Rich Young Man

We hear this alleluia so that we can prepare

our souls to open our ears and open our hearts

so that the gospel, the word of Christ, will

dwell within us and not be something on the outside

of us. That's just a little liturgical tidbit

that is good to know. So we stand up, we sing

Alleluia with the choir, we listen, we rejoice.

Alleluia is a song of victory, of rejoicing.

Last month, actually for the last month, I have

been reminding myself and you about the fact

that the gospel accounts that we hear, it's not

something I choose every week. The gospel accounts

come from a lectionary, a book that's handed

down generation after generation, thousands and

thousands of years, 2 ,000 years, not quite,

but 1 ,500 maybe. For the past month, we've heard,

and I'm repeating what I said last week, accounts

of Jesus healing the blind, the deaf, feeding

the hungry. All so that we can trust in God's

power in Jesus Christ, his son. So we can follow

him. The church has a method, a lesson for us

each week. So that faith builds upon faith. So

that trust builds upon trust. When I was a choir

director. And then I became a deacon. There was

no reason for any of you to trust me with anything.

And then I became a priest, and it took a long

time. And still, I can't say to you, like St.

Paul, be imitators of me. No, no. This is about

Christ. But we learn to trust Christ when we

hear the word of God about him. Our trust grows

in him. The lesson builds. So last week, we had

a lesson that was a pivot point for us, a very

important message in our spiritual life. It was

a challenge about forgiveness from the heart

or the lack of forgiveness. This is a gauge.

We gauge our faith and our trust in Christ. Are

we willing to follow him to even do that? Because

we can only do that if we follow him. We can

only forgive. So the gospel probes into our hearts.

It reveals if we're on the right path. That path

is narrow. It's not at all assumed that we're

all going to be able to forgive that easily.

I know that's just a fact. So the gospel last

week... asked us to examine the gap, as one person

said, between what we expect God to do for us

and what we're willing to do for someone else.

Today, the gospel challenges us again. All summer

long, we've been hearing about what Christ has

done. Now Christ is saying, what are you going

to do? This is a key moment in our Christian

life. This isn't just some random gospel. This

is the point where we say, I'm with you, Lord,

100%. This man that we hear about, young man,

St. Luke calls him a rich young ruler, someone

with some influence, someone with some social

standing. Now just before this man comes up to

Jesus, St. Matthew tells us what's going on.

I have to believe that this man was standing

there waiting to talk to Jesus. And Jesus says

to the crowd, St. Matthew says that the children

were brought to Jesus, that he might lay his

hands on them and pray. And the disciples, you

know, kind of clueless at this point, like us,

rebuked the people. Don't bother the master.

He's busy doing religious things, right? But

Jesus says what? Let the children come to me.

Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom

of heaven. How wonderful. And he laid hands on

the children. And immediately, this young man

comes up to Jesus. And I imagine, doesn't say,

I imagine that he heard Jesus speaking. And perhaps

he was touched very deeply by what Jesus said

about the kingdom of heaven. I think that would

be true. And coming up to Jesus, what does he

say? Good teacher, what good thing shall I do?

I have to believe he put the stress that way.

What good thing shall I do to have eternal life?

You know the story. He went away sad since he

couldn't follow Jesus. He was caught in the middle.

In the middle of his own devising. He was caught

in the middle. He went away sad. On the one hand,

there is what he thought was real. solid and

important to him. In his case, it's different

for us. This gospel isn't given because we're

all rich and rulers and have influence. No, it's

given to us for more subtle reasons. He thought

his wealth was dependable. It's what he could

believe in and depend upon and believe on. His

riches, which is to say, He trusted himself,

his own power. And that's an idol. That's an

idol. That's on the one hand. On the other hand,

here's Jesus speaking to children about a kingdom.

It doesn't seem quite real to this young man

who said he did all the commandments, so he should

be right with God. But didn't the man just hear

Jesus say that the kingdom of God is like these

children? Why children? Well, it's important

for us to remember it's not because they're cute.

Children are cute. Or they're innocent because

they're not always innocent. and wonderful, and

they are wonderful, but it's not about that.

It's because children have no agency, have no

power, have no influence in this world. Do they?

They can only trust in their mother or their

father. That's how we are to be with Christ.

Money and social standing, children don't have

it. Opinions, children don't have it. But this

man, he could trust in that. And he needed to

hang on to that. He forgot what the kingdom,

and he had just heard what the kingdom of heaven

is like. Where your treasure is, Jesus says in

another place, of course, you know, there's your

heart. There is your concern. There are your

worries. There is your anxiety. So once again,

brothers and sisters, we speak today about the

heart. This man was caught, as we are often,

in the middle of his own trap between what he

feels is real and dependable and what he was

prepared to believe. And the reality of Jesus

Christ as trustworthy as the kingdom of God himself.

And the epistle today, you heard it. Let me remind

you what St. Paul said to the Corinthians. He

said that Jesus... after the resurrection, was

seen by 500 brethren at one time, at once, of

whom the greater part remained to the present.

He also tells the Corinthians the basic gospel

message. This was written sometime, I think,

in the mid -50s, if I'm correct. I declare to

you the gospel which I preach to you, which also

you received, and in which you stand, by which

also you are saved, if you hold fast to the word

which I preach to you, unless you believed in

vain. He's saying you could come, you can follow,

you can do all kinds of religious things, but

if it bears no fruit in you. It's all in vain.

Are we caught in the middle of some sin so that

we can't trust that Christ rose from the dead

and that he came to destroy the power of sin

over us so that we are no longer victims of sin?

We are no longer victims of death, but we have

power over both. Because we shall rise and our

sins are washed away and become wheat. Scarlet

becomes white as snow. That's what Jesus has

done for us. Are we caught in the middle of some

sin, some ideology, some passion, some fear,

some kind of shame, some kind of relationship?

Maybe some teaching we can't abide by. Maybe

a personal sin within us. Maybe it's just laziness

to get up in the morning to pray. Maybe it's

just inability to get to church on time. Maybe,

whatever, maybe it's the priest or someone else.

But it's not about those things. It's about Jesus

Christ. He's inviting us to share in the love

and life. In eternity and the glory of the kingdom

of God, the man says to Jesus, remember, coming

up, good teacher. No, no, much more than that.

Christ is inviting us to share in his divine

life. Elder Paisios, the saint who reposed in

1994, says this. Completely, completely have

trust in God. Leave everything. In his hands.

And believe that his love. Will act. For your

benefit. Let's bear fruit. Brothers and sisters.

Week after week of the summer. We've heard gospels.

Encouraging us to follow Christ. Completely.

To be his disciples. To truly live as a disciple.

We've seen his mighty works. To save us. We feel

in prayer. His grace. And if we don't, we need

to not pray harder, but to leave our sins behind.

And now we have this choice. The road can split.

Are we going to follow? Can we commit? And that

just might mean something very simple. Christ

calling you every morning and say, come follow

me. You pick up your prayer book. You pick up

your prayer rope. You pray and you follow. And

your heart is filled with peace. And then you

have trust in the Savior, like all the saints

that we are surrounded by now. What a wonderful

sight this is. Not just the ones on the wall,

but you too, brothers and sisters. Amen.