In May 2003, mountain climber Aron Ralston used a pocketknife to amputate his right arm. He had been pinned down by a boulder weighing nearly a thousand pounds in a canyon near Moab, Utah, for five days, and running out of water realized it was his only chance to survive. After cutting off his arm he rappelled to the bottom of the canyon and hiked out to meet his rescuers. And believe it or not, he wasn’t the first. Ten years before, Colorado fisherman Bill Jeracki cut off his leg at the knee when two boulders fell on him while angling alone in a remote canyon stream. Jeracki used hemostats from his fishing kit to close the severed artery and vein, then crawled a half mile back to his truck and drove to find help.
It is well known that animals caught in traps will gnaw off a trapped limb to get free. But people - well, that’s a whole different story. People tend to stay stuck in situations that will kill them. That’s why these two stories made the news. And that’s why pretty much everyone skips over - or allegorizes - what Jesus’ said in the sermon on the mount, that “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. [Mt 5:29-30] I prefer to skip over those particular lines, too... or interpret them as being hyperbole, the kind of dramatic exaggeration that Jesus was prone to use to get his listeners attention. But what if he meant it seriously? What if Jesus really means that we should be willing to lose even body parts if they are getting in the way of discipleship?
I think that what keeps us from taking Jesus’ seriously is that we really don’t fully grasp that sin is just as much a threat to our lives as those boulders that trapped Aron Ralston and Bill Jeracki were. “It’s not that big a deal,” we say to ourselves, when we indulge in our favorite bad habit. There are the big, dramatic sins - stealing, lying, drunkenness, addictions of all kinds, anger and violence - and there are the little, sneaky sins, the ones that don’t seem as harmful but that eat away at the foundations of your soul. A critical spirit, a sense of entitlement, self-righteousness, thinking the worst of others, envy, impatience, thoughtlessness, failure to forgive... That’s just being human, isn’t it? Nobody’s perfect.
Well, that’s true. Nobody is perfect, except Jesus, and we’re getting into heaven on his coattails, not because we deserve it, so we excuse our little, everyday sins as if they didn’t matter, as if God didn’t have good reasons for calling us to live in a particular way. But think. Every decision we make, every action, every word we speak not only displays what we are like on the inside, it also deepens those qualities. We become what we do, we become what we say. The great English apologist C.S. Lewis says, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance... perhaps my bad temper or my jealousy are gradually getting worse - so gradually that the increase in seventy years or so will not be very noticeable. But it might be absolute hell in a million years.” [Mere Christianity] Every part of ourselves that we are unwilling to give over to the Lordship of Christ is a little hidden altar to death. But we cannot let go on our own.
The story of “The Rich Young Man” is found in all three of the synoptic gospels. It’s the story of a man who has everything and wants to know how to inherit eternal life. The first thing that Jesus says is “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” [v. 19] Isn’t that what I just said? Nobody’s perfect! Jesus agrees with me!
But then of course, Jesus goes on, because behavior does matter. “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” [v. 20] And the young man answers, “I have kept all these since my youth.” [v. 21] See? He’s a good guy! Just like us! Why doesn’t he just sigh with relief and go home rejoicing that his celestial reservation has been confirmed? But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Luke goes straight to the rest of Jesus’ response, but Matthew tells us that the young man himself asks a question: “What do I still lack?” [Mt 19:20] You see, there’s something in him that knows that this isn’t enough; it can’t be that easy. There’s got to be more to it.
So Jesus gives him the rest of what he needs to do. “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” [v. 22] Or, as Matthew puts it, “If you wish to be perfect...sell your possessions.” [Mt 19:21]
Well, the young ruler can’t do it. This is the point at which Jesus reveals that the young man is quite wealthy, in addition to having some political power or influence. It is because he is rich that the ruler can’t do what Jesus asks. If he were poor, of course, it would be easy... or would it? Clearly this young man’s identity is bound up in his possessions. And the more possessions you have, the easier you can see the dependence. But even the working poor in this country are unimaginably rich compared to people in many third world countries. We can’t exempt ourselves just because Warren Buffett - or John Kerry - wouldn’t consider us particularly well off. We still have enough stuff to be trapped by it.
