Mark 10:17-31
Our passage today is one of those really difficult one’s that many people have struggled with.

Some people have taken the passage at face-value and have quite literally sold all their possessions and devoted their lives to the poor, and in doing so have sometimes made a huge impact on the world and in the lives of those they have given themselves to serve.

Others have read the passage with discomfort and perhaps even fear that they might not make it into heaven because they are unable to sell all they have and give it to the poor. For such people, the passage seems to come as a judgement because they just can’t live up to it’s demanding expectations.

Often underlying this sense of judgement is a dreadful fear that fundamentally, God can’t actually be trusted and that given the slightest mistake or weakness God is going to throw us into hell.

I believe that not only is that unhelpful, but it is also untrue.

Firstly I believe that whenever we read difficult passages in the Bible it is really important that we remind ourselves of the underlying fact that God loves us beyond our ability to comprehend. Archbishop Desmond Tutu used to say that God is not waiting to see how many people he can throw into hell. God is waiting to see how many people he can drag up into heaven. And the hell that God is seeking to save us from is not an eternal hell of God’s making, but rather a temporary hell of our own making.

And so, when we read a difficult passage like this one today, I believe that we need to read it with with an underlying understanding of God’s infinite love for us an all people and that God’s love for us far exceeds any human conception of love that we can have.

Secondly, when looking at this specific passage, Is it possible that Jesus’s interaction with the rich young man is not universally applicable but was a specific message to a specific person with a specific struggle?

What I do believe, is that even if this passage does not require all of us to sell all of our possessions and give them to the poor, it does invite us to reflect more deeply on our relationship with money and our relationship with our possessions and perhaps also, our relationship to the poor.

Before looking directly at the passage itself, I would like to tell another story that might help us to reflect more deeply on ourselves but that might also shed some light on the passage itself.

The story goes that a boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long." they answered in unison. "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life."

The tourist interrupted,
"I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?"

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City!From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?"

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the tourist, laughing."When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and have a few drinks in the evening and enjoy your friends."

And the moral of this story is: Know where you're going in life. You may already be there!

This is an interesting and challenging story. It really invites us to think deeply about our worlds obsession with material wealth and possessions.... making money at all costs, even at the expense our well-being and quality of life.

As we turn again to the text, we read that the man who comes to Jesus is young and he is wealthy. Probably wealthy by inheritance, and yet all his wealth has left him unsatisfied. Unfulfilled. There is a depth of meaning that is missing in his life otherwise he wouldn’t be coming to speak to Jesus.

Isn't it fascinating that we are told that the Rich Young Man comes running to Jesus. Why is he running? Is he trying to catch a moment with Jesus in between meetings. Maybe he only has 5 minutes? Life is such a rush managing all his wealth.

In the midst of his rushing, he knows something is missing. He comes to speak to Jesus

The rich young man is sincere. He has kept the commandments. His wealth has not been obtained by dishonest means. But it still has not satisfied him.

He is looking for something deeper. In English translations we are told he is looking for Eternal Life.

Some suggest that “Eternal Life” is a poor English translation. One commentator says that Greek word for Eternal Life might be translated to mean something like “timelessness”... he is searching for that dimension of life that is not affected by the decay and change of the material world. Some commentators suggest that the term Eternal Life does not so much refer to a life that goes on for ever and ever, but rather a life with depth and meaning, a life of joy and fullness. From this perspective the Rich young man is wanting to discover a meaning and a quality of life that his wealth has not brought him. In fact, it seems that it is even possible that his wealth has become an obstacle.

Do we posses possessions? Or are we possessed by our possessions?

Jesus sees the genuineness of his searching, the sincerity of his longing, but he also sees how much this man is possessed by his own possessions. And yet, despite this, we read that Jesus gazed at him and loved him.

Even when we are our own worst enemies, and we undermine our own true and deeper happiness, we are loved by God.

The passage ends with the young man going away sad. He is too attached to his possessions to be able to part with them, even when his deeper happiness depends on it.

But the end of the story is not sadness but hope and good news. Jesus reminds us that what is impossible for us is possible for God. In God’s good time, God’s grace will work within each of us to accomplish that which we are unable to accomplish by ourselves. Jesus words suggest that in this passage, what is impossible for this young man will in the end, in God’s good time, be possible for God.

Mark 4:26-29

This parable in Mark’s Gospel is often over-looked by preachers because it is so short and seemingly so simple. It is often called simply “The parable of the growing seed” and only takes a few short lines.

