Mark 10:17-31 “Give It Up” Page 1
Ocean View Presbyterian Church October 11, 2015 Rev. Gerald Egger
I have a little fable:
A scorpion asks a frog for a ride across a river.
They both need to escape rising floodwaters.
The frog refuses, fearful of the scorpion’s sting.
“But I cannot swim,” insists the scorpion.
“Besides, if I stung you while you’re swimming,
we both would drown.”
With misgivings, the frog consents
to ferry the scorpion over the flood.
They are halfway across the river,
when the scorpion jabs its stinger
into the frog’s back.
The frog feels a sharp pain.
Numbness begins to creep into his legs.
“Now we both shall die!” the frog croaks
(pun intended).
Adrift in the swirling water, the scorpion shrugs.
“I could not help myself. It is my nature.”
They both sink and drown. The end.
The scorpion’s request disguised the real choice:
Would you prefer I sting you now
or sting you later?
The scorpion’s nature wouldn’t allow anything else.
Creatures (including people) are what they are.
No matter how charitably one acts toward them,
their innate character and personality emerges –
such as attacking one’s rescuer,
even at the cost of one’s own life.
We will return to this fable
and life lessons it provides in a little while.
But we must weigh at the outset how hard it is
to change human nature.
It is human nature to preserve and conserve:
preserve our security and conserve our wealth,
as individuals, as families, and as congregations.
Our gospel lesson today is about discipleship.
Discipleship is more about sacrifice
than preservation–
specifically, self-sacrifice over self-preservation.
Once again we cross the threshold
into the upside-down world of God’s kingdom.
Last week, Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me.”
Let’s not forget how radical that gesture was.
In those days, young children were tolerated
as a nuisance until they were old enough
to contribute to the household.
Jesus turns cultural norms upside-down
by “welcoming” little children.
In the next scene, which opens our lesson today,
a reputable man kneels before Jesus and inquires,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
No doubt this man is highly regarded –
perhaps one of his town’s most generous citizens.
Jesus exchanges a little banter about good works,
feeding the man’s ego.
But in the end Jesus dismays the inquirer:
“As much as you have, sell it.
Give your wealth to charity.
You will gain spiritual treasure in heaven.
Then come and follow me.”
The inquirer slinks away, in shock and gloom,
for he has great wealth.
It’s hard to change human nature.
Preserve and conserve, that’s human nature.
Discipleship turns human nature upside-down.
Runny-nosed tots are welcome in God’s kingdom
but a ranking member of polite society is not,
unless he radically changes his priorities.
Another upside-down moment comes next
when Jesus is back-stage with the disciples.
He opens as if it were an obvious point:
“Won’t it be hard for the people of wealth
to enter into the kingdom of God!”
The disciples register amazement.
Scripture affirms over and over
that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing.
Jesus repeats the claim, adding a riddle:
