St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
October 10, 2021
Year B, Proper 23: The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Psalm 22:1-15
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31
A Poor Man With Some Rich Friends
So, you may have noticed that we live in troubling times.
And, especially in troubling times like these, it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for signs of hope, for people who are out there fighting the good fight, standing beside the oppressed and demanding justice.
One of those people of hope is the Rev. William Barber II, a North Carolina pastor who in recent years has restarted the Poor People’s Campaign.
Maybe you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. created the Poor People’s Campaign. He was working on it when his life was violently cut short. And, unfortunately, after Dr. King’s death, the Poor People’s Campaign also died.
But now, Rev. Barber and many others all across the country are back out there fighting the good fight, challenging, as they say, “the lie of scarcity in the midst of abundance.”
At services and protests, Rev. Barber often wears a stole that, every time I see it, makes me think.
It’s very simple, bearing the words:
“Jesus Was A Poor Man.”
Jesus was a poor man.
And, you know, that’s absolutely true – but it’s also a little more complicated than it might seem.
Two of the gospels – Matthew and Luke – give us information about Jesus’ birth and infancy. But, aside from the story of the boy Jesus in the Jerusalem Temple, we know nothing about Jesus’ life from his infancy until he presents himself to John for baptism, which marks the beginning of his public life and ministry.
The birth and infancy stories give us some clues that Mary and Joseph were not well-to-do people. But, we also know that Joseph was a craftsman – and, then and now, a skilled craftsman could make pretty good money.
There’s an old tradition that Joseph died sometime during Jesus’ childhood or young adulthood. So, maybe Jesus and other family members took over the shop and kept the business going. Maybe they made pretty good money, too.
But, the gospels are clear that Jesus left all of that behind to begin his real work – and during his three years of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, during his time teaching and healing, Jesus really was a poor man, with few if any possessions, no home of his own.
As Jesus says, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Jesus was a poor man.
And many of his followers were poor, for sure. But not all of them.
Jesus was a poor man – with some rich friends.
Here and there the gospels tip us off that there were some rich people – or at least relatively well-off people – who dug into their treasure to support, honor, and care for the Lord.
Think of the sisters Mary and Martha, who welcomed Jesus and the disciples into their home.
Or, the woman who bathed Jesus’ feet in costly perfume, shocking some with her extravagance, seeming to waste so much treasure in service to Jesus.
Or, Joseph of Arimathea, who was rich enough to have his own new tomb cut from stone, a tomb that he gave away so the body of Jesus could be laid to rest.
Yes, Jesus was a poor man – a poor man with some rich friends.
Now, we don’t know if the rich man in today’s gospel lesson was one of those friends, but he obviously knows and respects Jesus, kneeling before him, and asking an important question:
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus offers what would have been the expected answer – obey the commandments. But the rich man claims he’s done all of that – he’s followed the rules – and yet in his heart he senses that there is something missing – there must be something more.
It’s easy to see why Jesus loves him.
But, when Jesus tells him what that something more is – sell what you own, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus – well, that was a bridge too far for the rich man.
We’re told that he “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
Now, I don’t know anyone’s particular financial position but let’s face it: even the poorest among us here are pretty well off compared to most people, past or present.
I speak to you as someone who recently moved a big truck filled with possessions from New Jersey to Maryland.
So, since we are rich, right about now we may be grieving like the rich man in the story – wondering what hope is there for us if it really is easier for a camel to pass through they eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
Where’s the good news for us?
Are we really called to sell all of our possessions and give the money to the poor?
And then what?
So, a couple of things:
First, the rich man in today’s lesson is clearly a “spiritual overachiever.” If we take him at his word, and there’s no reason not to, he has kept all of the commandments. So, having mastered the requirements, Jesus calls him to more than what he asks of others.
Jesus calls the spiritually overachieving rich man to do more, to go even deeper, to follow Jesus’ own example and give it all away.
Again, I’ll just speak for myself and say I am not a spiritual overachiever. I still have plenty of work to do on the requirements – you know, loving God and loving my neighbor – so I don’t think I’m ready for the AP course in following Jesus – not yet, anyway, and maybe never.
Second – and here’s the really Good News - let’s not miss Jesus’ reassurance that salvation is a gift from God, for whom nothing is impossible. Even if we do give away everything, we can’t earn our salvation. It’s a gift from God, the God who is pure mercy.
So, there is hope for the rich man – and there is hope for us rich people, too.
Finally, it’s true that Jesus called the spiritual overachieving rich man to give away everything, but he calls all of us rich people to be his friends.
Most of you know that I’ve begun my rectorship by meeting and listening to as many people as I can, and by inviting us all to take a good look at what the church calls “outreach” – all the ways that we serve Jesus’ many friends who are not so rich in the things of the world.
“Outreach” is not a kind of extracurricular activity for the church – not just something we do if we have extra time or money. “Outreach” should be close to the heart of our mission.
So, over these past few months I’ve learned quite a lot about just how often and how much this old church has given to others.
It’s really beautiful.
And, I can’t tell you how exciting it is when I see your hunger and enthusiasm to do more – to go even deeper – to challenge the lie of scarcity in the midst of abundance - to look more closely and creatively at the needs of our community and our world today, during these troubling times.
Now, maybe some among us are spiritual overachievers, called to give away everything and follow Jesus the way Francis of Assisi did.
Maybe. But, Jesus is calling all of us to be some of his rich friends.
All of us rich people are called to follow the examples of Mary and Martha who opened their doors, and the woman who poured out all that precious ointment, and Joseph of Arimathea who gave away his tomb.
Jesus calls us to feed and shelter people, to glorify God, to care for the Body of Christ.
And what could be more exciting than that, right?
So, yes, Jesus was a poor man – a poor man who wants – in a way, even needs - some rich friends like us.
Amen.
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