Mark 10:17-31
As I read the story this week, one phrase stuck out for me. “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” But, I thought, that can’t be the most important part of this story! Surely I should be preaching about this man – who he might have been or what his motives were. Or about Jesus’ response to him – ‘sure you can keep the commandments about your neighbor, but can you keep the first commandment, keep God as your only god and have no idols.’ Or I should preach about Jesus’ use of hyperbole in the camel and needle’s eye image. Or the disciples’ typical faith-less response. As with most gospel texts, there are myriad things to say and expound upon. But none of these possibilities sparked my interest the way this one phrase did. ‘Jesus, looking at him. Loved him.’
In the gospels, when Jesus looks at someone, it means more than just seeing them. The gospel writer users the Greek word hemblaypo . This word indicates not just looking at but really seeing. It means, literally “to look straight at or see clearly.” And, it means figuratively, “to look at with the mind, to consider, to think about.” You know from your own experience that there are layers to seeing. For example, you can see what a person is wearing, the color of their eyes, the color of their skin. You can also see something about their personality – the kind of clothes or makeup they wear, the way they stand. You can see how they’re feeling today – the look in their eye, the body language they use. And sometimes, you can see even deeper than that – what they care about, what makes them excited or afraid, what makes them tick.
And Jesus, Jesus sees all of that. And maybe more. When Jesus looks at people, he takes in everything about them – everything that he can see on the outside. All of the inferences he can make about their personality and emotional state. And everything he can deduce about their motivations, their passions, their hopes, their desires.
Jesus did just that with this man that day. The man ran to him and said he was seeking eternal life. He’d followed the rules and the laws, but he wanted to know, just to be sure, that he’d really find eternal life that way. And Jesus, looking down at the man kneeling in the hot dust, watching his sweat bead up on his brow and run down his face. Jesus, standing in the sun in the middle of the path that was leading him to Jerusalem, to the cross. Jesus, standing in the midst of a crowd that was rapidly thinning because of the difficulty of his teachings. Jesus looked at that man, and saw him – all of him. Jesus saw his faith, his ability and willingness to keep the law, his urgency to lay claim to eternal life. And Jesus saw his privilege, his riches, his arrogance, the way his richness was used to oppress others. And, Jesus saw his promise, his ability to use his riches to bless others, his urgency that could come in handy when the story of the cross needed to be told. And looking at him, seeing him… JESUS LOVED HIM.
Jesus loved him, and then invited him to be a disciple, a follower. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said. But in the invitation to follow Jesus there was also a challenge. Jesus said, give away that which makes you more powerful than everyone else. Make yourself as a servant, as a child. Trust your welfare and your future to me and to God. When you can do that, then you are following me. Then, you will have treasures in heaven. Then, you will have eternal life – the healing and salvation that God wishes for you, for your whole being.
This is not the answer that particular man wanted on that particular day. It was not enough for Jesus to look and to love. Or maybe, it was too much. The man didn’t want Jesus to really see him. The man didn’t want Jesus to answer honestly. The man perhaps would have done anything else Jesus might have said – but not this. This was too much.
I wonder, do we want Jesus to really see us? Do we want Jesus to answer honestly? When we claim to be Christians, to be followers of Jesus, do we truly intend to do what Jesus has said? Do we truly intend to give away whatever we have that makes us more powerful than someone else? Do we truly intend to be servants, like children? Do we truly intend to trust our whole welfare and our whole future to Jesus and to God? Only when we can do these things, are we following Jesus. Only then will we have our treasures in heaven, the present day healing and salvation that God wishes for us all.
But what does it take to become like this, to become this follower of Jesus? It takes doing as Jesus does – looking, and loving. But looking requires courage and it requires honesty. Just as Jesus looked at the man and knew everything – his gifts, his promise and his brokenness – Jesus looks at us and knows these things. And we must be willing to look into ourselves. To celebrate our gifts and our promise, and to repent of our brokenness. And then, as we look at others, really look at others, we need to recognize their gifts and their promise and their brokenness too. And, as we look at others, as we get to know them, as we offer them a piece of our hearts and a bit of our time. As we take the time to understand others and to care about them. As we look in this way, the love will come. Because that’s called relationship. And real relationships, where we really see each other and begin to know each other, that’s where God’s grace begins to grow. Between people, that’s where God’s grace flourishes.
I hope this means something for you, for how you live your life. But it means something for St. James too. As we journey into the future together, we seek to be disciples of Jesus. We seek to be followers. And that means we must look carefully and attentively at ourselves. We must trust our whole welfare and our whole future to God. And we must look at and truly see our neighbors, our community. The gifts they have, the promises they bring, the brokenness they share (or even hide). We are doing this by having the honesty and courage to consider and learn about and respond to domestic violence. But that’s not enough. Where else are we needed? What else do we not know enough about? Who else do we need to look at and love?
