“DOLLARS AND SENSE”
Mark 10:17-27
Many years ago, I served as the pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Hayward, California. One summer, during Vacation Bible School, we gave children the opportunity to contribute to a special VBS offering. The goal was to teach stewardship. I was the one with the collection plate.
When I came to one small boy, he reached into his pocket, rooted, and produced a stick of gum, a paper clip, and a scrap of paper; but no offering. To his credit, however, he continued to dig; first one pocket, then the next. Not wishing to embarrass the boy, I looked away while he searched. And precisely then, while I was otherwise occupied, he placed a coin into the collection plate.
Regrettably, I did not realize this. So, I continued to stand by the pew, waiting, encouraging the boy with smiles and words: “It’s okay. Take your time.” Shrugging, he reached into his pocket again, while I looked away. And precisely then, as before, he dropped another coin into the plate. And still I stood, plate extended, waiting and smiling. This time, however, when I returned my gaze to the boy, he frowned, turned his pockets inside out and said, “That’s enough, Pastor. That’s all I got.”
I’ve never forgotten that incident. Three decades later, it has remained an eye-opener for me—the perfect metaphor for the way Christians often view a sermon on money. “That’s enough, Pastor. We get it. We learned this lesson last year, and the year before that.” But here I am again this Sunday, talking about money. If it is any consolation to you, I don’t enjoy sermonizing on money any more than you enjoy hearing a sermon on money. But the text and readings for today left me little choice.
Our first reading, Amos 6:1-6, is about money; specifically, about people of God more concerned with luxuries than repentance. Our second reading,1 Timothy 6:6-16, is also about money; about “the love of money” and people “eager for money”, who, in the feverish pursuit of wealth have pierced themselves with many griefs; pursuing work instead of God’s word; considering overtime more important than family time. Finally, today’s text, Mark 10:17-27, is about a rich man, who came to Jesus with an important question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”—and went away sad, because he preferred earthly wealth to eternal riches. This morning, then, let’s talk DOLLARS AND SENSE; not cents but sense, that is, a view of money based on Scripture.
Some Christians view wealth as opposed to the will of God. Those espousing this view often appeal to the example of the first disciples—Peter, Andrew, James, and John—who were ordinary, unschooled fishermen. Or they appeal to Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth,” 1 Corinthians 1:26. Or they appeal to the example of the apostle Paul; who, despite his extensive education, supported his ministry by making, mending, and selling tents.
Or they even appeal to the example of Jesus Christ, who said, ‘Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ Homeless. Paul wrote of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Other Christians view wealth as endorsed by God; as if bank accounts, stock portfolios, and property holdings were as important to God as all the treasures of redemption through Jesus Christ. Centuries ago, Paul warned Timothy about false teachers who “have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain,” 1 Timothy 6:5.
The same is true today. Godliness as a mean to financial gain is the essence of the so-called prosperity gospel preached by men like Oral Roberts, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and Kenneth Hagin. In this distorted theology, people go to church to get rich, not get saved. God is a banker. Prayer is an upscale department store. Want a new car? Good. Want a yacht? Better. Want a mansion in the Hamptons? Better still. God wants you to have these things. And if you don’t have them, brothers and sisters, your faith is not strong enough. You’re not praying hard enough. You’re not righteous enough.
However, in Scripture God neither condemns wealth nor commends wealth. In fact, many of the Old Testament patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; along with King David and King Solomon—were exorbitantly wealthy. According to 1 Kings 10:23, “So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.” Using modern money equivalents, some have calculated Solomon’s net worth at $1.2 trillion.
There is no divine commandment in Scripture which states “Thou shalt not be rich” or “Thou shalt pursue riches.” Instead, from the biblical perspective, if you are wealthy, consider your wealth a blessing from God. If you are not wealthy, consider that a blessing from God too; indeed, in view of today’s text, as an even greater blessing—as hard as that may be to understand for those of us who struggle with finances and dream of lottery winnings. Solomon, perhaps the wealthiest man to live, also wrote in Proverbs 30:8-9, “Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.”
God neither condemns nor commends wealth. But He often warns against its limitations and temptations. As Paul explained to Timothy: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,” 1 Timothy 6:9-10. This is graphically illustrated in today’s text; and the account of the rich man who came to Jesus with this important question: “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17.
You and I ask many important questions in life: Do I love this person? Should I marry this person? Should I attend this college, or take this job, or have this surgery, or buy this house, or join this church, or invest my hard-earned money in this stock portfolio? All are important questions with significant consequences. Yet, no question you and I will ever entertain in life is more important than this question: “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Said differently, “How can I be saved? How can I be certain of eternal life instead of eternal condemnation?” Is the answer ever money? No. Reduced to its essentials, today’s text teaches that money cannot save us; works cannot save us; and finally, only God can save us.
First, money cannot save us. Yes, I know. You may be thinking, “Tell me something new. I didn’t get up, get dressed, and get myself to church this Sunday to hear such a basic teaching of Scripture. I know money can’t save me. I’ve never worshiped a golden calf or a dollar bill.”
True. But the appeal of materialism is all around us: on TV, radio, and the internet; on magazine covers and in Madison Avenue commercials; in catchy jingles and advertising slogans; in direct mail and infomercials: “But wait. If you order now, you can get another one of these amazing, must-have products for only ninety-nice cents, plus shipping and handling.” The constant message is MONEY IS THE KEY TO HAPPINESS. And on our own, none of us are immune to this message. Is there a single person in church today who has never thought: “If only I had more money, I’d be happier?” Didn’t the rich man in today’s text feel the same?
