(Sunday before Ash Wednesday, 7th Sunday before Easter)
Luke 18: 18-34
One of the highest spiritual leaders of the people asked
him, “Good Master,
what must I do to obtain eternal life?”
 |
| Heinrich Hoffman |
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is
good but One—God alone. You know the commandments, you shall not destroy
marriage, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not speak untruth,
and you shall honor your father and your mother!
He said, “All these I have observed strictly from my
youth.”
When Jesus heard this, he said, [Jesus, looking at him,
loved him and said… Mk 10:21] “One thing however you lack: Sell all of your
possessions, and give the money to the poor; thus will you achieve a treasure
in the spiritual world—then come and follow me!
He was sad about these words, for he was very rich. And
when Jesus saw him thus, he said, “What hindrances must those overcome who are
rich in outer or inner possessions, if they want to enter into the kingdom of
God. Sooner would a camel walk through the eye of a needle, than a rich man be
able to find the entrance to the kingdom of God!”
Those who heard this said, “Who then can be saved?”
He said, “For man alone it is impossible; it will be
possible however through the power of God working in man.”
Then Peter said to him, “Behold, we have given up
everything to follow you.”
He replied, “Amen, the truth I say to you. No one who
leaves home or wife, or brother or parents or children for the sake of the
kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in earthly life, and in
the age to come eternal life.”
Then he took the twelve to himself and said, “Now we are
going up to Jerusalem, and everything which the prophets have written about the
Son of Man will fulfill itself: He will be given over to the peoples of the
world; they will mock and taunt him, they will spit upon him and scourge him
and kill him; but on the third day he will rise up from the dead.”
Yet his disciples understood nothing of all this. The
meaning of his words remained hidden from them, and they did not recognize what
he was trying to tell them.
2nd February Trinity
Luke 18: 18 – 34
February 15, 2015
In spring the trees display the beauty of blossoms. Then
there comes a point: the petals fall; the beauty fades into a kind of death; and
ordinary green emerges. Yet where the blossoms spent themselves, hidden beneath
the leaves, there lie the fruits. At first they are small and hard. But
eventually, in the fall, the season of death, they will ripen to provide the
new life of the next season.
The rich young man was in full flower. He had fulfilled
all the commandments; he had accumulated all the cultural and spiritual riches
of his people. He was ready for the next step. But instead of giving him more
riches, more glory, Christ sends him on a path of descent, a path of sacrifice.
He is to shed the beauty of his ‘petals’ for the sake of others. Sadness
follows. At first the fruits of this path are small and hard. At the same time,
it is the path that Christ acknowledges that He himself is taking.
What took place outwardly for the rich young man takes
place for us now inwardly. We are not literally required to sell all our
possessions, though there may come a time when that is appropriate. Rather we are to be willing to inwardly
sacrifice, to let go of everything we have accomplished, all the knowledge we
have acquired, in order to take the next step in becoming fruitful to others.
Perhaps this means that we let children assume more responsibility for their
lives, for their sakes. Or we may recognize that we need to hand over some
leadership responsibilities to others for the sake of the group’s further
development. Or that we let go of the old ways in order to develop new
ones. In other words, we are being
reminded that there comes a point where we need to descend, to sacrifice, in
order that new life can arise. As Rilke
says:
….
Thus must it be, when willingly
you strive
throughout a long and
uncomplaining life,
committed to one goal: to give
yourself!
And silently to grow and to bear
fruit.[1]
….enter the breathing
that is more than your own.
….
Fear not the pain. Let its weight fall back
into the earth;
…
The trees you planted in
childhood have grown
too heavy. You cannot bring them along.
Give yourselves to the air, to
what you cannot hold.[2]
