I Did My Own Research

Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 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.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

One of the newest Halloween decorations you can get for your yard this year is a tombstone that says, “I did my own research.”  My tank, usually filled with charitable Christianity, has run pretty much dry for folks who think their own research is better than the research of the best scientists in the world, but that said, their “research” isn't what landed us in this spot that we're in.  The part that landed us here is the arrogant, individualistic, idolatrous notion of “I.”  I know best.  I am free to do what I want.  I know what’s right.  I have done my own research.  I have the freedom to do whatever I want.  I, I, I, I, I, I, I!  

It was that very same notion of the all powerful “I” that had the man in the Gospel story walking away from Jesus shocked and grieving.  Jesus saw this man's reliance on “I” the moment he came up to him and said, “Good teacher.”  When kids come up to the adult in charge and say, “You’re the best!” you know they're trying to beat the system.  Whether it’s a cookie outside of cookie time, a later bedtime, or a loophole for an off shore tax haven.

What must “I” do to enter the Kingdom of God? He asked.  There it was… he was looking to beat the system by getting into God’s Kingdom ON HIS OWN.  Whether on his merit, his money, his wits, or his strength... it really doesn’t matter.  Because the main problem wasn’t with his merit, money, wits, or strength… It was with his thinking that “I” could make it happen.  He THOUGHT he could do an end run on THIS thing, just like he had with everything else in his life… ON HIS OWN.  THAT was his real problem.  He had made an idol of his individualism.  He made himself into his own god.

But here’s the thing about the Kingdom of the big “G” God.  It’s harder to get into God's Kingdom ON YOUR OWN than it is to get a camel through the eye of a needle.  And that’s no metaphorical camel nor some giant carnival prop needle either.  It is harder to get into God's Kingdom on your own than it is to get a real, 1300 lb. humped back, spitting camel through a normal sized sewing needle with an eye that is just BARELY big enough for a thread to pass through!

Jesus knew that the danger for people with wealth was not the wealth itself.  It was assuming this would work just like every other part of their lives had worked… they would rely on “I” to get it done.  After all he’d paid people, pressured people, charmed people, conned people, and bullied people to make other seemingly impossible things happen before… Why should getting into the Kingdom of God be any different?  But it was different and Jesus told him so.  It really was impossible for his idolatrous “I” to get that very real camel through the eye of that VERY small needle… BUT… but… but… it is NOT impossible for the big “G” God to do it… and THAT is the point.  

The Kingdom of God is not something WE can buy, force, beg, borrow, or bully our way into with the unholy trinity of ME, MYSELF, or I. The ONLY way you and I and everyone else in all of creation can get through to the Kingdom of God, is if God, in God’s mysterious, loving, generous, grace filled way, reaches the divine hand through that terribly tiny eye of that very minuscule needle, grabs hold of us by the wrists on the other side, and then pulls us through!  I can’t do it.  You can’t do it.  All the money of this rich man PLUS Bezos, Zuckerberg, Gates and Buffet's money can’t do it!  

BUT… the Good News is, that God in Christ WANTS to do it FOR us, no strings attached.  That’s the promise we have in Baptism.  Now, God won't pull you into the Kingdom if you don’t want to go that way.  God will let you try as many times as you’d like to get in on your own merit, money, or power.  But in the end, the only way in is by way of a gift from God, and the only part we can play is to graciously receive it. 

For the man in this story he thought “I can get in on my wealth” but that’s not the only thing people focused on “I” try to use to make it in on their own.  Some say “I have guns and that will be my salvation.”  Nope.  Some say “I have the right prayer and that will get me in.”  Nope.  Others say “I’ve been really good and that will get me in.”  Nope again.  Money, Stuff, Weapons, Bravado, Cons, Lies, Connections, Good Deeds, Friends, Family, Smarts and Strength have ALL been used to help convince Me, Myself, and I to falsely believe “I” can make this happen. 

“I” paired with anything else, will neither get us into the Kingdom of God any more that "I" can get a camel through a needle.  For “I” it is impossible.  But God is ready, willing, and maybe most importantly, ABLE to pull us through as a gift.  How long we let “I” get in the way of receiving that gift is up to us, but the promise is that God's gift is already ours so may we all invite our "I" to get out of the way so that we can simply and graciously receive what God is giving us all.  Amen.