St. John’s Episcopal Church
Tallahassee, FL

Mark 10:17-31

The Rich Young Ruler’s Question

If you have been tracking along   
these last few weeks, 
you know that Jesus 
has been on a tear. 
He has gone from preaching 
to downright meddling! 

Two weeks ago 
it was “cut off your hand 
and pluck out your eye 
if they cause you to sin.”

Last week 
it was all about divorce. 

And this week, 
he’s on about everybody’s favorite topic:
money! 

It all starts today when 
a man runs up to Jesus, 
kneels down, and asks, 
“Good Teacher, 
what must I do 
to inherit eternal life?”

And here in Mark’s Gospel, 
this guy is described 
simply as “a man.” 

But in the same story 
over in Matthew and Luke,  
they go further, 
and they describe him as
1. young, 
2. rich, 
3. and a ruler.

When you hear that word “ruler” 
you can think of it like 
a commander, 
or a leader, 
or a chief . . . 
sort of like a member of the city council.

So, that means 
this guy is the trifecta! 

He is young. 
He is rich. 
And he is in charge. 

In fact, last week I heard a podcast 
with an Episcopal priest and his wife. 
They were talking about this reading, 
and the wife said, “Mm-hmm, 
I bet he was also good-lookin’.”

So this guy has got it goin’ on, 
and back then, in their culture, 
all of this would have been seen 
as a sign of God’s favor. 

People would have seen him 
walking down the street, 
and they would have thought, 
“Mm! 
My man’s got youth, 
he’s got power, 
he’s got success . . .  
must be doing something right 
‘cause look how blessed he is.”

So this is the guy 
who comes running up to Jesus and says, 
“Good Teacher, 
what must I do 
to inherit eternal life?”

But what he does not know 
is there is a fundamental flaw 
in that question. 

What Inheritance Really Means

So let’s talk a moment 
about that word “inherit.” 

“Inherit” comes from the same root word as “heir,”
as in being part of someone’s household, 
someone’s descendent . . . 
you know, someone’s “heir.” 

Sometimes when people inherit something, 
it’s something big.

King Charles recently inherited the throne
from Queen Elizabeth
because he was Queen Elizabeth’s firstborn heir.

But for most people, 
inheritance is usually something smaller, 
and maybe even a surprise.

Like maybe your great aunt Bertha dies, 
and you get a call, 
and someone says, 
“You’re never going to believe it, 
but Bertha left you this.”

Hopefully it’s something that makes you say, 
“Oh my gosh! 😀 Aunt Bertha left me that?!”

Of course, there’s always the chance it makes you say,  
“Oooh my gosh. 😳 Aunt Bertha left me that?!”

Either way, 
here’s the thing about inheritance. 
Inheritance is not usually given 
because you did something to earn it. 

Instead, inheritance is usually given 
simply because of a relationship . . . 
simply because you are an heir.

So this young, wealthy guy—
who has found success beyond measure 
and done everything right—
he’s thinking maybe 
there is something he can do 
to get at the biggest prize of all: 
the prize of eternal life.

And y’all, 
I’m not even sure he means “eternal life” 
as in the afterlife or life with God. 

I think he may mean, 
“How do I get eternal life here?
Is there anything I can do 
to enjoy my position and possessions 
here in this life forever?”

We’re all always trying 
to bargain our way out of death, 
and this guy is no exception. 

But what he does not know 
is that the best version of eternal life—
where there are no riches 
because God is our riches—
that kind of eternal life 
is already available . . . 
already right there . . . 
free for the taking  
to any and all who desire to receive it. 

What do you have to do
to inherit eternal life? 

You don’t have to do anything. 

Simply by being a child of God, 
your name is already in the will.

Letting Go to Receive

So, if all of that is true,
why does Jesus then say, 
“Hold on. Wait a minute. 
There’s one thing you still need to do. 

“If you really want ‘in’ on eternal life, 
go sell all your stuff . . . 
give all the money to the poor . . . 
and then come 
and follow me”? 

