The Good Life
Sixth Sunday of Easter | May 9, 2021
1 John 5:1-6
Matthew 19:16-30
What do you have to do to be a good Christian? It’s a question I frequently like to ask kids, and they typically give the expected answers. You have to pray. You have to read the Bible. You have to be a good person. You have to go to church. These are probably answers that adults frequently come up with, as well—though maybe you all suspect that it’s a trick question and wouldn’t say such things out loud. But I imagine it goes through your heads. It goes through mine. To be a good Christian? Yeah. You need to hear God’s Word. You need to know God’s love through promises like Holy Communion and fellowship. You need to be in relationship with God and God’s people.
You need to believe, for Pete’s sake! Believe in Christ. Believe in God. Trust in the Spirit’s movement. These are all thoughts that come to my mind as I consider the question. We typically avoid other equally valid responses, such as: You need to doubt. You need to question. You need to scream and yell at God, sometimes. You need to leave a community or church behind, sometimes. Those aren’t answers we want to consider. So, maybe we can understand the confusion the disciples feel as Jesus answers this young man who just asked him about eternal life.
First of all, the concept of eternal life isn’t necessarily a ‘heaven after death’ idea. Eternal life can also be interpreted as ‘abundant life’—the kind of life where you know you’re alive. I don’t know about you, but I often wonder how I can enter into that kind of life. How many of you look at your life as one big cycle of recurring events. You get up, you get the kids off to school, you go to work, you work out (maybe), you come home, you make dinner, you go to bed. And the next morning, you start all over again. And I know that many of us ponder whether we are really alive. What is the purpose of life if it’s just that cycle over and over again? What have I done with my life? What legacy have I left? What mark have I made on the world?
Kids, I know that you’re just getting started, but how many of you are always waiting for that next big thing? I can’t wait…for my birthday, so I can get that new toy or item I’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait until I’m in high school. I can’t wait until I’m old enough to drive…old enough to vote…old enough to drink. I can’t wait to move out of my parent’s house. I can’t wait until college. I can’t wait until college is over and I can start my ‘real life.’ Guess what? That’s not quite how it ends up. I can’t wait until I’m married…until I have kids. And then…you find your own self in that cycle of waking, working, and sleeping.
We go on mission trips and vacations and have spa days—all to try to create meaning and focus to our lives—to encounter a mountain-top experience. And like the young man in today’s passage, we just wonder what we’ve got to do to truly feel alive. What good deed do I have to do to make life worth living? What do I have to do to change the world? To make my mark?
We’re looking for some sort of checklist. Some sort of tangible experience—an item to have, an experience or trip to take. Something. So, Jesus complies. “Keep the commandments.” That sounds awfully simple. So we ask, “Which ones, exactly?”
“Oh, you know—don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat on your spouse, take care of your parents. In fact, love your neighbor as yourself.” Hmm. Check! (mostly). Did it. Done. What’s next? There’s got to be something more? That can’t be all there is to it! I don’t feel any different.
I can just hear Jesus sigh. We still don’t get it. We keep thinking that life is something that happens when we do certain things in a certain way—that we’ll feel something miraculous and holy take over. So, Jesus ups the ante.
“Okay, you want something that will change your life? You want something that will make a difference and leave a mark on the world and on you? You want to leave a legacy and FEEL different about who you are and how far you’ve come? You want that? Are you sure?”
And we perk up, thinking he’s going to hand us some magic pill. It’s kind of like thinking that if you take a special medicine or drink a special concoction, you’ll automatically lose weight, get stronger, and fit into those pre-COVID jeans. So, we put our hands out and say, “Give it to me. I’ll take it!”
And Jesus says, “Okay. Here it is. Are you listening?” And we lean in, waiting for the great secret. “Sell everything you own. Everything you have. Give up everything that you think defines you. Hand over all the proceeds to the poor. And then come with me.” Well, crap. It’s almost as if Jesus just told us to exercise and eat healthy in order to lose weight! That’s NOT what we want to hear. We want something ‘spiritual.’ And we turn and walk away, somewhat convinced that he’s just a charlatan.
The man wanted to feel alive. He wanted a quick and easy way to change his life. He wanted someone to tell him the one step he was missing in creating a meaningful life. But he just couldn’t grasp that his life was already meaningful. He was already alive. He was already living abundant life. He couldn’t grasp it because he couldn’t get past the idea that it was something he could create—something he could design—something he could achieve—something that needed to be applied from the outside.
The disciples were also confused by this exchange. You have a young, healthy, wealthy, Jewish man who has everything. Or, today we might say that we have a young, healthy, wealthy, white male Christian who has everything going for him. We assume that he has control of his life. We can’t fathom anyone like that struggling with anything. Depression. Addiction. Anxiety. Mental health challenges. Grief. Lack of purpose. That doesn’t make sense. He’s got it all—every advantage anyone could want in this world.
But Jesus tells us that for someone who has ‘every advantage,’ it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for people such as this to truly know life abundant. Why? Perhaps because this man never knew the value of need. He never knew what it was like to depend on someone else—to have to trust another—to be in the kind of relationship with another that necessitates faith. He has always had his privilege to help him get ahead.
And the disciples ask, “If someone with all that privilege can’t know true life, what hope is there for the rest of us? What hope is there for the homeless person living on the street? What hope is there for someone who has schizophrenia? What hope is there for someone who isn’t white, who isn’t male, who isn’t hetero-normative, who isn’t Christian, who isn’t American? If someone with all of THAT going for them can’t truly live, who can?”
Isn’t that the question? For so many of us who have so much, why do we still find it so difficult to feel alive? To truly live? To appreciate each moment—the sunrise that welcomes the day, the beauty of spring flowers, the laughter of a child, the dandelions peeking through the grass, the rain that falls and sends picnics indoors? What are we missing that we’ve lost sight of God’s gracious and abundant gift of life, itself?
And Jesus’ answer points out that the perspective we seek can’t be found in mountaintop experiences, extravagant vacations, elaborate celebrations, or even perfect worship services. He doesn’t offer a step-by-step guide to living the heavenly life. His perspective is given to us by God alone. When our eyes are open to see what God sees, we see the gift of life for what it is—pure love. The challenge for us is that we have so many things that get in the way of seeing that love. The young man in the gospel text was blinded by his stuff. Many are blinded by their privilege; others blinded by their anger; others blinded by their assumptions. What blinds you to seeing God’s gift of life and love in your life? Today?
Because it’s there. It has always been there. It is gift. It is eternal and abundant life, just waiting for you to enjoy it and share it and let it consume your heart. It is waiting for your embrace so that you can joyfully follow Jesus.
Pastor Tobi White
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
Lincoln, NE
