Scripture/Sermon of the Day

17 As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

18-19 Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”

20 He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

21 Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

22 The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

23-25 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

26 That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked

27 Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

28 Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

29-31 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. This is the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

I. We talked about this reading at Bible Study last Wednesday night. The first thing we noticed is that Jesus didn’t want anyone calling him “good.” He said only God is good. And then the man went on to say that he was good. The other people in the Gospels who say they’re good are the PHARISEES. Remember the man who stood in the temple and thanked God for making him so good — and not like the scoundrel standing close to him.

II. I wonder if ALL OUR PROBLEMS — the wars, the conflicts between people — are caused by this kind of self-righteousness we feel. WE BELIEVE WE’RE BETTER THAN OTHERS — SO WE DESERVE MORE — money, job opportunities, happiness.

III. In ancient times, people believed some human beings were superior to others. People still believe this. A candidate for president of the United States is telling people that immigrants and migrants coming into the United States have “bad genes.” He said: “You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” Last year the same person said migrants are “poisoning the blood” of America.

This talk about “bad genes” and “poisoning the blood” is language Hitler used in his manifesto “Mein Kamph.” (My Struggle) He criticized immigration and the mixing of the races: “All great cultures of the past perished only because the originally creative race died out from blood poisoning.”

IV. This is especially perplexing because this man who quotes Hitler is in power because of Christians.

Fundamentalist Christians — who say the Bible is the literal word of God, are devoted to a man who calls immigrants and migrants “vermin, bad genes, and poisoned blood.” I don’t think all the Bible is the literal word of God —but one verse in Genesis I believe is the literal word of God. Genesis 1:27: “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:27 says every one of us, every human being, is created in the image of God. God made our genes, our DNA, our blood. And it’s all good. That’s what the Bible says.

So how do Christians who say the Bible is the literal word of God support someone who says the Bible is NOT TRUE — some of us are God’s image but some are not? You know how? Because Christians say the Bible is the literal word of God DON’T BELIEVE IT.

V. That’s why churches are shrinking. People are leaving the church, especially young people. One prominent evangelical Christian, a Southern Baptist named Russell Moore, wrote a book trying to understand why this is happening. It’s titled “Losing Our Religion.” Moore says, “We see now young evangelicals walking away from evangelicalism not because they do not believe what the church teaches, but because they believe the church itself does not believe what the church teaches.”

The Bible — and the church — teaches that we’re all made in God’s image. But millions of Christians don’t really believe that.

VI. Jesus told the man: “If you want eternal life, you must get rid of your possessions; give it to the poor.” In other words — stop thinking only of yourself and be interested in the lives of people less fortunate than you. The man’s greatest possession was the idea that he was good — better than most people. Jesus said he had to get rid of that, and realize he’s like everyone else — the image of God. But the man couldn’t give up the idea that he superior to others. He believed he had better genes, better blood — he was better — he was first. That belief was his greatest possession and he couldn’t give that up.

VII. Jesus said if we want eternal life, we have to get rid of these possessions — ideas — that tell us we’re better than others, better than people not like us.

We have to become “poor” again, and realize we’re just like everyone else — “the image of God.”

VIII. The disciples told Jesus people can’t do that. People need to believe their group is special — superior to others. We need to believe our genes are better or our blood is more pure.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” the disciples said. People can’t do this.

Jesus said — “People can’t change themselves. But God can. God can make us “the image of God” NOT JUST IN WORD, BUT IN PRACTICE.