I. Theme – Working for Justice may cause us to change our lives and lifestyle
"Rich Young Ruler"
"He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions." – Mark 10:20-22
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Amos 5:6-7,10-15
Psalm – Psalm 90:12-17 Page 718, BCP
Epistle – Hebrews 4:12-16
Gospel – Mark 10:17-31
Today’s readings encourage us to work for justice, to release our attachment to things and to trust Jesus to form us into a people of compassion. Amos decries Israel’s unjust treatment of the poor and oppressed. Trusting in God’s justice, Job wants God to hear his case in person. The author of Hebrews points out that only through Jesus will any of this be fully accomplished—as our apostle and high priest, he builds us into “God’s house.” In today’s gospel, Jesus advises a wealthy man who seeks God to obey God’s commandments and to detach from his possessions and focus fully on God. With God all things are possible!
Being faithful to God calls us to live into God’s ways of justice. We need to love our neighbor as ourselves—it is the commandment Jesus gives us—and we cannot love our neighbor without seeing to their needs. And it is hard for us to see to their needs when we are too busy caring for our stuff, worrying about our material wants, rather than seeing the needs of others. This is a difficult lesson for us, and I’m not sure I’ll ever fully be able to let go of all the things I have. But I know that faith is a lifelong journey, and I don’t have to accomplish it all now. Before God, all our sins are exposed, but before God, all things are possible, all forgiveness is given, and all things are made new
II. Summary
Old Testament – Amos 5:6-7,10-15
Amos ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel during the height of its prosperity (760–750 BCE). Its wealth and power rested, however, upon injustice. In scripture, justice is more than the carrying out of abstract legal standards.
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 contains the declarations of the prophet Amos, that to live into God’s ways, we must do justice. We cannot ignore the poor and we cannot be blind to the oppression around us. To live in God’s ways is a hard call for us in today’s society, where in Western civilization, many of us live in privilege, enjoying the products made by poor workers in other countries and the services provided by those making less than a livable wage. What does Amos have to say to us about God’s ways of justice and mercy? Where are we ignoring the poor and allowing oppression to continue?
Justice is completed by the fulfillment of mutual responsibilities that arise from the particular relationships within the community, all founded on the basic bond between the covenant community and God. Injustice involves the use of power by the rich and the strong in disregard for the community. Still God offers life to the people if they will seek the lord. They are to seek God, however, not by relying on God’s presence at religious shrines. They are to seek God by ensuring justice for all.
Psalm – Psalm 90:12-17 Page 718, BCP
This psalm faces squarely the dark realities of the human condition within the context of faith. It laments the shortness of human life and seeks God’s presence so the people may rejoice in all their days
Epistle – Hebrews 4:12-16
The author of the Book of Hebrews which we cover in October is not clear. Most of the churches in the eastern part of the Roman Empire believed Paul to have authored the book though in the West authors such as Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, and even Clement have been considered as possibilities
The strongly Jewish character of the letter to the Hebrews helps to narrow down its date of composition, most likely AD 64–69.
Hebrews clearly lays out the present priestly ministry of Christ in the life of the believer. Jesus is both the divine Son of God and completely human, and in His priestly role He clears the way for human beings to approach the Father in heaven through prayer Throughout its pages, Hebrews makes clear that Jesus Christ exceeds all other people, pursuits, objects, or hopes to which human beings offer allegiance. Hebrews pictures Jesus as better than the angels, as bringing better lives to humanity through salvation, as offering a better hope than the Mosaic Law could promise
This message of the superiority of Jesus would have been particularly important to Jewish Christians in Rome, who were struggling under Nero’s persecution and were considering moving back toward the Mosaic Law.
This week’s reading unites two summary points based on the author’s discussion about Jesus’ superiority to Moses and the similarity of the Israelites’ situation in the wilderness to that of Christian believers (3:1–4:11). The early Church saw itself as the new people of Israel in the wilderness, living between the time of the exodus and the time of entry into the promised land—the second coming.
God’s word probes the inmost part of our being to reveal our true nature. Yet, in case this warning discourages us, the author reminds us of the graciousness of Jesus, our high priest. Verses 14-16 emphasize Jesus’ solidarity with humanity. Like the high priest who annually made atonement by entering the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16:1-19), Jesus “has passed through the heavens” (v. 14) to intercede for us. Because Jesus has gone before us, we can approach God’s throne without fear, confident of finding a merciful reception.
Hebrews 4:12-16 reminds us that before God, we are naked, exposed. But we are also forgiven through Jesus Christ, who has lived our human lives and knows our sufferings and our failings. Because of Jesus, we can go to God boldly, knowing that we are loved and forgiven, and that we can be made whole in our brokenness. There is nothing we can hide from God, but there is nothing to be ashamed about before God.
Gospel – Mark 10:17-31
Mark 10:17-31 is the story of the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus, but did not want to change his life for Jesus. This reading man centers on the difficulties of responding to the call to discipleship He was ready to follow the commandments, the letter of the law, but not change his ways of life. God calls us to let go of the possessiveness of possessions. God also calls us to consider how others live around us, and to remember that earthly, material things will fall away. This event illustrates Mark’s parable of the sower, in particular those who hear God’s word “but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing” (Mark 4:18). The focus is on God first. Thus Jesus rejects the word “good” for himself and redirects the man’s attention to God, the source of absolute goodness.
The man’s question reveals that he knows of his need for something more than a basic obedience to the commandments. Jesus’ response focuses on the root issue for the man’s conversion–his attachment to things. Jesus does not condemn material possessions, but urges detachment, freedom from “things” that allows for a more radical attachment to God.
Like many in Jesus’ world, the disciples believed that religious duties were easier for the wealthy than for the poor, and that God sent prosperity to the righteous and poverty to the wicked. Jesus’ teaching transcends these human limitations. He declares that eternal life comes to every human, rich or poor, only as God’s gift.
This is a hard lesson for all of us, especially in today’s consumer society. For those of us in Western civilization, we usually cannot imagine having less than what we have now. We look for 3 bedroom 2 bath houses or larger. We say “we need the space.” We often end up filling that space with stuff, stuff that is not necessary for life but we have determined it is. We ought to look at our brothers and sisters in the world and examine what it is we really need to live, and see the others around us who live with much less.
III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:
Old Testament – Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Psalm – Psalm 90:12-17
Epistle – Hebrews 4:12-16
Gospel – Mark 10:17-31