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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 19, 2007 Here’s Where We Draw the Line |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, March 19, 2007 by Fritz Foltz
Mark 8: 1-26
Many of us can identify with the rich man. We feel we are pretty good people. We want to obey the commandments; we do obey them within reason. But we get touchy when asked about liquidating our wealth and giving the proceeds to the poor.
That’s where we draw the line. We mouth the well-known rationalizations: “That makes no sense. If we did that, we ourselves would become poor and dependent on other people” or “If everyone did that, who would provide what we need?”
We miss Jesus’ point, because we insist on evaluating it only from an economic perspective. Jesus is expressing a spiritual truth found in most religious traditions. It maintains wealth will never completely satisfy us. The more we possess, the more we crave. Hindus claim depending on it is like trying to put out a fire by pouring fat on it.
Jesus loved this good man, but recognized one obstacle still separated him from his goal of eternal life. He had to stop depending in the last resort on his wealth and begin relying on him, the Son of the Most High God. That could be achieved by giving away his money to the poor and joining Jesus’ small band which practiced the life style of the early church. Placing their trust in Jesus, they shared their wealth according to the formula “from everyone according to his ability, to everyone according to his need”. That is where true spiritual satisfaction will be found.
This episode troubles many of us, because we share the rich man’s problem. Like him we really want to live with God, but an obstacle remains. We trust our money more than we trust God to satisfy our needs.
There is certainly some hyperbole here as when Jesus counsels cutting off our hand if it causes us to sin. We are not actually asked to give away all their money or cut off our hand. Still we all should be asking what stands between us and God and then placing that obstacle where it belongs in our list of priorities. Lent is a good time to ask this question and to remember when we seek first the Kingdom of God, everything else will fall into its appropriate place.
Let us pray: I give thanks, Father, that Christ makes sure nothing ultimately stands between me and your love. Help me to be honest enough to acknowledge those barriers that prevent my fully returning that love. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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