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Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Would that all of you be like this man in this morning’s gospel reading. Would that we all share the same attributes and same humility that this man has in this morning’s gospel reading. I mean, consider this man. He is humble, seeking something from Jesus, and he knows he doesn’t have it. He’s not claiming to know everything. He does desire to truly know what he lacks. Would that we all have that same devotion.
He’s very spiritually fervent. He wants to find out what it is spiritually that he does not have. Would that we too also have this attribute. He is moral, upright. By all outward appearances, he is obedient to the law. Would that we also have such obedience. He is a good caretaker of the gifts that God has given him in that he is wealthy. He’s not squandered his wealth. He’s not misused the gifts that God has given him. Would that we be such faithful stewards.
So then, the question… Isn’t this the kind of man that we want in St. Paul Parish family? That we need more of these kind of men in this parish? And the answer? No. We do not need men like this. The reason we don’t need men like this is because this man thought that he could do something to make God happy. He thought he had the ability to do something to please God, to make himself right with God, to fill that empty space that he continually felt—he thought he could do it. And do you know what our Lord did to him? When our Lord heard what he asked and he heard what he said, our Lord looked at him, our Lord looked at him and loved him.
He did not condescend to him. He did not wag his finger at him. Our Lord loved him. Loved him. He asked, and Jesus told him, “Go and sell everything and give to the poor.” Now, would that we all took that example to heart. Would that we sell everything and give. Why, there would never be a budget problem in this church ever again. Amen. We would have every facet of this facility taken care of—brighter lights, protected glass. We would have beautiful landscape. We would be able to send children for free to our school. We would send young men and young women to colleges and to the seminary for full-time church work. We would have so many missions started and so many daughter congregations started all around this state. It would be remarkable.
Is that the kind of disciple that we need here at St. Paul? Boy, wouldn’t that be grand? The answer is no, it isn’t. We do not need that kind of a disciple here at St. Paul because it is still the thought that we can do something, just even ever so little, to be right with God, to be finally content on the inside, to finally have that empty space filled with something and not gnaw at us like an empty stomach. If we could just do just a little thing, that’s all. That’s what this man thought.
And do you know how Jesus treated that when he heard come from this man’s lips? Do you know how Jesus treated him when he turned around and walked away from Jesus? When Jesus saw him walk away from him downhearted, Jesus, the text says, looked at him and loved him. Loved him. I don’t know if you and I could do that. In fact, I am sure that you and I could not. Because we’re kind of all about comparisons, aren’t we? In our attempt to try to fill that empty spot, in our attempt to try to find that contentment, we compare ourselves with other people. We either lift ourselves up and say, “I’ve done more, I’m better than they,” or we lift them up and say, “You know, I’m not as good as they are,” and we beat ourselves up. Either way, we’re focused on what we’re doing. How shamefully sad.
That’s what this man was doing, focusing on what he could do, which is why he went away sad, because Jesus threw down the trump card and said, ultimately, “Let go. Quit trying to do it all.” But that would mean he would no longer be the captain of a ship. He would no longer be the pilot of his soul. He would have to entrust himself into… Why, he would have to entrust himself into the hands of a father. A loving father. A father who looked upon him and loved him, too.
There’s got to be more. There can’t just be this one thing, Lord. And yet, Jesus makes it very clear. It is just one thing. Now, many times this text has been misused. Misused in this way, that its focus is upon, “You shouldn’t have wealth. You should give it all away.” Can I name you a couple of sinners who Jesus never told that to? One, Zacchaeus, the highly culpable and sinful tax collector. He never said, “Give it all away, Zacchaeus, and then you’ll really be my disciple.” The man who had the tomb into which Jesus was laid, Joseph of Arimathea. He was a wealthy man, and Jesus never told him, “Joseph, sell everything you have and then come follow me.”
So this is not about self-imposed poverty, because that’s you doing something, isn’t it? To try to make you right with God, to fill the hole, to complete you. And it won’t, because how much is enough? You know, the last couple of Sundays we’ve been talking about children, and that’s been a theme—a very important theme. The last two Sundays, children have been mentioned very clearly in the Gospel reading. That is a very important theme because children, do you know what children do? They listen to what’s been told to them and they trust in it. They take it as Gospel. Double entendre intended, brothers and sisters. They hear what is told to them by the authority and they believe it and trust in it. “That’s what the teacher said. That’s what my daddy said. That’s what my mama said.”
The one thing that we need is to become more childlike in that way, to listen to what the Father says to us through Jesus Christ. Something else about a child. They never ever look to what they can do. They always look to what their daddy can do. Their daddy can whip anybody. Their daddy is bigger than King Kong. Their daddy can win all things. And they can’t. That’s why they have a daddy.
Now I have no idea of your own background or what kind of a daddy you have, and it doesn’t really matter because you do have a Heavenly Father who is bigger, more powerful, and more loving toward you than any earthly father. That’s the one thing we need too, isn’t it? Finally, the other thing that a child does, the child glories in his daddy’s love for him or her. “My daddy loves me.” That child shelters himself in that love. That’s the one thing this man needs.
And Jesus made sure it was included in this text. Jesus looked at him and said, “Love him.” Jesus didn’t give him a laundry list. Jesus was trying to point out to him, “There is nothing you can do. Quit trying to fill the emptiness with something you’ve done. Fill it with me, for a soul will not find rest until it finds rest in thee, O Lord. Not in me, but in thee, for thy gifts are good and gracious.” Those gifts being forgiveness, mercy, love, and as I just said, love—glorying in your daddy’s love for you.
Now it’s interesting, isn’t it? We tend to think that, and we have said, even ourselves, “Everything I have, I have from God.” That’s not really biblical. That’s not biblical at all. You and I have nothing. Job said it biblically correct: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. I have nothing.” I use a whole bunch of stuff. You and I use stuff. We use health. We use knowledge. We use the job that we’ve been given. We use money to pay bills. We use a house. We use a car. These are all things that we use, but we don’t own them.
They’re not yours or mine. We have nothing except one thing. You have the love of the Father. Your daddy loves you because of Christ Jesus. And that, that will never be taken from you. Remember Mary and Martha? Martha was all about taking care of things to make sure Jesus was comfortable. And Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are concerned about many things. There’s only one thing you need. Mary has chosen it, and it will not be taken from her.”
The one thing that this man in this morning’s gospel reading needs will not be taken from him. But he thinks he has to give up everything. He’s right; he does. But you can’t give up what you don’t have. Let me say that again. You can’t give up what you don’t have. If it’s not yours, you’re not giving up anything. You’re allowing it to be used by someone else. You and I use many things, but we own and have nothing except the Father’s love because of Jesus Christ. We have the Father’s mercy because of Jesus Christ. We have the Father’s forgiveness because of Jesus Christ. And it will never be taken from us.
Pray with me. O grant that nothing in my soul may dwell but Thy pure love alone. Amen. Oh, may thy love possess me whole, my joy, my treasure, and my crown, all coldness from my heart. Remove my every act, word, thought. Be love. This love, unwearied, I pursue and dauntlessly to thee aspire. Oh, may thy love my hope renew, burn in my soul like heavenly fire. And day and night, be all my care to guard this sacred treasure there, the treasure that will never be taken from me.
In the name of Jesus, who has made the Father my Father. Amen. The peace of God, which passes all understanding. Keep your hearts and your minds on Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.
