Sermon on Mark 10:17-22, for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost 2021 (B), "Single-minded Obedience"

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Today in Mark 10, a rich young man asks Jesus how he can enter eternal life. He focuses on what must I do and Jesus answers with obedience to the 10 Commandments. The rich young man confidently examines his life, and finds obedience everywhere he looks, and asks, “what more?” Jesus then gives the most decisive call to obedience. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “single-minded obedience.” That is, no questioning, no if’s, and’s, or but’s, nothing standing in your way—just give up everything, obey this one command: “Come, follow me.”

For all the details and nuances here, the bottom line was that the rich young man, thought he was an obedient follower of God’s commands, but proved he did not have single-minded obedience. He could not obey the simple command: “Come, follow me.” His wealth. He couldn’t obey Jesus’ command to part with his wealth, give it to the poor, and come follow Jesus. For all the details and nuances of our lives, what objections are in the way of our single-minded obedience to Christ? We may think of ourselves as obedient followers of God’s commands, but can we commit to this decisive call to single-minded obedience? To come follow Jesus?

Jesus really is calling us to come, follow me. He calls throughout the Gospels. Many respond with single-minded obedience. Peter, Andrew, James and John drop their fishing nets then and there and come follow Jesus. Matthew, the tax collector walks away from his tax booth. Others protest and delay and say they have family business to wrap up first, or someone to bury, or this or that. But Jesus pushes for a simple black and white, yes or no, are you in or out. Come follow me or don’t. That’s why Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls it “single-minded obedience.” Jesus demands our unconditional attention, against all competing interests. He knows it’s a tall order.

Notice the tender detail recorded by Mark. In vs. 20-21, when the rich young man said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”…Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” It says Jesus looked at him and loved him. He saw how this young man was yearning for the kingdom, and Jesus wanted him to have it! If Jesus loves him and us so much, then why the tall order, for unconditional, single-minded obedience? Because worldly things and worldly objections can’t stand in the way. No matter what they are. Your wealth, your responsibilities, your prior commitments, your activities, whatever we use as a plausible reason to hold off, postpone, delay, or give Jesus anything less than our 100%. Jesus’ love won’t allow us to be double-minded. To split priority or split commitment with Him. We can only have one master, one Lord, and it’s Him or its not.

Now this word “obedience” might trip us up as Lutherans. And for good reason. After all, how does it relate to his big question: “What must I do, to inherit eternal life?” Well-trained Lutherans will recognize that our own obedience doesn’t inherit eternal life. “What must I do” doesn’t fit together with “inherit”. We can’t ordinarily merit or qualify ourselves for an inheritance. We are never “owed” an inheritance, even from our own family! It’s rather a blessing and an undeserved gift. It’s like he really meant to ask, “What must I do to MERIT eternal life.” He’s so confident of his obedience to the law and his ability to go above and beyond, but Jesus shows him the yawning gap in his obedience. Wealth became his god and prevented his single-minded obedience to Jesus. If we could merit or earn an inheritance by what we did, I’d sure like to get in line for Bill Gates’ or Jeff Bezos’ inheritance! But obviously a person chooses their heirs, because they love those people, or because they are their children, etc. We didn’t become our parent’s children by earning it, or by our obedience. Even that is grace!

So again, what does single-minded obedience have to do with eternal life? It’s really not about OUR obedience, but CHRIST’S obedience. The young man’s attention was all on his doing. Jesus’ love showed the inadequacy of all that and called him toward what does count for eternal life. CHRIST’S obedience. “Come follow me”, is a tall order, because it means single-minded obedience to Christ. Don’t be afraid or hesitate to take the leap, because Jesus supplies everything we need to come follow Him! He doesn’t call us on a journey without providing for us. He doesn’t challenge us to do something but not give us the strength to do it. He doesn’t give us a responsibility and sit back to watch us flounder, without offering us the support and resources to grow into a new challenge. He does call us to do hard things! To follow Him is to take up our cross! He is all we need. We can follow Him without reservation or qualification because His single-minded obedience to God’s law gives us eternal life.

Jesus supplies everything, including our very obedience to follow His call. He gives the tall order but supplies the faith and strength to obey. Our job is not to look at our obedience and our actions. Our job is to look at Jesus’ single-minded obedience, and His actions that led Him to the cross. Our job is to receive all He has done and follow in the willing obedience that He supplies! He creates single-minded obedience in us when we come after Him.

Think of it like this. Look at the cross He’s carrying. We stare up at the tall order He lays down. Gulp! He looks upon us with love, and says, leave it all, come follow me. Wait, wait, wait! Where, when, why, how? What about this, what about that? I just don’t know…I’ve gotta, I’ve gotta…and so on and so on. You want me to follow you, like NOW? Yes. It’s that simple. Just come, follow me.

It echoes Jesus’ conversation about discipleship in Mark 8. I preached on it back in March. Jesus says if anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross, deny himself, and follow me (Mark 8:34). Are we going to engineer an escape plan or escape hatch to get out of the trouble of following Jesus? No, I want to follow Jesus…but wait…deny myself…what does that mean? Say “No” to my will, my ways? Let Christ lead, and I follow. That’s so open ended! Where is Jesus going to lead me? What’s my personalized discipleship plan? He’ll show you. Day by day, following His call, listening to His voice. Knowing His voice by reading His Word and following His call. None of us have the exact same path. But it’s in the same direction. Always following Him. The same Lord of all. Same yesterday, today, and forever. He knows where He’s leading you.

That cross is intimidating. How can I take up my cross and follow you Jesus? It’s all so open-ended! But it’s all front-loaded in those words: “Come, follow me.” If we single-mindedly obey Jesus’ call to follow Him, we’re accepting His promise: “I’ve got you! I’ve got this. Just trust me.” Everything else follows from that. Don’t worry about all that comes before or after, simply answer His invitation, “Come, follow me”. We let Him supply us, let Him lead us, and simply trust that He’s got it. Your obedience is lacking, even like the rich young man? Jesus has got it. It’s His single-minded obedience has got you covered. Follow Him, and He’ll create that single-minded obedience in you. Your worried that you might have to let go? Jesus has got it. He’s all you’ll ever need. Your worried how you will provide? Jesus has got it. The Father knows your every need before you ask.

When Jesus looks on us with love, knowing all our frantic anxieties, knowing our bag of insecurities, knowing our braggery and over-confidence, or knowing our fierce independence and unwillingness to accept help from anyone—whatever and whoever we are, when Jesus looks on us with love, He knows us. He knows what will free us from all that. He knows all our protestations and excuses, our delay tactics and waffling. He knows what will free us from all that. He looks on us with love and says: “Come, follow me” He calls. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. He’ll pry our worries out of our tight little fingers. He’ll turn a heart that is possessed by our possessions, into a generous and willing heart that says, “Lord, this is all yours to begin with. Help me use it in the way that best glorifies You.” He’ll turn a heart that is over-confident into a humble heart, that sees our need. He’ll turn our fierce independence into a realization that we’re not in control, and that He will be good to us.

All the little things we clutch and hold on to, He can help us let go. I can’t spell out where your journey for discipleship will lead, all I can tell you is come, follow Jesus. His Word still speaks to us today, His single-minded obedience to the Father is all we need to inherit eternal life, and He rules in your life today as always. Simply follow Him, and all these other things will be added to you as well. When He looks on us in love and gives His gracious call, He knows all we need, and He knows He will supply it, so by His single-minded obedience, we can inherit eternal life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.