The Rich Young Ruler of the OC, (Continued by our Guest Blogger Rev. Morgan Murray)
To the world, you are your stuff. And perhaps the reason the Rich Young Ruler is “shocked” by Jesus’ teaching is that Jesus doesn’t see him this way. Jesus doesn’t see the status or the stuff. He sees a suffering soul, weighed down with capricious and oppressive expectations of the world. We remember what Jesus says: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).” Before this man can take on the “easy” burden of following Jesus, Jesus knows he must lay down the heavy burden of wealth.
Isn’t it possible to unburden ourselves of the world’s expectations without giving everything away? Yes, Jesus will say to Peter, it is possible – with God’s help. But Jesus knows it is impossible for this man to separate Who-he-is from What-he-has. The fact that this young man walks away so abruptly confirms that Jesus is right. The young man is like a patient who is told that unless his leg is amputated, he will die from gangrene. A doctor would only prescribe such treatment when it was clear that a patient would die with an infected limb or live without it. Jesus understands that this man will eventually die a permanent, spiritual death if he cannot separate his sense of himself from his possessions. If we see that Jesus’ instruction to the young man is really an invitation to find a new identity – a new way of looking at himself as intrinsically valuable as a beloved child of God – then we can see that what Jesus is saying here is one of the most beautiful and life-giving expressions of God’s love to be found in the Bible. This “hard teaching” is in fact a “loving teaching.” I believe we could fairly paraphrase Jesus’ this way:
Friend, you have certainly done your best to be a good person, but there is still one thing missing. You have not experienced the unconditional love and acceptance of God. It has nothing to do with what you possess or what you’ve accomplished. But until you have separated yourself from these things, you will never be able to trust that there are no-strings-attached to what I want to offer you. So here’s what I want you to do: Sell everything and give the money to people who don’t have anything. Don’t give it to me, because I neither want it nor need it. I want you for you, and I never want you to believe otherwise. After you’ve given everything away, I promise you that you will be free of the world’s phoniness and will start living in the Kingdom’s truthfulness. Then I want you follow me so I can show you how to get the most out of this new life.
I wonder if the young professionals of our day know that a life defined by unconditional love and freedom-from-phoniness is an option. As my lottery-winning friend’s experience shows, any person whose values are shaped by our materialistic culture cannot see such an offer as credible. To open oneself to Jesus’ offer of friendship is indeed to open oneself to a different reality. It is to open oneself to the possibility Jesus describes simply as “The Kingdom of God.”
Tomorrow: Where the Great Physician Went to School
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