“What Impossible Thing is God Calling You To?”
Preached Sunday, October 10, 2021 at Vermilion Grace UMC & livestream
One of my all-time favorite sitcoms is How I Met Your Mother. I’ve probably watched it through a dozen times - except the last season, that was awful. One of the main characters is Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris. A womanizer who, admittedly, probably just needs a lot of therapy, and always wears a suit - he never backs down from a challenge. He has several catchphrases in the show. One is “It’s gonna be legend, wait-for-it, dary! Legendary!” and the other “Challenge Accepted.”
Half the time he isn’t even being challenged - he just takes it upon himself to try and do something crazy - most of the time using downright outrageous or absurd methods of picking up women. Other accepted challenges are things like, talk your way out of a speeding ticket, touch as many items as you can in the Natural History Museum, and even, to cheer up a friend.
If you could say one thing about Barney Stinson it’s that he never backs down from a challenge and always accepts them with enthusiasm.
That’s not quite the case with the man who approaches Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson. Now, throughout today’s sermon I’ll be calling him the rich, young ruler although we don’t get those descriptors from the Gospel of Mark. We know he’s rich cause he had many possessions. We get young from the Gospel of Matthew and Ruler from the Gospel of Luke. And in our minds, we have come to know him as the rich young ruler.
And the rich young ruler gets issued a challenge by Jesus, “Sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
His response is not an enthusiastic Barney Stinson style, “Challenge Accepted!” Instead the text says, “When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
And this rich young ruler is often shamed, looked down upon, given as an example of what not to do because he did not enthusiastically and radically change his life and follow Jesus at the drop of a hat. But really, could you blame him? If you were told today that in order to live out your discipleship you had to x, y, and z - for example - sell all you have - give all the money to the poor - uproot your life to follow an itinerant preacher - could you REALLY say your response would be leaping for joy? An enthusiastic “Challenge accepted?” I think the rich young ruler is a more realistic portrait of what it can be like to wrestle with the hard things that Jesus asks us to do.
Now this text, this text is not an easy text to deal with. As Jesus’s request to the man was not an easy request to hear. I read a preacher say this about today’s Gospel reading: “The first thing to say about this text, and hopefully not the last thing to say, is that there’s pretty much nothing we can do but manage it.”
And people have tried many ways of managing it or explaining it away or trying to make the challenge, request, invitation an easier one to bear. I have heard many of these in Bible studies and from the pulpit and I am sure you have to. Let’s take a moment to revisit these common ways of “managing” this text, as offered by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson in her commentary on this passage:
“The rich young man didn’t actually keep the law, so that business about giving up his possessions was just a way of calling his bluff.
Nobody can actually keep the law, hence nobody can give up everything, either; it’s just a rhetorical device to call our bluff, and once we grasp that, we’re off the hook.
Giving up everything was a command to this particular rich young man, but only to him. It makes no claim on anyone else...
It was a real command, but it applies only to the rich. All of us can think of someone richer, so by contrast we don’t qualify.
Then again, the disciples infer just the opposite: everyone is rich (presumably because even the poor can think of someone poorer). Luckily, Jesus gives us the ultimate divine out: we can’t do it, but God can. Whew…” Off the hook.
“Or, if we’re still in the game at this point in the story, we can point to our paltry efforts at discipleship like Peter did, at which point we get rewarded with a hundredfold of everything. As long as we somehow “give up” everything we’ve got (preferably in our hearts — you know, like, detachment from material things as an act of spiritual self-will) we’ll get something better in return. Invest a penny, earn a pound...It’s a brilliant act of” scriptural “contortion to get Jesus to sound like a prosperity preacher.”
Now, not all attempts at understanding this text have been efforts to get around it, to find a loophole or exemption. The rich, mystical tradition of the desert fathers and mothers was founded, in part, by trying to take this invitation to sell all and give to the poor, to follow Jesus by giving up all worldly possessions, to take it seriously. During the very start of Christendom, the desert fathers (and mothers too although these women did dress like and pretend to be men) they were disturbed by the mingling of empire and power with Christainity, of Constantine making Christianity the religion of the empire and going from persecuted to persecutor - rich, wealthy, lavish persecutor at that. And so, they took to the desert. Living in little cells, spread out monastic communities in which they spent their time in prayer and meditation, living in harsh and extremely impoverished conditions. And from that, we have great wisdom and teachings that were passed down. So too with monastic movements that take a vow of poverty, although maybe not as extreme as those who took to solo life in the desert - much richness and mysticism has come from those striving to give up all they have to lead a life following Jesus.
And also, we recognize that, well...we aren’t all made to be monks and nuns and live out in the desert.
So the question is, how do we “manage” this difficult teaching of Jesus with our reality without completely dismissing it?
