Essential Interpretation
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Ives
March 19, 2000
Mark 10:17-27 

       I am planning in the next three sermons to dispel a misunderstanding.   That misunderstanding has to do with an idea that seems to have been alive in Christianity from almost the beginning.  It is a belief that is still held by many today.  It is illustrated very well by a story I read in the New York Times Magazine about George W. Bush a couple of years ago.  I quote.

“George Walker Bush was visiting his parents in the White House one day when the talk turned to religion, ‘Mother and I were arguing- not arguing, having a discussion- and discussing who goes to heaven.’   Recalls the Governor of Texas, who at the time had religion very much on his mind.   Having dealt with a gathering drinking problem by abruptly swearing off alcohol, he had vowed a renewed commitment to his family and faith.  Bush pointed to the Bible: only Christians had a place in heaven.  ‘I said Mom, look, all I can tell you is what the New Testament says.’  And she said, ‘well surely God will accept others.’  And I said, ‘Mom here is what the New Testament says.’ And she said ‘O.K.’ and she picks up the phone and calls Billy Graham.  She says to the White House operator, ‘Get me Billy Graham.’  About two minutes later, the phone rings, and it is Billy Graham, and mother and I are on the phone with Billy Graham.  Mother explains the circumstances, and Billy says, ‘From a personal perspective I agree with what George is saying, the New Testament has been my guide.  But I want to caution you both.  Don’t play God.’”   (The New York Times Magazine September 13, 1998 p. 52.)

George Bush believes, as does Billy Graham though he does so with some caution that the New Testament holds to a belief that only Christians have a place in heaven.  It is an article of faith that can probably be found, if you dig deep enough, in every Christian denomination.  And although there are many of us like Barbara who believe that God is far more inclusive than that, we are hard pressed to find scriptural evidence for our belief.

That is where the misunderstanding is.  I hope to dispel, with the use of scripture, this destructive notion about the inhabitants of heaven.  And I believe it is very important to do so. This belief has caused more harm than we know.

And it has because, if we hold to a set of beliefs that ultimately excludes people from the realm of God simply because they do not believe like we do, then we cannot help but practice some kind of religious bigotry in our lives.   Because what we believe has much to do with where our loyalties are and subsequently how we will behave towards people.

          Love your neighbor can too easily, and does too easily slip toward, love your Christian neighbor.  So let us examine our scripture to see if we cannot dispel some of this religious exclusivity that has been a blight on Christianity far too long.

        I believe that it is essential when we begin to talk about any subject that has to do with exacting meaning from scripture that we all understand what we are doing.   First let us dispense with a very ugly myth.  It is essential to understand the fact that there is no such thing as being totally objective about what we read.  It is not possible to just read the scriptures and take them literally as if we were understanding the words without prejudice or from a particular perspective. In other words you cannot read scripture without interpreting it.  But the belief persists and it is one of the most destructive myths in the Christian world: the belief that we can read the Bible and simply take it at face value.

        I have heard people say things like,  “It is so plain and simple and straight forward that a child could read it and understand it.”   Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible must be viewed with a critical eye because it can seem to be promoting one thing but upon closer look there is a far deeper and different meaning that becomes apparent.

This is so because scripture comes to us from thousands of years away and from a far different culture.  What is written is conditioned by a different time and a far different world than we live in and if that were not enough, it is written in a different language.  Translating such a work is an inexact science. All of this makes it very difficult if not impossible to understand, at face value, what is written.

Besides we also know how imperfect human perception is.  It is imperfect because so many of our culturally based biases and own emotional tendencies either illuminate or obscure that which we are trying to understand.

There are so many variables and there are now so many tools by which to help interpret scripture that I believe it is irresponsible to not work very hard at interpreting the text.  Today’s text is a good example.

The young man in the reading has the same concern that I am addressing in these sermons. And he puts it right out there. “Good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  (Matthew 10:17).  After this question Jesus says a number of things and most of them point to the impossibility of this man inheriting eternal life. 

Though the young man has held to all the commandments Jesus says that he still lacks one thing.  Then he tells him two things that he lacks.  Jesus tells him that he should go and sell all that he has and give to the poor. That is the first.  The second is that the young man should go with Jesus.  If you read this it is impossible to tell what he lacks that is most pertinent to his inheritance of eternal life.  But we do know how the young man interpreted the words of Jesus.  The Bible tells us that the young man was saddened by the words and went away. The young man believes that unless he sells what he has and gives to the poor he will not inherit eternal life, even though he is a very good man.

In the next few versus Jesus does nothing to dispel that idea.  “How hard it is for those who are rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.”  (Mark 10:23)  And then the most famous.  “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.”  (Mark 10:25) 

I would say that according to the words of Jesus, up to this point, we all should be saddened by the words of scripture.  Because everyone here is far richer than most of the rich people Jesus was referring to.   20th century affluence is comparable to first century splendor.

If you selectively studied these words out of scripture and did something quite popular with those who would claim to be taking the Bible literally, that is “proof-texting” we would all be sunk.    Again, “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.”  (Mark 10:25) 

I have heard that passage discussed in isolation and heard the most scurrilous arguments trying to soften that up.  Something about “the eye of the needle” being a narrow gate in Jerusalem that camels too packed with stuff cannot pass through.  The thing wrong with that idea is revealed very easily if you go beyond the one sentence.  From the moment that the young man has started talking Jesus has spoken to him about impossibilities.  No one is good but God alone.  The young man lacks one thing then Jesus describes two things.  And, again “How hard it is for those who are rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.”   (Mark 10:23)   Of course we want to soften this but there is nothing to indicate that we should go that way with it, because Jesus doesn’t up to this point.

None of us shall be allowed into the realm of God.   If we proof text and we stop here there is no other conclusion. But if we do that and stop there, we will be like the young man who makes a mistake of interpretation and goes away long before the wider truth is revealed.

And the wider truth is this.  The way of Jesus is not the way of the impossible. There is no final judgment upon those who fall short.   Thank God because in one way or another we all fall short.  And Jesus has made this very clear.  Even this very good man cannot do enough to inherit eternal life.  And the disciples who seem to understand just how good he is are horrified at the idea that this man could not inherit eternal life.  “Then who can be saved?” they blurt out.

But Jesus is nonplussed and says so very clearly,   “With men it is impossible but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)  These are the words that make sense of this passage.   The passage is not about who is worthy of eternal life, which Jesus reiterates again and again is exactly no one.  This passage is about the nature of God’s grace which will reach out even to those so rich that they could care less about the Kingdom.   This is good news indeed.  We the rich also have a chance to claim our place as children of God. In Christ Jesus. Amen.