The Gauntlet
Sayings intrigue me. I am often curious about where the saying came from and what it meant back then. Many have probably heard this saying, maybe you’ve used it or your parents. But I remember my friend’s parents often saying that "this world’s going to hell in a hand basket." Sayings intrigue me. So I looked it up to find out the meaning and origin. It means the situation falling apart, not going as planned or desired. For example: I ran into a bus, I wrecked my car and three people are suing me. My life is going to hell in a hand basket.
It might be closer to the truth to say that "the world is going to hell in a shopping cart." Your soul -- not to mention your budget -- is in mortal danger as you approach the grocery store checkout lane. I can tell you’re thinking, "How can that be and what does that have to do with our scripture?" Well, let’s see.
You go to Kroger’s or Al’s with your carefully prepared list, a list with all of the items you need for the well-balanced, nutritious meals you’ve planned to fix for your family this week. You’ve carefully filled your cart with the needed items outlined on your list. You patiently wait in line, and if you really want to learn patience, wait in line at Aldi’s because they rarely have 2 lines open. But elsewhere, you have a choice. So you pick the shortest one, which is ALWAYS the one that’s slowest.
Now, you may call it “standing in the checkout line”, but I prefer to call it “running the gauntlet”. Remember you’ve carefully followed your list to get exactly what you need. Yet somehow, when the checker starts scanning the items in your cart, it has suddenly filled up with a pack of gum, a box of Tic-Tacs, nail clippers, a four-pack of AA batteries, three candy bars and a magazine for inquiring minds.
If your young child is along, you may also have in your cart a new Pez dispenser, a mylar balloon with a Disney character on it and a plastic "cellular" telephone filled with tiny bubble-gum pieces. If not then you probably have a screaming, upset child in your cart. Have you noticed how stores pack this consumer junk into the narrow gauntlet we must run to get through the checkout counter. Things not on our list are singing their siren song, “buy me! you need me!”. Things staring you in the face as you wait for a “price check on 3”.
Although buying nail clippers or a candy bar not on our list hardly seems earth-shattering or soul-threatening, the truth is that consumerism is being methodically nurtured and stimulated. Shelf space is critical. Where a company’s product is located is fought for and guarded fiercely. Am I right, Larry? Companies scream at us, “You need our product for a happy and fulfilling life”.
Descartes’ "I think, therefore I am" has been left in the dust by the new mantra, "I shop, therefore I am”. Consumer culture has never even heard of, much less considered, God’s revelation to Moses, "I am who I am; therefore, you are." No, we’re too wrapped up in buying bigger houses, fancier cars, 95 pairs of shoes, a closet full of clothes, a boat, jet skis, and on and on. We’re not content with a 2-car garage for our 2 cars. No, we’re seeing homes built with 3 and 4 car garages so we have a place to store our riding lawnmowers, boats, and four-wheelers.
We have fancier cars. There’s no such thing as a “shadetree mechanic” anymore. No, for these fancy cars you need an even fancier machine called a computer, to tell you what’s wrong with your $60,000 car. Fancy used to be chrome trim. Now we have cars with pedals that move closer for shorter people, GPS systems, and some type of infrared system that tells you at night if there is a deer in the road up to 1 mile ahead.
I don’t remember exactly what the commercial is advertising, maybe you’ve seen it. A guy is showing off his big house and his car. He’s grilling with a smile on his face saying, “I’m in debt up to my eyeballs. I can barely make the payments on my credit card.” In the final scene, he’s riding his lawnmower, still with this grin on his face to hide his pain saying, “Somebody, please help me.” Friends, we’re running the gauntlet and the gauntlet is winning.
This story of the rich man who turns down the invitation to discipleship illustrates that fact. The man comes to Jesus with a question that reveals his awareness that simply following rules, even the finest religious rules, is not finally sufficient for a real relationship with God.
Jesus refers to the commandments, which it turns out the man has kept. Jesus then offers the man the very thing he is hoping for, and he offers it now, not merely in the future. Jesus extends to the man the call to join his circle of disciples. To do so, he must first get rid of all of his property.
