What is it worth? Proper 25 Pentecost 20 26th October 2025

2025  10  26  Proper 25 Pentecost 20

• Joel 2:23-32 and Psalm 65    2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:15-30

 

You may be thinking, “Here we go again… another scripture reading about riches and a warning against being rich”.  On a superficial level we could get the impression that to be a child of God means we need to be poor.  Jesus says it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. There are several layers of meaning to the phrase, “Kingdom of God”.  It does mean Heaven, where God is King, but it also refers to the reign of Christ when he comes again to rule the earth, and it also refers to an attitude in our hearts where we personally submit to the kingship of God in our lives.   In the context of our Gospel reading, it is this attitude in the heart of the rich man, with which Jesus was concerned.

 

The rich man was a good and excellent man.  He wanted to be in a right relationship with God.  He was also a man of authority.  He is introduced to us as a ruler, and he addresses Jesus as “good teacher”.  This begins an important discourse, revealing something of the rich man’s understanding.  Scripture tells us, all of mankind fall short of God’s goodness.  Therefore, to call someone good, was to either equate them with God or to erroneously believe that one could attain a state of goodness such that eternal life could be earned.   Before Jesus answers the question, he tries to show the man his error.  But the rich man had a sense of his own “Goodness”, and he possibly expected Jesus to tell him so, and affirm him.

 

The man had been a law-keeper since he was a boy.  He would have been a great person to know.  He most probably, is like many today, who believe they keep God’s commands – those upstanding citizens who we know and who are good people.  They are often our wonderful friends who don’t attend church and wonder why we do.  They believe that they are good people and will go to heaven when they die because they are good law-abiding citizens.  The message from Jesus is important for us to understand as it has eternal consequences.  These wonderful friends can’t quote the first and greatest commandment, but they will know things like don’t steal or murder.  These are the commandments that Jesus quoted to the rich man, who enthusiastically said he’d kept them since he was a boy.  He missed that Jesus was giving him an opportunity to realize the commandments that Jesus didn’t quote – in particular, the command that is stated in Deuteronomy 6:4-5  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  The rich man missed what Jesus was trying to teach, and so Jesus gets to the heart of the matter; “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  Does Jesus ask this of everyone? 

 

From the prophet Joel we have the famous reading that we hear each Pentecost about God pouring out His Spirit on all people.  A wonderful aspect of this reading from Joel, is the promise that God is bringing good things.  God states that He will repay for the years that the swarming locust have eaten.  It speaks of a time of lavish blessings.  God is our father who loves to bless and give good gifts to his children. 

 

A time that I learnt this was when my girls were little.  I was struggling financially as a single mum, and my two girls had a half sister who was turning one.  I couldn’t afford to buy anything, but I thought that the girls ought to send a present.  I prayed about it.  There out the front of Best and Less, on a ridiculously low-priced special, was a polished cotton, blue, baby girl dress, complete with matching rompers and headband.  Still praying about it, I purchased and mailed it off, also praying that it would arrive at just the right time.

 

Fast forward to the story on the other side- The girls’ father was looking after his baby girl and was taking her for formal photos for her first birthday.  He went to get something to dress her in but couldn’t find anything suitable.  He only had practical clothes and nothing “Pretty”.  While he was still busy looking and agonizing over what to do, there was a knock at the door – the parcel arrived – and in it the most beautiful little polished cotton, blue outfit.  Perfect for her photos.  

 

This event taught me loads!   First of all, God provides.  Secondly, God loves to give us abundantly more than we imagine.  A pretty outfit is not a necessity.  It is something special.  This was God’s lavish love at work.

 

God is lavish in His love for us and lavish in all that he gives us. The prophecy of Joel is about the way the God will lavish His gifts on us.  Not only does He provide for us in the hard times, but he delights to bring us into times of blessing.  What would this reading say for our church today….?  But wait… there is more… in those days, He will pour out His Spirit.  THIS is His most lavish gift for the Church.