The ending to the rich young ruler’s story is the key here. The fact that the ending...isn’t really an ending. He went away shocked and grieving...yes. And...what does he do next? What did he decide? Does he stay sad the rest of his life? Does he decide that Jesus was just being hyperbolic and goes on living his life unchanged? Does he make a small change, placating himself and telling himself it’s enough? Does he, after a period of grief about this major life change and a period of discernment, sell all he has, give it to the poor and follow Jesus? Was he at the foot of the cross? Did he become an evangelist? Was he a faithful member of the early church?
His story in Scripture is left open-ended. Much like how Mark also leaves the story of the women at Jesus’s empty tomb.
Mark 16:5-8 reads:
"As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
Now, people have been so uncomfortable with Mark ending in such an open-ended way that throughout the ages people tacked endings on to the Gospel of Mark. There is the shorter ending and the longer ending and scholars will tell you that those endings were written later. The earliest manuscripts don’t have them - and Mark was likely the first of the four Gospels to be written. It ended in an open-ended way as if to say to the reader:
Now, not all attempts at understanding this text have been efforts to get around it, to find a loophole or exemption. The rich, mystical tradition of the desert fathers and mothers was founded, in part, by trying to take this invitation to sell all and give to the poor, to follow Jesus by giving up all worldly possessions, to take it seriously. During the very start of Christendom, the desert fathers (and mothers too although these women did dress like and pretend to be men) they were disturbed by the mingling of empire and power with Christainity, of Constantine making Christianity the religion of the empire and going from persecuted to persecutor - rich, wealthy, lavish persecutor at that. And so, they took to the desert. Living in little cells, spread out monastic communities in which they spent their time in prayer and meditation, living in harsh and extremely impoverished conditions. And from that, we have great wisdom and teachings that were passed down. So too with monastic movements that take a vow of poverty, although maybe not as extreme as those who took to solo life in the desert - much richness and mysticism has come from those striving to give up all they have to lead a life following Jesus.
And also, we recognize that, well...we aren’t all made to be monks and nuns and live out in the desert.
So the question is, how do we “manage” this difficult teaching of Jesus with our reality without completely dismissing it?
The ending to the rich young ruler’s story is the key here. The fact that the ending...isn’t really an ending. He went away shocked and grieving...yes. And...what does he do next? What did he decide? Does he stay sad the rest of his life? Does he decide that Jesus was just being hyperbolic and goes on living his life unchanged? Does he make a small change, placating himself and telling himself it’s enough? Does he, after a period of grief about this major life change and a period of discernment, sell all he has, give it to the poor and follow Jesus? Was he at the foot of the cross? Did he become an evangelist? Was he a faithful member of the early church?
His story in Scripture is left open-ended. Much like how Mark also leaves the story of the women at Jesus’s empty tomb.
Mark 16:5-8 reads:
"As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
Now, people have been so uncomfortable with Mark ending in such an open-ended way that throughout the ages people tacked endings on to the Gospel of Mark. There is the shorter ending and the longer ending and scholars will tell you that those endings were written later. The earliest manuscripts don’t have them - and Mark was likely the first of the four Gospels to be written. It ended in an open-ended way as if to say to the reader:
If they didn’t tell anyone - and obviously they did, right, cause you’re reading this Gospel, but it’s a rhetorical device to say - if they didn’t tell anyone then it’s on YOU! What are you going to do with the knowledge of the resurrection? Go and tell people! Spread the Good News that Christ is Risen!
And here, Mark could be using that same rhetorical device.
He went away shocked and grieving, but then what, now what? You write the ending for yourself...how will YOU respond to Jesus’s call?
Now, we are often led to believe that if we don’t answer all of God’s calls for our lives with the enthusiasm of Barney Stinson - an immediate “Challenge Accepted!” that we’re not being faithful. That we aren’t good disciples. But that’s simply not true and frankly, that’s not how most of us respond to God.
Even the disciples, who did leave all they knew to follow Jesus, were perplexed and shook by Jesus’s teaching here. And in the Bible, time and time again, the disciples mess up. They have to be corrected. They drag their feet at getting it right. They mess up. They’re clueless - and YET they DID go on to spread the Gospel, to preach the resurrection, to form the church...they even went on to giving up their very lives for Jesus.
We can see that even the disciples were on a JOURNEY in their lives to accepting Jesus’s invitation for them. It took time for them to be all that God was asking them to be.
So what journey is the rich young ruler on? We’ve already explored some of the options as to how his story could end...and even more importantly, what journey are YOU on?
The disciples said Jesus was asking for a hard thing, an impossible thing - who could do it? Who could be saved?
