Reflection: "A Wake-up Call For Our Souls"In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus is just about to set out on a trip when he’s stopped by a man with a question.
How tempting it must have been for Jesus to push the question aside - after all, there were other villages and other people waiting to hear his message - but Jesus, in his usually caring way, stopped and answered the man. Unlike us - who are too often caught up in the big picture, Jesus saw each person as a precious creation of God. We can imagine that the man had already been listening to Jesus teach and that’s why he approached Jesus. He’d probably been a part of the crowd that had listened to this new rabbi, perhaps amazed at the authority with which Jesus taught, or at least the fresh approach that he was offering on life and faith. But now that he saw Jesus was about to leave, he wanted him to get to the bottom line. What was the key part of these teachings that he could take with him and to live in a new and powerful way? He wanted to get to the heart of what the Gospel was about, so he asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Maybe the man was thinking, what MORE do I have to do? After all, I'm a good person, I know the rules, the commandments and I’ve faithfully kept them. I’m a good neighbour and do the thoughtful thing, but something’s missing, so what do I have to do? No one can just approach Jesus and interrupt him, without expecting to be challenged. In addition, let me give you all a word of caution, don't go to God in prayer and not expect a challenge, a push to grow or change in our faith journey. And the risk, as it was for the man in the Gospel, is a wake-up call for the soul. What we had understood as being sufficient, is only the beginning of something greater. The point is that the man hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, Mark tells us that Jesus loved the man, who was what we’d call a good and decent man. Jesus turned the flattery that the man had tried to use to get his attention, back on the man. The man had called him "Good Teacher", but Jesus replied, "No one is good but God alone." Jesus wanted the man to see that goodness is not something to obtain, or possess, but rather, a goal to seek. He challenged this law-abiding man, saying that he could never be good enough - exposing the man's pride. It appears that Jesus didn't want him to repeat the same mistake - of thinking that he’d done enough. Perhaps, Jesus saw that the man was just feeling invincible, that he was in control of his life and didn’t have to entrust that control to God. His mistake was by asking what HE COULD do, instead of asking what GOD WOULD do in, and through, him. When Jesus got to the bottom line, with love and compassion, he told the man that he was only one step away - but the man couldn't, or wouldn’t, take that step. He couldn't trust God enough to give up all he had been blessed with and to give his life to follow Jesus. Let me tell you a story. A backpacker met up with a monk and the monk offered to show him around the monastery. They came to the monk's room and the tourist noticed no TV - only one change of clothes, a towel and a blanket. He asked, "How do you live so simply?" To which the monk answered, "I noticed you have only enough things to fill a backpack; why do you live so simply?" The tourist replied, "But I'm just a tourist, I'm only traveling through." The monk then said, "So am I, my son, so am I." Things we think we HAVE to have, necessities we think we can’t live without, do we own them, or do they own us? I’ve noticed that a lot of yesterday's luxuries tend to become today's necessities. Our possessions, our wealth, our things, can all be obstacles between us and God. Good advice for the traveller is "If you want to get away from it all, don't take it all with you." But it’s hard to let go of what we depend upon, let go of what we think we need, and then trust in God's grace. At the very beginning of the book of Genesis, the story of the beginning of all creation, there’s a story of Adam and Eve and the serpent, where Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat the one fruit in the garden, that was forbidden. The promise was, that if she ate it, she’d be as wise as God - she even sold Adam on the same idea. Since the very beginning of the human race, we’ve been looking for a shortcut, an easy way out. It didn't work in the Garden of Eden, it didn't work for the man who approached Jesus, and it won’t work for us. Another word of caution in this story of the talking serpent is that we should be very cautious about the source of any advice that there is an easy, not-so-costly, way to completeness in our life and faith. Even to this day we often try the easy way, even though we suspect that it’s too good to be true. There’s no other way around being faced with a wake-up call for our souls. God doesn't want to be an afterthought in our lives; he wants us to love him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. To lead us to grow in our faith, God challenges each of us at the very point we hold dearest in our lives. The man who had approached Jesus couldn't let go of what he possessed in order to be possessed by God. He might have pleaded, "Why so much Lord?" Why can’t we simply say a kind word, instead of having to actually DO something to help another? Why not allow each of us simply to put our name on a list, saying that we’re for God, instead of actually being involved in activities for God? Why can't God build his kingdom on good intentions? Why can’t the hungry feed themselves, the lonely care for themselves, the children and youth learn their faith from someone else, or those burdened by life simply lift themselves up? We ask, "Why do I have to be involved? If I’m already doing my part, why do I have to do the part of another?" The man who had felt so much urgency in asking Jesus for the insight he thought would be easy, the man who had just received "wake-up call" for his answer, probably walked away heartbroken, with his head bowed in sorrow. He’d come so close, but he’d missed the opportunity. Don't let the "wake-up call" keep you from discovering the joy and peace that comes into your life by letting Jesus Christ be your Lord and Saviour. Have you ever noticed how the more you have, the greater the danger is of being selfish, the greater the risk is of letting God be in charge? When Jesus saw what was happening with the man who had been so eager and was now turning away, he warned the disciples of this danger. He warned them that it’s difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And as you’re reading this message, you might not realise that you’re among the rich elite of this world, so take warning to ensure that your possessions don't possess you. Jesus spoke of it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom. We don't know what happened to the man who turned away from Jesus; we don't even know his name. If he had accepted the challenge Jesus gave him, he might have been there at Pentecost to stand with Peter, he might have written a Gospel like Mark or Luke, he might have been an evangelist like Andrew or a missionary like Paul, but he faded away in history because he couldn’t take that final step. And before you, too, are taken aback by the wake-up call for your soul, listen again to the promise that Jesus makes to us all. "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God, all things are possible." Whatever holds us back from making a total commitment to God, let us be willing to deal with it and take that final step to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us pray that our Gracious God is listening to our supplications, because we are eager. We all need more of his love and grace in our lives, so let’s drop what holds us back from accepting these precious gifts and find the courage to follow him, now and into the future. Pastor Rick
1 Comment
Beryl
9/10/2021 06:16:02 pm
Thank you Rick for this challenging message. There are times when we need a Wake up Call.
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