Keep your Money
Jesus and his disciples were a few miles outside of the nation’s capital. Jesus had been teaching about how one might enter the kingdom of God. As a child, Jesus told his followers.[i] To enter the kingdom of God, you must approach as a child, as in having nothing, as children apart from birthday cards and allowances have nothing.
Then a man kneeled before Jesus and asked the very question Jesus had just answered. Jesus’ words were still lingering in the air. This man appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You might know him as the rich young man.
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”[ii] The man wanted to know which boxes must be checked to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus rattled off a few boxes, the easier of the commandments to remember and keep.
Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, lie, or covet or cheat or dishonor. The young man bragged that he had not done any of those things since he was a child. In his opinion, the young man had a spotless record.
But notice, which I am sure you've already done, Jesus left out the first two commandments. The rest of the commandments were written on these first two: I am the Lord your God, and you shall worship no other gods before me.
Jesus did not ask the man how he was keeping the first two of God's top ten. Jesus asked the question with a lesson, a lesson that we today try to avoid, by telling the man to give it all away, all the stuff, sell it and give the money to the poor. Sell everything you have so that you have me, Jesus told the man.
This week we are beginning our annual stewardship campaign. This is the time of year when we plan for what lies ahead for our shared ministry. We dream, and then we develop a plan to make it all happen. Things like Bibles for third graders and books for families after a child is baptized, food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center, and continuing to support La Cocina's mission of job and entrepreneurship training for low-income families, toilet paper in the bathrooms, salaries, and health insurance for the church staff, and being able to continue stop-gap ministries like Community Assistance and the Pastors’ Discretionary Fund. Your generous giving has made this happen in the past, and we pray that it will happen again. In two weeks, you will be invited to make a financial commitment for the coming year. Between now and then, we will be exploring what Jesus has to say to us about generosity and generous giving. This is like an NPR pledge drive, but rather than cool gifts for you, we get to be in ministry together, being part of God's mission in Arlington and around the world.
Now back to Jesus.
You might be expecting one of two things to happen next: I could try to convince you to sell all you have, taking the proceeds and giving them to the church, or Brent is going to lead a camel into the room, and we will get that big boy to fit through the eye of a needle. Well, Jesus did not tell the rich young man to sell it all and give the money to the church, so that's off the table. I considered the camel bit but thought better of it, realizing spending $2,000 for a sermon illustration would be in bad form on the same day we began a stewardship campaign.
Eternal life, salvation, and the kingdom of God are not things to be bought or earned. The rich young man did not expect Jesus to tell him to sell everything. The rich young man wanted to talk about social morality, practical ethics, or have Jesus say to him after bragging about his righteousness that he was good to go, nothing else to be done. Go young rich man, and enjoy your eternal life.
The rich young man "lacked one thing.”[iii] This one thing was beyond conventional morality or practical ethics. This man needed to repent and turn away from the one thing preventing him from being all-in with God. The man's conversion was the other of the day, not an impromptu yard sale. This is where we appear in the story.
The man’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”[iv] was faulty from the beginning. You see, eternal life, salvation, and the kingdom of God are not things we receive by doing. There is nothing to be done because to inherit something, as the young man incorrectly stated, is to receive something. The thing you receive is yours, end of the story. The only people who inherit eternal life, or are saved, are those who realize salvation, for all people, is an impossible miracle.
Salvation is an act of God, and the ultimate inheritance and a gift we do not deserve, could never buy, and did not see coming.
A gift paid for at a great price.
Once realized, this gift transforms our hearts, becoming the thing we cherish most so that we do not have any other gods, idols before the Lord.
This good news transforms the entire way we live and view the world in such a generous way that we do not ask questions like, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[v]
What percentage do I give?
How much do I have to give?
Do I really have to give at all?
The generous giving we, you, do is not an obligation required to earn favor with God.
We give generously, all that we can because Christ has already given everything away for us.
A religious person, like the rich young man, may ask, “well, how much is the right amount?” but those who have experienced the amazing grace of God in Jesus Christ know generous giving is not about percentages or tax write-offs.
This is not a money issue. It is a Gospel issue.
Life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is about having your attitude about money, along with everything else, shaped by the good news that Christ has already accomplished all that was required for you to inherit eternal life.
Nothing competes for your love of God and neighbor more than money.
Nothing works against us growing in faith, following Jesus, maturing as disciples, and surrendering all that we have to God more than money, the pursuit of wealth, and the management of a lifestyle.
Jesus did not want the rich young man’s money, and God does not want yours. Like the young rich man, God wants your heart, and Jesus has already paid a lot for it.
In giving ourselves over to God, our whole selves, we care less about percentages and numbers, knowing that what we generously give pales in comparison to what has already been given for us.