Do you ever feel like God is asking you to do a hard thing? Even...an impossible thing? Something that...leaves you shocked and grieving cause you don’t know if you could ever accept Jesus’s invitation.
It doesn’t even have to be a “big” thing - it can be big or small, depending on how you define it...
Is Jesus calling you to forgive; to confess, to say you’re sorry, to make amends; to get sober; to live a more simple life; yes, to give more of your money and time; to adopt; to foster; to take that volunteer role; to make that life change…
To somehow better serve God - to uphold the whole law of loving God and loving neighbor as self
Or to give up something in your life that is holding you back from love of God and love of neighbor - like the rich young man with his many possessions…
Perhaps you have heard God calling you to do this and have said, “No, no, God….it’s impossible. It’s too hard.” Perhaps you’ve heard God calling you to do this and you’re grieving cause you don’t think you could ever do it. Perhaps you have not yet allowed yourself to listen to what God is calling you to do or who God is calling you to be because you’re afraid of what God will ask of you. Perhaps you’re somewhere in the journey...Wherever you are in this, know these 3 things:
1. God is asking this of you out of love.
The line that strikes me most in this passage that is so easy to just gloss over is, “Jesus, looking at him, LOVED him, and said…” Jesus looks at you with love too. And if Jesus is truly inviting you to do a hard thing, an impossible thing, it is out of love.
2. What seems impossible is possible with God.
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’” Jesus will be with you in this, walk alongside you, make it possible.
3. Feelings of grief or dismay or shock or...anything are valid.
Answering God’s call for your life might be a journey. Reactions of those who answered God’s call in the Bible run the gamut from “Challenge accepted” to “went away grieving.” You are not alone in your journey. The rich young ruler’s story is open-ended. And so is your’s.
And here, Mark could be using that same rhetorical device.
He went away shocked and grieving, but then what, now what? You write the ending for yourself...how will YOU respond to Jesus’s call?
Now, we are often led to believe that if we don’t answer all of God’s calls for our lives with the enthusiasm of Barney Stinson - an immediate “Challenge Accepted!” that we’re not being faithful. That we aren’t good disciples. But that’s simply not true and frankly, that’s not how most of us respond to God.
Even the disciples, who did leave all they knew to follow Jesus, were perplexed and shook by Jesus’s teaching here. And in the Bible, time and time again, the disciples mess up. They have to be corrected. They drag their feet at getting it right. They mess up. They’re clueless - and YET they DID go on to spread the Gospel, to preach the resurrection, to form the church...they even went on to giving up their very lives for Jesus.
We can see that even the disciples were on a JOURNEY in their lives to accepting Jesus’s invitation for them. It took time for them to be all that God was asking them to be.
So what journey is the rich young ruler on? We’ve already explored some of the options as to how his story could end...and even more importantly, what journey are YOU on?
The disciples said Jesus was asking for a hard thing, an impossible thing - who could do it? Who could be saved?
Do you ever feel like God is asking you to do a hard thing? Even...an impossible thing? Something that...leaves you shocked and grieving cause you don’t know if you could ever accept Jesus’s invitation.
It doesn’t even have to be a “big” thing - it can be big or small, depending on how you define it...
Is Jesus calling you to forgive; to confess, to say you’re sorry, to make amends; to get sober; to live a more simple life; yes, to give more of your money and time; to adopt; to foster; to take that volunteer role; to make that life change…
To somehow better serve God - to uphold the whole law of loving God and loving neighbor as self
Or to give up something in your life that is holding you back from love of God and love of neighbor - like the rich young man with his many possessions…
Perhaps you have heard God calling you to do this and have said, “No, no, God….it’s impossible. It’s too hard.” Perhaps you’ve heard God calling you to do this and you’re grieving cause you don’t think you could ever do it. Perhaps you have not yet allowed yourself to listen to what God is calling you to do or who God is calling you to be because you’re afraid of what God will ask of you. Perhaps you’re somewhere in the journey...Wherever you are in this, know these 3 things:
1. God is asking this of you out of love.
The line that strikes me most in this passage that is so easy to just gloss over is, “Jesus, looking at him, LOVED him, and said…” Jesus looks at you with love too. And if Jesus is truly inviting you to do a hard thing, an impossible thing, it is out of love.
2. What seems impossible is possible with God.
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’” Jesus will be with you in this, walk alongside you, make it possible.
3. Feelings of grief or dismay or shock or...anything are valid.
Answering God’s call for your life might be a journey. Reactions of those who answered God’s call in the Bible run the gamut from “Challenge accepted” to “went away grieving.” You are not alone in your journey. The rich young ruler’s story is open-ended. And so is your’s.
And so is this sermon. My open-ended question to you is this:
“What impossible thing is God calling you to?”
Amen.
“What impossible thing is God calling you to?”
Amen.
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