Luke 18:18-27 2024/12/15 Osaka Church
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
When a rich officer asked Jesus what he should do to receive eternal life in the kingdom of God, Jesus finally told him:
“Sell all that you have and give to the poor… and follow me.”
If possible, most of us would like to cover our ears to these words.
If I am expected to go to church regularly, endure long prayers to the end, show people that I love God, and confirm it within myself, I think I could do that. If I am expected to endure the intense hatred from those who have hurt me, give up on retribution or revenge, and practice the Lord’s teaching to “forgive,” I think I could just about do that. But I don’t think I could give everything I have to the poor.
“ I don’t own my possessions for myself, but to ensure a minimum standard of living for my family” “I am only holding onto them until I can find a way to use them effectively for society, for the poor…” No matter how many excuses I give myself, and no matter how many excuses others may accept as valid, I know that I am not practicing the most important commandment that Christ clearly teaches. I cannot enter the kingdom of God, I cannot have eternal life.
The rich official who asked the Lord this question with the same thoughts also walked away saddened. Will you walk away too? Looking back at myself, I feel like I want to give up on this sermon. It is not the kind of thing where I read a passage that I like, preach my own version of Christianity, and then show it to everyone and feel proud. I have no choice but to stand speechless before the harsh teaching of today’s Gospel.
Why does Christ command such harsh things?
The same Gospel is also reported in Mark, and it says that the Lord “looked at him, had compassion on him. and said to him. ” “He Looked at him and loved him” is the original Greek translation here.” One who loves others would never want to cause suffering to the one he loves. Jesus spoke the harshest words to the rich man and to us, knowing that we would suffer if we were told such things. How deep must His love be? This depth of love was finally revealed by the Lord on the cross. Even if we can only “stand still” in front of the words spoken by the one who loved us so much that he endured the pain and death of the cross for us, knowing that it would cause us pain, shouldn’t we stand firm? The Lord wants to somehow save us who are stingy with our meager possessions, unable to give them up, and who will surely perish in fear without knowing the joy that comes from giving up everything and devoting ourselves to our neighbors. Or maybe we are the ones who value ourselves more, and spend the wealth we have earned freely for our own enjoyment, and wonder why it is wrong… We are the ones who are about to lose our humanity by defiantly saying, “The poor don’t work hard enough, and they deserve what they get for it.” God want to somehow save us. We are so pitiful. The Lord is not teaching us the rules and conditions for entering the kingdom of God with a checklist in hand. He is appealing to us, “Let’s enter the kingdom of God,” and “Let’s obtain the true joy of man.”
As Jesus saw the rich man off, he said to his disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” He was saying that it is impossible. Then who on earth could be saved? The disciples couldn’t help but ask “Then who can be saved?” The Lord answered, “What is impossible for men is possible with God.”
“With God it is possible.” This is our only hope. In the face of the stern admonitions of Christ that never cease to drive us into a corner and torment us, even if we beat our chests and hold our heads in our hands and say, “That is impossible,” let us not walk away, but stand firm and join hands in unity, believing that what overflows there is not the cruelty of a malicious examiner ready to disqualify as many people as possible, but the love of Christ, God, testified at the Cross, who opens his arms to invite as many people as possible into his peace.