When the offer is made the man is shocked and went away grieving. He realized that for him to join with, and have a relationship with Jesus calls him away from this world’s pleasures. Back then, and even now, people often took wealth as a sign of God’s blessing, but riches do not define the abundant life offered by God through Jesus Christ.
A disciple can’t be a rich person with all the baggage and socioeconomic factors that go along with it. Yet he can’t let go of the trappings and image of being a "rich man" in order to be a disciple. It is the only time in Mark in which the person called responds not by following, but by going away (see 1:16-20; 2:14; 10:46-52). Everyone else, to whom Jesus says, “Follow me!” has left everything to do so.
Jesus calls him. He gives him a chance to sell his possessions and give to the poor. Instead, the man clings to what he owns and leaves in sadness. The gauntlet beat him. He could have followed Jesus. He could have entered God’s kingdom with the promise of a hundredfold return on his investment (10:28-30). But he didn’t.
The little girl had a fake pearl necklace that she dearly loved. She wore it everyday and showed it to everyone she met. One night her dad came home and ask her if she loved him. She said, “You know I love you, Daddy.” “Then give me your necklace”. She started crying and said she couldn’t. The next night, the same story. “Do you love me?” “You know I love you.” “Then give me your necklace.” This went on for several nights.
Finally one night, as her daddy was sitting in his chair, his daughter came to him and, crying, handed him her fake pearl necklace. He thanked her, then pulled from his pocket a long box that, when she opened it, revealed a real pearl necklace. She gave up what she thought was important and valuable and gained a hundredfold return.
This exchange between Jesus and the rich man reminds me of the old TV show “Let’s Make A Deal”. Monty Hall would come back to the people who had won decent prizes and offer them Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3. They then would have to choose – give up the nice refrigerator for the unknown or keep what they had and find out they had passed up a new car. Kind of like the old “Bird in the Hand” logic.
The rich man knew he had riches. He couldn’t bring himself to take that chance and give up what he knew for what he didn’t know. And this grieved him. Now, I can’t tell you if he grieved because his wealth stood as a barrier to a relationship with Jesus, because he couldn’t keep his wealth and still be a follower, or because he couldn’t bring himself to make the commitment to do what Jesus told him. And I believe this grieved Jesus, as well.
After the man left, Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And we see, once again, the deer in the headlight look. “And the disciples were perplexed at these words.”
And Jesus repeats his words. And adds to them that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, which as you saw in the children’s chat would be very difficult.
“Then who can be saved?” The perplexity of the disciples comes from their assumption that wealth is a sign of God’s favor (cf. Deut. 28:1-14): Their thinking is, “If even the wealthy can hardly enter God’s kingdom, who can?” Jesus answers them, “No one, not on their own.” “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Entrance into God’s kingdom is humanly impossible. It can’t be won by our own effort, but only by the grace of God.
The Bible says that shelter, food, and clothing are necessities. To have these and something left over, as almost all of us do, is to be rich. There are hundreds of things that we call necessities that our parents referred to as luxuries.
Can we be saved? We’re rich. We have all these luxuries and we don’t want to give them up.
If Jesus came and called us to sell everything we have and follow him, would we? I’ll tell you. I’m not so sure that I could do that. Missionaries come as close to doing that as anyone I can imagine. And I’m not sure that I could give up my house, car, and such, and move to Africa. Hopefully, Jesus won’t call me to do that.
What we’re doing is running the gauntlet. We’re faced with impulse buying. We keep coming face-to-face with the things of this world that we think are important and valuable. And the things of the world keep telling us, “Oh buy me. Your life will be so much fuller and satisfying.” But, will it?
The good news is, we’re not running the gauntlet alone. Jesus is there with us, giving us little nudges, telling us that we don’t need all the riches the world has to offer. He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it. Just remember, that all we have is only by the grace of God and when Jesus says He’s enough, it will be enough. And you can take that to the bank. The Heavenly Bank!
