"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

 

            A man comes to Jesus, and Mathew tells us two things about him: he is young and he is rich. That is always an interesting combination. What else might we like to say about a young and rich man who wants to gain eternal life? I am thinking he would be confident, optimistic, goal-oriented, sure he can succeed, willing to be mentored, teachable, and yet something of a "know-it-all." I'm just guessing, of course.

            So this is an intriguing conversation. Jesus is also young. Jesus has a remarkable wisdom about him when he is engaged in conversation. He usually does not answer questions directly, but prudently leads conversations to the heart. That is to say, he does not give advice.

            So, for example, here he begins by saying, "If you want to enter eternal life, obey the commandments." Then he is quiet. It is not his final answer, or his full answer. If you want direction to eternal life, John 3:16 is much more helpful. But here Jesus' initial answer is not all there is to say. He is anticipating a response. He is drawing the young man out. He is looking into his heart.

            The rich young man comes with a question. It seems like a simple question, but it is not. "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

            Here is a young man who has the right goal in life. He says to Jesus, "I know what I want in life, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. I know I will succeed. Just tell me what to do and I will do it."

            So Jesus begins with a very careful answer. He says what almost any rabbi would have said: "obey the commandments."

            Now the young man could have responded in a variety of ways:

• He could have said, "I try to obey them, but I always fall short."
• He could have said, "I love God, but I must confess my life is out of control."
• He might have said, "I know God's law but I feel deep inside that I need to be healed, I need to be forgiven. Lord, have mercy on me."

            But he did not say those things. Rather, he answers with a kind of youthful bravado found especially among the rich and well-born. He says, "Which commands?" By rabbinic calculation there were 613 commandments in the first five books of the Old Testament, and this young fellow, bordering on arrogance, says "Which of the 613 do you want me to obey?"

Do you find yourself at this point wanting to say to this fellow, "Please, don't talk to Jesus that way. A little humility would be good just now"?

            Jesus does not seem to be offended by this brash answer. He gives him some commandments. Again, these are the commandments that most rabbis would have listed. No surprises here. He selects five from the Ten Commandments, and then one from the holiness code, to love your neighbor as yourself. All of these, says R.T. France, "concern observable behavior toward other people." It is fairly easy to tell if you are keeping them or not. "These commandments sum up a conventional Jewish view of what it means to do good."

            Now I can hear the deep sigh of the young man. It reminds me of when I was in the "clueless" phase of parenting when our boys were in the teen years.

            "All these I have kept," he said, possibly adding, "duh."

            Then he adds, more sharply, "What do I still lack?"

            "Come on, Jesus, I need a real answer here. I want to know the secret to the Kingdom."

            Now Jesus is ready to say something to the heart. But how we read these words has a great deal to do with our understanding of their meaning.

            Does Jesus give this answer with the voice of stern rebuke? Does he turn on the young man, with anger in his eyes, and cut his pride to the quick with this impossible demand; knowing he will never sell all his possessions, does he lash out at him?

            Or, is this truly an invitation? "Here is the way to life. Now, come, follow me. I want you to become a disciple! So, let go of the possessions that define you and set the course of your young life. Join us! Experience what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus."

            "Be like Matthew, who when he left his tax booth to follow me, knew he would never be able to return to it again."

            "Be like Peter and the other fishermen, who when they heard my call, left their nets and boats, and although they did not sell them, never really went back to them, except for one brief moment, because they became fishers of men."

            "Be like Paul, who left his life as a righteous Pharisee and was able to say, 'For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'

            "Come! be like Matthew and Peter and Paul. Join us on the road to life!"

            The young man heard the invitation, and then he went away sad. He really wanted to become a disciple of Jesus. He deeply desired to inherit eternal life. But he could not do it, because his possessions were great and closely tied to him.

            I don't really know what this incident with the young man means for our giving and our stewardship. I don't think we should ignore it, or just feel vaguely guilty about it.

I know that none of us can get very far in the Christian life until we say:

"All I have is truly God's."

            I know we need in Christ to move from thinking that we own things to knowing we are simply entrusted with things for a time.

I know that we are to use what we have for his kingdom. I have watched a number of people of means truly use their possessions, whether homes or vehicles or money, to bless others and do God's work.

            I also know that there are those who do give all away. This is not just theory or idealism. You do not have to go far to find people who literally give all they possess in ministry to the poor. You can visit JPUSA in Chicago. It is a vital community of people who have taken these words of Jesus to heart.

            What I also believe is that whatever our situation in life, we can begin, or grow, in our practice of investing in heaven. If Jesus' word here is invitational, then it comes with grace. It says "begin, continue, take a step of faith." Invest in God and trust God when he shows you how to give yourself away.

            Think about all that you have accumulated and how you might use it for the kingdom. Some of our possessions have served us well in the past but have no purpose for us today.

I watched a woman the other week on our Love, INC. furniture run. She was giving away all of her parents' furniture. She was getting their condo ready for sale, and had no need for all their things. I could see the relief in her as we carried their very useable furniture away. I also sensed real gratitude when I explained the kinds of situations we saw in bringing furniture to people who have none.

            How much do you hold on to that you no longer need? Could those possessions be used for the work of the Kingdom of God?

            Then, we have possessions that bog us down, and limit us. Sometimes the things we own require us to use them and to maintain them, and then we find we have no time to serve God, to attend worship, to care for our souls. If what you own keeps you from following Christ, then there is a serious spiritual issue facing you, and Jesus invites you to let go and follow him.

            Finally there is another kind of treasure, treasure of the heart. Through your life you accumulate experience, wisdom, knowledge and faith. Some people go to the grave with storehouses full of accumulated experience that has never been shared with anyone.

            We need to open our hearts to one another.

            We need to be focused in passing on what we have been given, in caring for a new generation, in mentoring young people, in letting our light shine, so it can be seen, and glory given to God.

            Do you hear the invitation of Jesus?

            Will you follow him?

            Amen.