My God and My All

Brad Sullivan
Proper 23, Year B
Sunday, October 14, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Psalm 22:1-15
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31

St. Francis of Assisi embodied the teaching of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading.  Francis was the son of a wealthy merchant, and Francis himself was very rich with many possessions, like the man in today’s reading.  Gradually, however, Francis began to identify more with the poor and needy and decided to give up his possessions to serve the poor, doing exactly what Jesus instructed the rich man in today’s Gospel reading.  I don’t know that Francis had today’s gospel passage in mind; the stories simply say that Francis identified with the plights of the poor and decided to help. 

Francis found joy in living out the kingdom of God life, serving those less fortunate than he, and devoting his life to that service and prayer.  One of Francis’ constant prayers was “My God and my all.”  He would spend hours in prayer with arms outstretched, praying over and over, “my God and my all.”  Loving God, loving people, and living God’s life of love, living in God’s kingdom were everything for St. Francis.  “My God and my all.”

In our Gospel story, we have the story of the rich man who wants to live the life of love in God’s kingdom as well.  He wants to inherit eternal life, but he’s stuck.  He’s trapped.  This is a good guy who loves God and follows God’s commandments.  Jesus, we are told, looked on this man and loved.  “[One thing you lack],” Jesus told him, “go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

The man couldn’t do it.  He trusted in and loved God so far, but then the love of his stuff became too great for him to trust any further, and he was stymied in his desire to live the life of love in God’s kingdom.  We might read this story and think there was great judgment and condemnation for this man.  “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus said! (Mark 10:23)  This could be read as a statement condemning those with wealth, but such a reading would be a mistake.

In our Hebrews reading, we are told that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, a priest who is able to sympathize with our weakness, having been tested in every way as we are (yet without sin).  We may, therefore, Hebrews tells us, approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In Jesus, we do not have a great high priest who condemns us for our weakness, but one who sympathizes with our weakness.  Jesus was sympathized with the rich man in our Gospel lesson.  When Jesus said, “how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” he wasn’t declaring some rule that God had set up, that the rich are unworthy of his kingdom.  What would we say to someone who has done well in his or her job?  As of your last raise, you’ve reached the net worth threshold, and you’re no longer fit for God’s kingdom. 

Of course not, Jesus didn’t say, because that man is rich, he cannot enter God’s kingdom.  Rather, Jesus looked on him and loved him, and when the man ended his desire to live the life of God’s kingdom, choosing his possessions over God’s kingdom, Jesus sympathized with him, saying, “how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23)  I don’t believe Jesus was declaring the rich man to be a terrible person.  I believe Jesus felt sympathy for him because the rich man wanted to be near to God, wanted to follow Jesus and to live God’s life of love, but there was something holding him back.  He wanted to live God’s life of love, to live in God’s kingdom, unless it cost him his possessions.

  Jesus sympathized with the man, knowing the pull our possessions have on us.  Our stuff can sometimes end up owning us, our things sometimes seeming overly important to us.  Deep down, however, we understand Jesus’ teaching.  How often have you heard, when people have lost all of their things in a hurricane or flood, they’ll say, “that was just stuff; the important thing is, my family is safe.”  Deep down, we understand that our possessions are just things, but they do still have pull on us.

Our things give us security, give us some sense of permanence and order.  Our things help give us some control over our lives and help us be more independent.  That’s just natural, but I think Jesus would teach us to seek permanence and order in God and people, and I think Jesus would teach us to be a little less independent and a little more dependent.

For weeks now, however, Jesus has told us the Kingdom of God belongs to children, that we should become like children, now, kids still like things, but children are also dependent.  Kids are knee deep in neediness.  Sometimes, they’re lucky enough even to know that. 

As we grow older we generally become more self sufficient, less needy, and if we’re very unfortunate, we may even come to believe that we are entirely self sufficient.  The more stuff we have, the more self sufficient way may feel.  Of course we’re actually dependent on that stuff.  That may have been one of the problems with the rich man in today’s Gospel reading. 

Again, I don’t think there is anything wrong or bad about being rich.  Jesus didn’t say being rich is a bad thing.  There were those, after all, who followed Jesus and his disciples, supporting them financially, implying that they were rather wealthy, with the means to support this itinerant preacher from Nazareth.

Jesus didn’t say being rich was bad, he said it was a difficult thing.  One of the challenges of being rich is that the more money a person has, the more that person is able to take care of him or herself, and the less that person may need to rely on others.  That person can rely on his or her wealth and things rather than on people.  The more wealthy and things a person has, the more security and control may be wrapped up in those things, and the less one might seek that security and dependence through God and people.

Become like children, Jesus taught.  Like I said, kids like things too, but when kids are hurt or scared, they often want mommy or daddy even more than a blanket or favorite toy.  The man in today’s reading wanted God’s kingdom, was desperate for God’s kingdom, he just didn’t think he could have it without his stuff.  Jesus invited him to give up his stuff, to give up his security and independence, so that he might find security and dependence in God and other people.  When he couldn’t do it, Jesus sympathized with him, seeing how hard it was for him. 

Jesus knows and sympathizes with the challenges we all face in giving up our perceptions of control and acknowledging our dependence on God and others.  Reverting to this childlike state may be an incremental process as we gradually seek God alone and seek to live more fully the life of love in his kingdom. 

As we do so, as we seek to live more fully in God’s kingdom, we may try praying the prayer St. Francis prayed.  “My God and my all.”  It may feel strange at first, but over time, we may discover the truth of those words.  “My God and my all.”  Over time, we may develop even more fully hearts like that of St. Francis, hearts which beat constantly with love, “My God and my all.”  Amen.