Sunday, October 13, 2024
Sunday Reflection: Follow the money?
Famously, Mark 10 offers us this:
17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
So often, ministers and theologians have tried to make this be something other than what it clearly is: a condemnation of wealth. If it isn't clear enough, we have this in the next passage:
23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
We live in a society that worships wealth as much as anything-- just look at the presidential race if you don't believe me. It's a tragic flaw, that leads us in the wrong direction again and again. In my own profession, it certainly does-- the people who make the most money are usually working for those who are polluting our earth, abusing workers, finding ways to evade paying their fair share of taxes, and maximizing profit at the expense of the lives and health of our neighbors.
I see it again and again in my students, who often take the job that pays the most, even if they don't have loans to pay off. I talked to a mid-career lawyer recently, who is working for a huge firm and makes a lot of money. I asked her what she was working on. The answer? Defending the people who marketed opioids to far too many and led to a tragic addiction epidemic still plaguing our nation. Her vocation is working so that they can continue to do so.
We are failing to see what Jesus taught, even when he was most clear.