Being a follower of Jesus is an invitation, a blessing, and a gift in the grace of relationship. And it is also a challenge. A challenge to look at people, to really see them and care about them. A challenge to educate ourselves and to know them. And a challenge to love them.
Elana is a friend of mine who I met in seminary. She is a Christian, but she grew up in an extremely religious Jewish home. Her mother was born in Auschwitz, just a year before the Holocaust ended. Her father was an American-born Russian Jew. They attended synagogue regularly and Elana was sent to Hebrew school. When Elana was only 12, her dad died. This forced her mom to move the family, but there still wasn’t enough money, so they spent some time homeless. However, they found a new synagogue, and Elana’s family became active there. By the time Elana was 16, her family was no longer homeless. Elana continued to attend services and to help where she could. She participated in the singing, and she excelled in Hebrew and Old Testament. But when Elana was 16, her mother fell ill as well. It turned out that her father had received a blood transfusion in 1984, before blood was tested for the HIV/AIDS virus. Elana learned that he had died of complications from the disease, and her mother was dying as well. Within days, Elana’s mother passed away.
Where do you expect that Elana would turn during this time? She turned to her rabbi, to her synagogue. The place where she’d had her religious home. Only she found she was no longer welcome there. Her mother had died of AIDS. The synagogue shunned Elana and her family, just as many Christian congregations might have done.There was no place for them to go. Elana lost her faith in the community who had always supported her. She lost her faith in the Jewish people and traditions. She lost her faith in God. She was left, confused, abandoned, alone.
Elana’s story doesn’t end there. She eventually began attending Christian church services, which were more palatable because they weren’t the people who had shunned her. Not that they wouldn’t have if she had been Christian instead of Jewish, but Elana only knew how her community responded. Now, she is returning to her Jewish roots as a Christian person. But her story is just one example of how much power we have as God’s people. When we fail to look at people, to see their situations. When we become paralyzed by fear or ignorance. When we refuse to look honestly at ourselves, to look honestly at others. When we refuse to be in relationship, we hurt people.
Discipleship is hard. Jesus’ invitation to follow him really is a challenge. And we know we can’t do it on our own. But Jesus tells us, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Indeed, as long as we are in relationship to God – as long as we are open to following Jesus – God will make it possible. For God, all things are possible. Our God, who is faithful and forgiving. Ever seeing and ever loving. With this God, all things are possible. Thanks be to God.
As I read the story this week, one phrase stuck out for me. “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” But, I thought, that can’t be the most important part of this story! Surely I should be preaching about this man – who he might have been or what his motives were. Or about Jesus’ response to him – ‘sure you can keep the commandments about your neighbor, but can you keep the first commandment, keep God as your only god and have no idols.’ Or I should preach about Jesus’ use of hyperbole in the camel and needle’s eye image. Or the disciples’ typical faith-less response. As with most gospel texts, there are myriad things to say and expound upon. But none of these possibilities sparked my interest the way this one phrase did. ‘Jesus, looking at him. Loved him.’
In the gospels, when Jesus looks at someone, it means more than just seeing them. The gospel writer users the Greek word hemblaypo . This word indicates not just looking at but really seeing. It means, literally “to look straight at or see clearly.” And, it means figuratively, “to look at with the mind, to consider, to think about.” You know from your own experience that there are layers to seeing. For example, you can see what a person is wearing, the color of their eyes, the color of their skin. You can also see something about their personality – the kind of clothes or makeup they wear, the way they stand. You can see how they’re feeling today – the look in their eye, the body language they use. And sometimes, you can see even deeper than that – what they care about, what makes them excited or afraid, what makes them tick.
And Jesus, Jesus sees all of that. And maybe more. When Jesus looks at people, he takes in everything about them – everything that he can see on the outside. All of the inferences he can make about their personality and emotional state. And everything he can deduce about their motivations, their passions, their hopes, their desires.
Jesus did just that with this man that day. The man ran to him and said he was seeking eternal life. He’d followed the rules and the laws, but he wanted to know, just to be sure, that he’d really find eternal life that way. And Jesus, looking down at the man kneeling in the hot dust, watching his sweat bead up on his brow and run down his face. Jesus, standing in the sun in the middle of the path that was leading him to Jerusalem, to the cross. Jesus, standing in the midst of a crowd that was rapidly thinning because of the difficulty of his teachings. Jesus looked at that man, and saw him – all of him. Jesus saw his faith, his ability and willingness to keep the law, his urgency to lay claim to eternal life. And Jesus saw his privilege, his riches, his arrogance, the way his richness was used to oppress others. And, Jesus saw his promise, his ability to use his riches to bless others, his urgency that could come in handy when the story of the cross needed to be told. And looking at him, seeing him… JESUS LOVED HIM.
