Continually Given to Good Works

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It’s a real question. And it’s a question that people throughout the centuries and throughout the world – including all of us at one time or another – have asked in some form. The questioner in today’s Gospel reading from Mark is sincere. Although wealthy, he reports that he has conscientiously followed the commandments dealing with proper human relations. Perhaps he is a searcher, someone who is dissatisfied with the life he knows and is looking for something deeper. And so he accosts Jesus on his journey, humbles himself at Jesus’ feet, and puts his question.

Why are we hearing this story now? We are more than half-way through the gospel of Mark. In the first half of the gospel, we watched Jesus heal, teach, and commission others to spread his message. Three of Jesus’ closest friends have witnessed his Transfiguration. Now, post mountain-top, Jesus and his disciples are headed for Jerusalem. Mark’s readers and we are allowed to listen in as Jesus prepares his followers for life without his physical presence. We hear Jesus teaching them what bearing the Cross really looks like, and how a community committed to him actually will live out its life.

Jesus reminds his followers that the realm of God is neither a place nor a political system. It is not “pie in the sky by and by.” Rather, Jesus has proclaimed that they begin living in God’s realm now, as they pursue a way of life that will enable them to live in God’s realm forever. As Jesus has taught his friends, in God’s realm, there is no one who is “the greatest.” Jesus has talked about marriage and divorce, encouraging them to live in faithful committed relationships and stable families. He has exhorted them to live as spiritual children, realizing their dependence on grace and each other and recognizing that all are members of God’s family. Now, speaking especially to those of his followers who are wealthy, Jesus takes up the questions of their relationship to their resources and, more important, how they are to use their resources.

“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” So how does Jesus answer the man’s question? To our surprise, Jesus scolds the man for calling him “good.” In his scolding is an implicit reminder that all that is good in life comes from God. Jesus then reminds the man that the old rules of life, those that have governed the Jewish community for centuries, still hold. And notice that Jesus includes a rule not found in the original Ten Commandments: don’t get wealthy by fraudulent means.

Apparently, this answer doesn’t satisfy the man, as he continues to press Jesus. Jesus answers – but subtly shifts the question: he answers a slightly different question from what the man had posed. In his answer, he suggests that the goal of religious life is not “getting into heaven,” i.e., worrying about some life after this one. Rather, Jesus suggests that the goal of religious life is living in God’s realm now, i.e., beginning now to enlarge the self that the man will have when he comes to the end of his life. The man must not, Jesus implies, be overly concerned with self-preservation, with saving himself – what must I do. Rather, Jesus invites the man to cultivate lifelong wisdom, humility, passion for justice, lovingkindness, mercy, and hospitality. In inviting the man to “sell,” Jesus suggests that earthly possessions may become an obstacle in the way of pursuing such a way of life. Although he himself was an itinerant who owned nothing, Jesus knew – and cautioned the man – that the man was in danger of focusing on his possessions, on acquiring and maintaining them, rather than on his relationship with God and with other people. Finally, in inviting the man to “give,” Jesus reminds him of his obligation – and his joy – to make sure that others have adequate access to the goods of this world, to food, shelter, clothing, and all those other things that enrich life.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is not the real question. When you think about it, there’s nothing anyone can do to inherit anything. No, the real question for us is, how do we begin to live in God’s realm now, so that we may continue living in that realm when we pass from this life? In other words, how do we use our resources in a way that leads us to spiritual health and a larger soul? It’s a question all of us must grapple with, but it’s an especially daunting question for those of us whose monetary resources exceed our immediate needs.

So how do we live in such a way that our resources contribute to our spiritual health? Do we close all our bank accounts, draw out all our retirement savings, and give all the proceeds to charity – or to the homeless person in the next street? Traditionally, those who enter convents or monasteries do just that. Many courageous nuns and brothers go into poor neighborhoods and live simply, owning nothing, while working to end poverty and homelessness. For the rest of us, is Jesus suggesting that we go on welfare or join the homeless population?

There’s a part of me that would like to say “Yes, he is,” but I also know that there would be no Christian community without resources. So how do we live if we are Jesus’ disciples and truly want to become spiritually rich? To begin with, we are called to recognize the source of what we have. No one is self-made. Ultimately, all we have is God-given. Knowing that, we cultivate a sense of gratitude. And we can be conscientious in expressing our sense of gratitude. As spiritual teacher Henri Nouwen has taught us, ““Gratitude...goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

Second, as citizens of one of the world’s wealthiest nations, and as members of a culture that encourages us to amass vast amounts of physical possessions – indeed an array of goods unthinkable in the ancient world – we can begin to recognize the consequences for the earth of all our possessions. Just think about what goes into making the things that you own. And think about what happens to them when you are ready to throw them away! All of us need to learn to live more simply and to begin finding ways of life that are less destructive of our one and only planet, “this fragile earth, our island home.”

We can remember that ultimately we will all surrender every single thing that we own. And so, we can begin to use what we have more intentionally. Scrutinize your checkbook or your bank statement. When I do that, I cringe when I see, for example, how much I am spending on communication: on cable, internet, cell phone, and land line. Are you using your resources in ways that reflect your commitment to Jesus and growing a spiritually healthy soul?

We can commit to sharing what we have. When Jesus talks about selling and giving, what I hear is using intentionally and sharing. So ask yourself, who is benefiting from your resources besides you? Can you use some of your resources, even a small amount, to make life less harsh for others, to open doors for others, to partner with God in bringing about what in Hebrew is called tikkun olam, the repair of the world?

Finally, we are called to remember that we all have resources. Our “possessions” are all that we have been given, not only our physical possessions. And we all have resources beyond economic resources. Even if you are living paycheck to paycheck, even if you are retired, even if your health is limited, we all have resources. “No arm so weak but may do service here,” as the old hymn puts it. Besides our money, we have resources of talents and time. So, in addition to scrutinizing our bank statement, we must ask ourselves how we are using the rest of our God-given resources. Are we using all our resources in ways that contribute to spiritual health for ourselves and others?

The man in today’s gospel story chose to turn away from Jesus. We can hope that perhaps he thought about his choice and eventually came back to Jesus – maybe that’s how the later Christian community knew his story! However, we have promised to follow Jesus, to “obey him” as our Lord, as the baptismal covenant puts it. In having made the choice to follow, we can be assured of blessing and grace. We can be confident that God’s grace will indeed anticipate what we need and accompany us in our efforts to grow spiritually. With that confidence we can trust that our lives may truly “continually be given to good works,” and to enjoying God’s grace forever.