with some “stuff” for the span of our lifetime. One day we will be held accountable before God as to how well we’ve invested and cared for what was God’s all along. Did it advance God’s kingdom? Or did we use God’s gifts to build up our own kingdoms? Cultural history has taught us that indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States couldn’t understand the Europeans’ urge to “own” the land upon which they lived. These tribes and clans had for centuries held big parties called a “potlatch.” It was like a reverse birthday party. Instead of everyone bringing a present, the intention of the potlatch was for the host to give away as much as possible. The most “gifted,” the “richest” member of the tribe, was the one who gave the most away. Jesus’ disciples are a potlatch posse. We are a clan of people dedicated to giving it all away in order to usher others into the kingdom as God’s trustees. For a while the #1 hashtag on Twitter has been “#YOLO,” an acronym for “You Only Live Once.” The phrase was made popular by singer Drake, who used “YOLO” in his song “The Motto.” But it is now used in a couple of ways. For some it is the new version of “Carpe Diem,” which is Latin for “Seize Today” or “Seize the Moment.” When someone reaches out to seize the moment, they say or text or tweet “YOLO.”For others it is an invitation to take risks, or to do something that you normally wouldn’t do. For example, someone tweeted this: “Couldn’t find deodorant so used Febreze. #YOLO.” For still others it’s an excuse to do something really stupid. And sometimes it’s so stupid it could get you killed. A 22 year old rapper named Ervin McKinnes just signed a record deal last month, and got drunk with four of his buddies. Instead of using a designated driver, they decided to drive anyways, and the last tweet the rapper would ever send said this: “Driving Drunk. #YOLO.” A minute later he and his four friends were dead, having crashed into a wall at 120 mph.The story of the rich young ruler might carry with it the hash tag #YOLO. You only live once, Jesus is saying. #YOLO. So #L4G. Live For God. Invest your life, invest everything you have, in the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Give the kingdom all you are, and everything you have. “And all these things will be added unto you.” In a #YOLO culture, those of us who are becoming Christians #L4G . . . Live For God. Here’s the thing: Jesus is asking who will #L4G this morning? If we listen to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is asking will you agree to give everything you are, and invest everything you have, in the kingdom of God? ................
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