What is Jesus trying to tell us? Is he saying that salvation can be bought by emptying out our bank accounts? I don’t think so.
The issue of possessions is central to this passage, and money is probably the most prevalent and powerful form of idolatry imaginable. But be careful not to focus, as the disciples do, on riches alone. Jesus emphasizes God’s concern for the poor. But you’ll notice that the central issue in this story is not the economic condition of the peasantry. The central issue is the young man’s spiritual condition.
Where do we put our trust? Can we let go of whatever in our lives is of central importance? We’re all economic creatures; certainly we get some security from having the house or car paid for, a healthy portfolio, a steady job. But those aren’t the only things we cling to. Material goods aren’t the only things it’s hard to give over to God.
A colleague of mine in seminary named Jean spoke of the defining moment in her life when she realized that she had to give everything to God - even the most precious thing in her life. Her seven-year-old daughter Lily was killed in a hit-and-run accident, and for a long time Jean was angry at God. Who can blame her? Who wouldn’t cry out against such a loss? But Jean also knew that God was calling her into ministry, and that her pain and bitterness were stumbling blocks, barriers to going forward with that call. One day during prayer God led her to the gospel passage in which a woman breaks an alabaster vase of expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. Jean says that she finally understood that she was being asked to give something even more precious than alabaster and nard - but that the act of giving was the same.
Jesus calls us to give into his keeping all that we think of as the most important. Today we’re thinking about money, because it’s Consecration Sunday, when we decide at what level we will commit to supporting the life and ministry God has called us to in this place. But money isn’t the only thing we need to be willing to give up. More than anything else we need to give up the idea that we have the right to call the shots in our lives. God hasn’t promised to give us what we want, to make our paths smooth, or to protect us from inconvenience, illness, loss, or the consequences of our decisions. God has promised to make it worth our while to give up everything we have for his sake.
The wealthy young man isn’t the only one who is confused by Jesus’ words; the disciples don’t understand them either. Old Testament theology connected wealth and success with being blessed by God. Of course everything that we have is a gift from God; if we have enough to give away we are blessed indeed. But Jesus asks us to look beyond this time frame to eternity. Jesus calls his disciples - and us - to understand that greater gifts are on offer than the ones we can see.
Yes, you can achieve some degree of material success “on your own.” Yes, you can “be reasonably good” - by human standards - in your own strength. But the kingdom of God can’t be achieved without help.
The rich young man went away sad, because he was unable to give up his possessions - his earthly identity, status and security. The point isn’t that he couldn’t do it, because no one can. The point is that he went away, instead of asking Jesus to help him. Because it IS impossible to let go of the things that bind us, that rule us, that possess us. “Those who heard [Jesus] said, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for man is possible for God.” [v. 26-27]
You and I know that we can’t get into the kingdom of God without help. You and I know that we can’t let go of our idols - our stuff, our pride, our ambitions, our plans - without help.
Sometimes we are asked to give up something that seems as unreasonable as asking us to cut off our own arm or leg. Sometimes we’re asked to give up a dream - perhaps the dream of the perfect marriage, or the dream job, or the dream vacation. Many people in homosexual - or other unlawful relationships - ask how God could ask them to give up something that seems so precious to them.
But whenever God asks us to give up something, we better not say “I won’t” and turn away. That opens the door to a death of some opportunity, some blessing, some gift that God has waiting for you. Instead of saying, “I won’t” try instead saying “I can’t! Please help me!”
Those of you who are swimmers may know the lifesaving technique that calls for hitting a drowning victim unconscious. That’s because their panic causes them to cling to the wrong things, in the wrong way. Well, sometimes God has to take similarly drastic measures with us - but he doesn’t do it without permission. He’ll let you walk away, just as Jesus let this young man, whom he loved, turn around and walk away.
What are you clinging to that you don’t seem to be able to surrender to God? Think about it. Is it really worth more than your life?