 

We read this at Pentecost, and there is a connection to the Holy Spirit being poured out on our Church and God’s law.  Jesus left room in his conversation, for the rich man to speak about the first commandment, but it was overlooked.  The feast of Pentecost, before the Christian church began, was a Jewish festival and it still is, and Pentecost is known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot.  It is a festival celebrated 50 days after Passover.  It was originally an agricultural celebration of the first fruits harvest it became strongly associated with the commemoration of the giving of the ten commandments at Mount Sinai, which also occurred approximately 50 days after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. 

 

So, here we are talking about the commandments again – but also first fruits which was a command that the people give the first of their fruits to God.  What was missing in our Gospel reading is to give to God first – to love God first.  The Holy Spirit comes to write God’s law in our hearts.  We might not steal or commit murder, but we are all imperfect in our ability to love.  If the rich man really did love God perfectly, he would have been willing to sell all his possessions and go and follow Jesus.

 

What about us?  Many people who have nothing find hope in God.  They put their trust in him and know his provision, his goodness and love, but those who are attached to possessions, generally put their trust in these things….. We put our trust in these things…  Jesus asked the man to sell everything and give to the poor, not because he wanted the man to be poor, but that he wanted the man to understand the surpassing richness of God.  It isn’t the wealth that is the problem, but our hearts and our tendency to trust in wealth and not value the glorious riches we have in God. 

 

Saint Paul described his life as being poured out like a libation.  Saint Paul understood life in eternity, as being a reward far greater than riches.  For this reason, he was willing to suffer and endure many hardships.  In this world, many are willing to suffer and endure hardships to earn money.  Consider mining work; it isn’t easy and means living away from your family for some time, but many families make these sacrifices because the reward of the pay is worth it.  But do we have an understanding of eternity such that we can see that eternity is so worth it?   Saint Paul and so many others who were martyred for their faith lived the way they did because they knew it was worth it…. Eternal life is worth it… God’s love… is worth it. 

 

Jesus lamented how hard it is for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God, but also added that what is impossible for man, is possible for God.  There was an element that the rich man was missing, and it is an element that most of us miss as well.  When we think that we are… hmmm… well… pretty good, and when our lives are comfortable, we miss that we need a saviour.  

 

What must I do to inherit eternal life?  What must any of us do?  Firstly, we can’t “Inherit” eternal life unless we are related to him who owns eternal life.  God gave people the law to show us what is best and what is good and to show us his glory and goodness – but scripture tells us that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 

The rich man needed to realize his need for a saviour.  His righteousness was self-righteousness and self-righteousness is a myth, as it bases our goodness on our own set of rules.  Pretty much, this is where most of the world is at now.  People will tell you that they are good.  Even those who are charged with crimes will tell you that they are actually good, according to their own version of the rules.  Eventually we need to wake up and see that if we want eternal life, God’s rules are the only ones that count and according to him, we all need a saviour!

 

Does God ask us all to sell our possessions and follow him?  He does ask us to have NO other gods before him and if that means selling all our possessions we must do it, because our eternal life is in peril.  If there are things, or people or hobbies, or activities in our life that keep us from whole heartedly following Jesus, we need to let those things go.   Even still, to inherit eternal life is impossible in, and of ourselves. We need a saviour because it is not something we can earn by our good deeds. 

 

The Good news is, that we DO have a saviour.  Jesus Christ.  We cannot live lives that are good enough, but God loves us and HE made a way.  Through baptism we are united to Christ, who perfectly kept the law, and what is impossible for us mere mortals, is possible for God.  Through our union with Jesus we become children of our God who lavishes us with every good gift.

 

Regardless of how hard we have things here, God declares He will repay for the years that the locust destroyed. The future is brighter than bright, rest assured.  But like Paul, keep fighting the good fight, living for God - giving all to him. Don’t fall off the track before the finish line.  Keep the faith!  Give to God our first and best – our allegiance, our heart!