In brief, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like a person who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. All by itself the soil produces a crop. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat form and finally the grain ripens.

As soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.

What is the parable about? CH Dodd says that one can find different meaning depending on where you place the emphasis of the story.

-Is the point of the story the fact that the Kingdom of God is like a seed?
-Is the point of the story the emphasis on the process of growth?
-Is the point of the story the fact that growth happens all by itself, or that the farmer does not know how it all happens?
-Or is the point of the story the harvesting of the grain when it is ripe?

When I first read this, one of the shortest of Jesus’ parables, I didn’t consider that there could be so many different perspectives on just a few lines.

The line that really stood out for me comes in the middle of the parable: “Night and day, whether the farmer sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.

Firstly, whether the farmer sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, all by itself.

From the little I have seen, not many farmers are likely to lie in bed while the seed are growing. It seems that all year round there is more than enough to keep a farmer busy. Sleeping in doesn’t appear to be much of an option if you’re a farmer.

But in this line of the parable, we are reminded that when it comes to the actual growing process of the crops, there is in fact very little that the farmer can actually do. The farmer can’t make the crops grow. All the farmer can do is prepare the soil and sow the seed. After that the growing happens all by itself, as long as there is enough water, or perhaps if you’re living in Northern Ireland not too much water.

The actual growing process is out of the farmers hands. The growth of the seed happens all by itself. The parable suggests that even if the farmer had to sleep in late, it wouldn’t make any difference to the growing seed and plant. The seed and the plant would continue to grow. The growth of the seed happens all by itself. It is an act of grace.

When viewed from this perspective, the parable is a reminder to us that we are all recipients of grace. There is a dimension to living in this world over which we have no control. We cannot make the seeds grow. But we are all recipients of the fruit. We are all recipients of the harvest. It reminds us that so much of life is a gift. Grace is at work all around us. Nature and this world is a gift of grace. Grace is receiving that which we have not earned. Humanity can plant seeds, but we cant make them grow. The growth of seeds into fruit is a gift.

The second part of the verse emphasizes that the farmer does not know how it happens. Even in today’s scientific world, scientists and biologists may be able to record in minute detail the process of a seed growing into a plant. They may be able to document every stage of the growth. They may even be able to analyse which part of the seed contains the nutrients and which part contains the DNA. They may even be able to play around with the DNA and genetically modify a seed and a plant, but when it comes to the mystery of life, not even the greatest scientist can produce life itself. When it comes to the question of why it is that a seed grows at all, we are all brought face to face with an absolute mystery.

It reminds us that there is a wisdom and an intelligence that is at work in this world that we know nothing about.

In the words of Julien Lennon, “We’re so enchanted by how clever we are”, but in the end the principle of life remains a mystery to us.

And every time a farmer goes out to sow seed the mystery is repeated. All by itself, the soil produces a crop and the farmer does not understand how it happens.

It reminds us of our dependence on a higher and deeper wisdom and intelligence of life. Many modern people don’t believe in a higher power or a deeper wisdom. But nature itself is a higher power than humanity. Every time we celebrate harvest, this parable reminds us that there is a deeper wisdom at work than the human mind.

As mentioned above, it reminds us too that so much of life is a gift. Humanity can plant seeds, but we cant make them grow. The growth of seeds into the harvest is a gift of grace that reminds us how dependent we are.

This little parable that seems so insignificant on first reading invites us to two of probably the most profound religious responses.

1. Humility – There is no self-made man or woman in the end, because all of us are dependent on factors that are out of our control. All of us are dependent on the miracle of a seed sprouting and growing all by itself. Humility, because all of us are dependent on the wisdom and intelligence of the natural world that is greater than us.

Harvest reminds us that we are not the masters of the universe that we thought... because we all rely on a basic miracle, the miracle of life itself.

The word humility is an interesting word, it is a very appropriate word for a harvest service.

Humility comes from the word humus which refers to the rich organic competent of soil of the earth. To be humble is to live close to the earth. To recognize our dependence on the earth. To honour the wisdom of the earth. To honour the wisdom of the seasons.

2. Gratitude - When we realise how dependent we are on the deeper wisdom of life. When we recognize how dependent we are on the cycle of nature and on the hard work of others, farmers who are often up before us and often awake when we are already asleep, the natural response is gratitude.

Humility and Gratitude.

Mesiter Eckhart once said: “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is “thank you”, it is enough”.