24th Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 10:17-31
As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ”
He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then 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 the disciples were perplexed at these words.
But, Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Agape
Have any of you noticed relationships are complicated? In this time where it seems society disagrees on pretty much everything. I feel safe saying we all can agree that relationships can be tricky. And, as God’s creation with free will, God knows this, so we were given a commandment ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ With Jesus adding for emphasis –There is no other commandment greater than these.”
God knows we squirm and chafe against this. We are not given an out with any exceptions, we are to love one another. Full-Stop. The word except is not there. Our Creator knows if we wait till we feel like loving someone, we never will. Friends we have been painted into a holy corner.
For you, what does love look like? What does love feel like? What challenges you about loving others? What challenges you about loving yourself?
Scholars suggest the scribe in today’s gospel agreed with what Jesus was saying and wanted him to clear up some incorrect assumptions of what it is to love another, so he asked a question. We too have incorrect assumptions of what loving others looks and feels like. The ancient Greeks had several words to describe different experiences of love, whereas we have one word, and this trips us up in our understanding of what it is to love others. A modern view of love has a tendency to require from us that warm fuzzy feelings are necessary that is romantic love which is “eros” in ancient Greek. Feelings of admiration, regard or respect in ancient Greek would be “phileo” friendship or “pragma” a love that endures.
In our time when positive feelings are not present in our interactions with one another then we tend to think and behave in a manner that is the opposite of any kind of love. However, another incorrect assumption we need to clear up is, we don’t need to like someone in order to love them.
When Jesus speaks of the Great Commandant to love one another he used the word “agape” which is divine or selfless love. And before you droop your head thinking “I can’t do that, it’s beyond me” hear me out. When explaining what we call the Great Commandment, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4 and Leviticus 19:18, combining for the first time the love of God and the love of neighbor. “The two laws were combined into one moral law. Neither law was to stand on its own; the two laws, loving God and loving another were now to be interconnected.” We are to focus on the needs of our neighbors as much as we focus on the needs of ourselves. Which is very likely why those challenging Jesus stopped asking questions. Jesus knew the Torah, the word of God and stunned those questioning him with a new understanding.
The author Edward Markquart writes, Christians in all ages and all generations need to recover and rediscover what it means to love our God with all one’s heart, mind, soul and strength.” According to various articles I have read recently over 70% of Americans are anxious or worried about the election and what may come afterwards. Moreover, incidents of road rage have increased significantly, due to, as one person in traffic school explained, “there is just too much going on out there; it’s relentless.”
How do we get through this? First know, the only thing that is permanent is God’s love for us.
Everything else goes away – jobs change, our health changes, relationships change, nothing is permanent other than God’s love for us. Furthermore, agape love is a verb, love is an action according to the Great Commandment. In practical terms you can love yourself by setting limits of how much and what kind of information you can tolerate. If you are less agitated or upset it will enable you to be kinder and patient with those around you, those you like and those you don’t. Or ending a conversation graciously that is jangling your nerves. It could even be a conversation where you are in agreement, but you are worn out. This is loving yourself in a practical way. My day job is as a hospice chaplain, and I often tell the grief stricken “to be as kind to themselves as they would be to a friend going through the same thing – to say to themselves the things they would say to another in similar circumstances.” Loving ourself provides the rest we need to respond in a loving manner to others. Self-care results in an ability to respond in a healthy manner and provides the reserves we need to come out whole on the other side of these times.
So, how do we love those whose views we don’t like? Remembering Jesus uses love as a verb, an action. Though we don’t like someone, or we don’t like their views, neither should we invest time and energy disliking them, the person. We can dislike their views. May we not engage in critical and condemning thoughts and self-talk or gossip, which leads to words and behaviors that do more damage, that heal or solve nothing. What we say and do matters as much as what we don’t say or do. I’m not saying keep quiet for the sake of peace. I am saying speak or act in a manner that doesn’t fuel, in even the smallest way, more of what divides us. And, when we take care of ourselves, we will have more reserve and capacity to do this. The Great Commandment seems to be circular; there is a cause and effect. The ability to love without the warm, fuzzy, positive feelings is more achievable, when we love as God commands us. We, individually and as a community, not only struggle less but can experience that peace that surpasses all understanding. This isn’t pie in the sky. God Our Creator knows the human condition better than we do. May we, to the best of our ability, be faithful to the sacred promises made to us, and we don’t need to understand God’s promises for them to be true.
My friends, whatever the outcome of the days and weeks ahead of us, God is present. Claim that! Remember God came to us as Jesus. Consequently, God really and truly understands what it is to be fully human. Draw upon this truth, do not rely on inner strength that is limited – whereas God and everything about the goodness of God is infinite in every way. We are not going to get this right every time, however if we strive for that, more good will happen than harm.
Finally, when you struggle, when you hit the wall, remember the shape of the cross, the vertical and the horizontal. With the vertical we have a direct connection to what is holy. Go to God honestly, say the things you need to say, your rage, your hopes, your despair. You are not going to shock God – reveal the truth of your experience as it will open you to receive the healing and hope you need to be spiritually and emotionally healthy…to be whole. Knowing this isn’t a onetime thing, keep going to God with what breaks your heart and with what brings you joy is how you love God. This is love in action, agape love – This is how we do the first part of the Great Commandment , “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Love in action.
The cross has the horizontal piece illustrating our relationship and connection to those around us. We will never look into the eyes of someone who is not a child of God. Think on that. Go to God for advice and guidance. Draw upon the support, goodness and love of those around you, of those who bring you wise and Godly counsel. We have each other; allow others to love you. Contribute to what is good, disengage from that which is not.
I want to leave you with two Bible verses which give us assurances the world cannot.
The first is Isaiah 41:9-10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.”
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Amen
~ Rev. Sara Branom