Jesus loved him, and then invited him to be a disciple, a follower. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said. But in the invitation to follow Jesus there was also a challenge. Jesus said, give away that which makes you more powerful than everyone else. Make yourself as a servant, as a child. Trust your welfare and your future to me and to God. When you can do that, then you are following me. Then, you will have treasures in heaven. Then, you will have eternal life – the healing and salvation that God wishes for you, for your whole being.
This is not the answer that particular man wanted on that particular day. It was not enough for Jesus to look and to love. Or maybe, it was too much. The man didn’t want Jesus to really see him. The man didn’t want Jesus to answer honestly. The man perhaps would have done anything else Jesus might have said – but not this. This was too much.
I wonder, do we want Jesus to really see us? Do we want Jesus to answer honestly? When we claim to be Christians, to be followers of Jesus, do we truly intend to do what Jesus has said? Do we truly intend to give away whatever we have that makes us more powerful than someone else? Do we truly intend to be servants, like children? Do we truly intend to trust our whole welfare and our whole future to Jesus and to God? Only when we can do these things, are we following Jesus. Only then will we have our treasures in heaven, the present day healing and salvation that God wishes for us all.
But what does it take to become like this, to become this follower of Jesus? It takes doing as Jesus does – looking, and loving. But looking requires courage and it requires honesty. Just as Jesus looked at the man and knew everything – his gifts, his promise and his brokenness – Jesus looks at us and knows these things. And we must be willing to look into ourselves. To celebrate our gifts and our promise, and to repent of our brokenness. And then, as we look at others, really look at others, we need to recognize their gifts and their promise and their brokenness too. And, as we look at others, as we get to know them, as we offer them a piece of our hearts and a bit of our time. As we take the time to understand others and to care about them. As we look in this way, the love will come. Because that’s called relationship. And real relationships, where we really see each other and begin to know each other, that’s where God’s grace begins to grow. Between people, that’s where God’s grace flourishes.
I hope this means something for you, for how you live your life. But it means something for St. James too. As we journey into the future together, we seek to be disciples of Jesus. We seek to be followers. And that means we must look carefully and attentively at ourselves. We must trust our whole welfare and our whole future to God. And we must look at and truly see our neighbors, our community. The gifts they have, the promises they bring, the brokenness they share (or even hide). We are doing this by having the honesty and courage to consider and learn about and respond to domestic violence. But that’s not enough. Where else are we needed? What else do we not know enough about? Who else do we need to look at and love?
Being a follower of Jesus is an invitation, a blessing, and a gift in the grace of relationship. And it is also a challenge. A challenge to look at people, to really see them and care about them. A challenge to educate ourselves and to know them. And a challenge to love them.
Elana is a friend of mine who I met in seminary. She is a Christian, but she grew up in an extremely religious Jewish home. Her mother was born in Auschwitz, just a year before the Holocaust ended. Her father was an American-born Russian Jew. They attended synagogue regularly and Elana was sent to Hebrew school. When Elana was only 12, her dad died. This forced her mom to move the family, but there still wasn’t enough money, so they spent some time homeless. However, they found a new synagogue, and Elana’s family became active there. By the time Elana was 16, her family was no longer homeless. Elana continued to attend services and to help where she could. She participated in the singing, and she excelled in Hebrew and Old Testament. But when Elana was 16, her mother fell ill as well. It turned out that her father had received a blood transfusion in 1984, before blood was tested for the HIV/AIDS virus. Elana learned that he had died of complications from the disease, and her mother was dying as well. Within days, Elana’s mother passed away.
Where do you expect that Elana would turn during this time? She turned to her rabbi, to her synagogue. The place where she’d had her religious home. Only she found she was no longer welcome there. Her mother had died of AIDS. The synagogue shunned Elana and her family, just as many Christian congregations might have done.There was no place for them to go. Elana lost her faith in the community who had always supported her. She lost her faith in the Jewish people and traditions. She lost her faith in God. She was left, confused, abandoned, alone.
Elana’s story doesn’t end there. She eventually began attending Christian church services, which were more palatable because they weren’t the people who had shunned her. Not that they wouldn’t have if she had been Christian instead of Jewish, but Elana only knew how her community responded. Now, she is returning to her Jewish roots as a Christian person. But her story is just one example of how much power we have as God’s people. When we fail to look at people, to see their situations. When we become paralyzed by fear or ignorance. When we refuse to look honestly at ourselves, to look honestly at others. When we refuse to be in relationship, we hurt people.
Discipleship is hard. Jesus’ invitation to follow him really is a challenge. And we know we can’t do it on our own. But Jesus tells us, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Indeed, as long as we are in relationship to God – as long as we are open to following Jesus – God will make it possible. For God, all things are possible. Our God, who is faithful and forgiving. Ever seeing and ever loving. With this God, all things are possible. Thanks be to God.
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