Mk 10:17-21: The rich young ruler
What counts most in your life?
Story: The son of a wealthy man expected to receive a sports car for his graduation.
Instead his Dad called him into his study, told him that he loved him and handed him a wrapped-up present.
When he opened it, he found it to be a box containing a leather bound Bible, with his name inscribed on the spine.
Angrily the young man tossed the box on his father’s desk and stormed out saying:
“With all your money, all you can give me is a miserable Bible!”
And they never spoke again, despite the fact that the young man’s father tried hard to contact him.
Years later, the son got a call to say his Dad had died, leaving him everything.
As he was going through his father’s belongings, he found that Bible still in its box.
Curious, he took the Bible out of the box and opened it.
The page fell open at a passage his father had marked.
And as he looked at the page, he noticed that his Dad had underlined Mt. 7:11,
“ If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father give what is good to those who ask Him. “
And as he read it, a car key fell from inside the Bible.
It had a tag with the dealer’s name on it – for the sports car that he had wanted years earlier.
On the tag beside his graduation date we the
words: “Paid in full love Dad.”
The young man missed a wonderful present from his
father – because of his greed.
Jesus said: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mt 6:21)
And I think we can say the converse too
Where your treasure is there you will find your heart too.
In our Gospel reading this morning, the rich young man was concerned for the things of God. He came to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life
He seemed to be a “good person” but for Jesus that wasn’t enough
Jesus touched a sensitive point when he said to the young man:
“ Go sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. (Mk 10:21)
Jesus touched that area that the young man was not
ready to give God – his wealth.
Paul tells us that it is the “love of money that is the root of all evil.” (1 Tim 6:10)
Note it is the love of money – not money itself- that is the root of all evil
And for the rich young man – this was his stumbling block
We never find out if he did ever become a later disciple of Jesus.
But discipleship is what Jesus asks of us if we want to have “eternal life.”
We are called to follow him.
Discipleship is more than simply “believing in God”.
Jesus requires more than simply believing in the notion of God and coming to Sunday worship once a week.
He wants us to go further if we are to be a disciple
He requires commitment.
Let me explain the difference between belief and commitment with an illustration
Story: In the late 19th century (1859), Blondin a famous tightrope walker had a tightrope placed across the Niagara Falls in the USA.
He then proceeded to walk across it with a wheelbarrow in front of him.
Having reached the other side, he stepped down to the applause of the crowd.
He went up to members of the crowd and asked:
"Do you believe that I can walk back on that rope without falling off?"
"Yes" they each replied.
"Do you really believe I can make" he asked. "Yes" they replied. "We’ve just seen you do it"
"Then" said Blondin "Will you please step inside my
wheelbarrow and come with me".
"Oh no" they replied "It is far too dangerous".
This is the difference between believing in God -
and the full commitment that Jesus requires with discipleship.
Stepping into the wheelbarrow means we really commit ourselves to him.
We give up the things of this world – to follow him.
That is what a disciples is
The Early Church did just that – often at the cost of their lives.
The word martyr comes from the Greek word martus – which signified a witness who testifies to a fact of which he has knowledge from personal observation.
In Acts 1:8, Apostles were "witnesses" of all that they had observed in the public life of Christ, as
well as of all they had learned from His teaching.
And they testifed to this "in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth". (Catholic Encyclopedia - http:// www.newadvent.org/ cathen/09736b.htm)
The Church has been given only one Commission.
And that is to “make disciples”
We are not called to convince people simply that God exists.
We are not called just to social action programmes or inter faith dialogue – good that these things are
These should be stepping stones to “making disciples”
Making disciples may mean that we “put new wine into new wineskins”
Like Susan’s Messy church.
And as Bishop David Pytches put it – the old wineskins of our Church structures will only accomodate the new wine if they are still flexible
And that is the challenge of today’s Gospel
reading.
Are we ready to follow Jesus – as his disciple – cost what it may.
It might be uncomfortable to step out of the our comfort zone.
Jesus might be simply calling us to invite friends and neighbours to come to a fresh expression of Church – like Messy Church here or ATN in the Upper Wreake.
No one person in the church is called to make disciples – it is a corporate thing
It may be that one person brings a friend. That friend may be led to Christ through a Church meeting.
That person may be then nurtured in his faith in a house group
Or put another way – are we willing to trust him with our lives – and step into his wheelbarrow?