Who was this rich man? We’re not told his name. However, when we examine the text and parallel readings—Mark 10, Matthew 19, and Luke 18—we learn a lot about his personal circumstances. For example, the man was “young,” Matthew 19:22. He had “great possessions,” Mark 10:22. He was not merely rich but “very rich,” Luke 18:23. And he was a “ruler,” Luke 18:18; perhaps a civic ruler or a ruler in the local synagogue.
In other words, the man in today’s text had everything that human beings and human nature desire: youth, wealth, possessions, power, and popularity. If we advertised these attributes on our church sign or in the Dakota Herald, what response would they bring? “Join us at St. Luke’s Lutheran on Sundays at 10:30 AM. We can make you young, rich, powerful and popular.” Wouldn’t everyone want to be here? Wouldn’t each of us want to be here? If you had a daughter of marriageable age, wouldn’t you want her to marry a man like the young, rich, and powerful man in today’s text?
Yet, despite everything the rich man had, something critical was missing from his life. There was something his money could not buy; namely, the certainty of salvation and true peace of mind; the knowledge that his sins were forgiven, and all was well between himself and his God.
And so the man asked Jesus, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” This was not a casual question or a trick question, as those queries so often posed by the religious leaders of Israel. This was an urgent, heartfelt question. How do we know the question was urgent? Because the young man ran to Jesus. And in ancient Israel, grownup men, especially rich, socially-connected, well-mannered men, did not run in public. It was considered undignified. Only this man did not care about his dignity. He cared about his salvation. So he ran to Jesus. And how do we know the man’s question was sincere? Because when he asked his question, he did so on bended knee.
How many others have had the same experience as this young rich man? How many have discovered that their money could not save them from unhappiness, guilt, or despair? How many names of the Rich and Famous could you cite today who had millions in the bank but emptiness in their heart? No matter the size of our bank account or pension; the spaciousness of our home; the dimensions of our property; the extent of our wardrobe or the expense of our jewelry; money cannot save us. If we don’t have Christ, we have nothing of value.
Second, works cannot save us. And yes, this is another familiar lesson. You and I know it well. But the rich young man did not know it at all—any more than Martin Luther knew it before the Spirit of God opened his eyes, mind, and heart to perceive the meaning of a Bible passage Luther had actually read and lectured on many times before; namely, Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ ”
Jesus wanted this rich young man to learn the same lesson; namely, that in matters of salvation and forgiveness and eternal life—the matters with which this rich man was so concerned—money was of no value, and human works were of no worth And dear friends, you and I can learn much from the way Jesus taught this young man.
When confronting the stubborn, smug, self-righteous scribes and Pharisees, Jesus minced no words in denouncing their religious hypocrisy. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness,” Matthew 23:27.
Yet, the rich young man who came to Jesus was not smug, stubborn, or self-righteous, but instead humble and sincere in his question: “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life.” Everything the Savior said in response to this question was meant to tenderly, lovingly lead the rich man away from trusting in his wealth and works to trusting in Christ for salvation.
Jesus could have said to the man, “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re no good.” Instead He said, “No one is good but One, that is, God,” Mark 10:18. Jesus could have said, “What makes you think you can do anything to inherit eternal life? You can’t.” Instead, because the young man wanted to pursue salvation by works—“What must I do?” he had asked—Jesus led him to consider God’s commandments. “You know the commandments,” Mark 10:19; or as stated in the parallel account of Matthew 19:17, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The realization should have been, “But Jesus, I can’t keep the commandments, not in the perfect way God demands. There must be another way to eternal life.”
Yet, what did the young man say? “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth,” Mark 10:21. And here the text adds, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”. Amazing words, aren’t they? In Greek, Jesus ‘AGAPESEN AUTON.’ Agape. That great biblical word for God’s love—that love which takes into full account everything wrong with someone and goes on loving anyway. And in that love, Jesus then gave the rich man the one commandment he would not be willing to keep: “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me,” Mark 10:21.
Do we still think that materialism and wealth can have no power over us? Tragically, this young man was willing to walk away from Jesus Christ rather than to walk away from the powerless, comfortless wealth that had driven him to Jesus Christ. And every fiber of our being wants to stand up and shout, “Wait, young man! Don’t leave! Don’t turn from Christ. You came running to Jesus. But now you are running away from Jesus. You’re running from the only One who can give you the peace of mind and the eternal life you so desperately desire.” Yet, every time I read this account, the young man still walks away.
Did Jesus condemn wealth? No. Did Jesus commend wealth? No. But the solemn warning He gave His first disciples is equally clear today: “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23. And again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” Mark 10:24-25. At these words, the disciples were first “astonished,” Mark 10:24; and then “greatly astonished,” Mark 10:26.
Why were the disciples so astonished? Because if the rich can’t earn their way to heaven, who can? If money can’t purchase eternal life for us, what can? If human works can’t achieve eternal life for us, what can? Jesus can. Jesus who thankfully said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible,” Mark 10:27.
What is the value of money when compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior? Paul wrote: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith,” Philippians 3:7-9.