The Gospel for November 22, 2004
Luke 18:15-30
People even brought babies to him, for him to touch them; but when the disciples saw this they scolded them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ One of the rulers put this question to him, ‘Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery; You shall not kill; You shall not steal; You shall not give false witness; Honour your father and your mother.’ He replied, ‘I have kept all these since my earliest days.’ And when Jesus heard this he said, ‘There is still one thing you lack. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this he was overcome with sadness, for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to make their way into the kingdom of God! Yes, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ Those who were listening said, ‘In that case, who can be saved?’ He replied, ‘Things that are impossible by human resources, are possible for God.’ But Peter said, ‘Look, we left all we had to follow you.’ He said to them, ‘In truth I tell you, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times as much in this present age and, in the world to come, eternal life.’ (NRSV)
A Study
Jesus connects three dots for us in this teaching.
- We should desire the open hearts and unfettered minds of children so that the Holy Spirit can fill them with love for God and each other.
- When our hearts and minds are full of desire for the material, there is no room for the desire of the divine.
- Even when we have purged our hearts and minds as much as we can, our "good" doesn't meet the standard; Jesus reminds us that all is possible through God.
A Reflection
The writer of today's Forward Day by Day meditation pushed me right into an "Aha!" moment when he offered this:
"In order to receive the many things which God has to offer, our hearts and our lives have to be empty."
Earlier, in the stories of driving out demons, there was always the suggestion that the space vacated by the agents of the evil one needs quickly to be filled up with the Holy Spirit lest the demons re-enter with reinforcements.
Until I began [what they call in theology school] "deconstructing" the texts in scripture, and testing each pearl that I pulled off the string, I had gotten only the surface meaning of many texts. I had failed to understand the meaning of the way that these little cutouts of scripture are grouped.
My previous thinking was along these lines:
Sure, we ought to treat children well. Yes, Jesus wants us to give to the poor. I am not sure what's wrong with rich people that Jesus thinks they'll have a hard time getting into heaven, but I'll take His word for it. Thank goodness even the saints, who were "good," may have needed an extra set of freebies to get into heaven. Maybe I still have a chance.
Interesting and informative as a set of individual snips.
When they are assembled together Luke's writers let us know that Jesus reminds us that little children are capable of loving almost anyone, and have needs that are filled for them completely through their trust of loving parents. The reason they're like this is that their hearts and minds aren't filled with the lust for material possessions that occupy their every waking moment. The rich-worried-about-staying-rich won't make it through the strait gate because they have hearts and minds focused inward towards the "me" and therefore prevented from being focused out toward God and neighbor, whom we are commanded to love. Only by discarding our lust for things will we be able to follow Jesus, and since it's an imperfect followership, we are given grace from the Father to make it possible.
The text, unstrung, examined, and then re-assembled, now conveys for me a message far more personal, far more meaningful, and far more instructive. I know what it is that I need to change, now.
Before, I had an uncomfortable feeling.
Now I have blessed assurance.
A Collect
Almighty God, grant us hearts as open and loving as those of children; empty us of our unhealthy desires for the things of this world; and fill us up with the gracious love shown in your son, our Lord. Amen
8:52:42 PM 
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