These words hit this guy 
like a ton of bricks 
because he has built his entire life on
acquiring, 
purchasing, 
procuring, 
performing, 
obtaining, 
doing, 
and taking. 

The very idea of doing the opposite—
of letting go 
so he can open his hand and simply receive—
is so foreign to him 
that he does not know what to do 
except to hang his head, 
and walk home sad, 
and sit alone among his treasures. 

Jesus says this to him 
precisely because Jesus knows 
that this is this guy’s idol. 

Jesus knows this—
this guy’s wealth . . . his “self-madeness”—
is the one thing 
tying this man down, 
holding this man back, 
getting in this man’s way, 
and—most importantly—
getting in between 
this man and God. 

When you think you can do 
everything for yourself—
that you can earn your way, 
do your way 
make your way,
into or out of any situation you like—
that is precisely when you lose sight 
of the God who has already 
done everything for you.

Truth is we all have our idols. 

We all have things 
that motivate and captivate, 
bewilder and beguile us.  

For some of us, it’s money.
For others, it’s our ego or insecurity. 
For others, it’s our need for control. 

It can be 
our grudges and grievances, 
our secrets or our sins.

It can be food 
or family, 
or fentanyl, 
or fear.

Or it can be our enslavement to
self-help and self-care 
and all the other whims 
of our beauty- and self-obsessed culture.

But whatever it is you cling to, 
God is trying to 
open 
your 
hand . . . 
not to be mean and take stuff away, 
but to free you up
so you can receive.

Stewardship at St. John’s

We have come to that part of the year 
that we here at St. John’s 
call “stewardship season.” 

On the surface, 
stewardship season looks like 
just another a fundraiser, 
just another pledge campaign . . . 

but you have to understand 
that when we talk about such things here, 
we are talking about something 
much, much bigger 
and better 
and true.

Yes, together we as a church have a budget. 

Yes, together we have 
ministries to offer, 
and missions to share, 
and buildings to keep, 
and blessings to give, 
and clergy to love us 
and a staff to support us . . . 

And yes, together we rely on each other 
to make all of that happen 
to the tune of about 
two million dollars a year. 

And no, there is no 
outside funding source 
that makes it all happen. 
It’s us. 
It’s the family. 
It’s you and you and you and me. 

But when we talk about stewardship, 
we are talking about more 
than just that.

When we talk about stewardship, 
what we’re really talking about
is our inheritance.

What we’re really talking about 
is love. 

What we’re really talking about 
is being members of the household of God, 
and heirs of God’s eternal kingdom. 

What we’re really talking about 
is the need we all continually have 
to let go of our idols and ourselves 
and to open up our hands 
in order to receive.

Why We Pledge

Most of you—if you haven’t already—
will soon receive your pledge card in the mail. 
If you’re new with us, 
you’ll be able to pick one up 
here in the pews, at the front office, or even online.

On the surface, 
yes, your pledge card helps your church leadership 
to understand what we can expect next year 
so we can plan responsibly for the year.

But this is more than just a form to fill out. 
This, my friends, is an invitation to let go. 

It’s more than practical. 
It is also deeply spiritual. 

This is each of us saying, 
“I plan for my mortgage. 
I plan for my rent. 
I plan for my groceries, 
my gas, 
my hobbies, 
my healthcare, 
my children, 
my travels, 
my cell phone, 
my student loan, 
and my dog.

“Why in the world, 
would I not also plan 
to give something back to God . . . 
to have skin in the game . . . 
to support my St. John’s . . . 

“to open my hand 
and live without fear 
because I actually believe 
that I am a child of God, 
and I readily give back 
some of what God has given to me?”

Your pledge is confidential. 
It is truly between you and God, 
and honestly, it’s not about 
whether it’s something large or small.

If you feel called to pledge more 
than what you gave this year, 
well God bless you.

If your circumstances require 
that you pledge a little less, 
well God bless you. 

If you feel good 
about pledging the same, 
well God bless you.

And if you have never pledged before, 
I challenge you—
especially if you’ve been here for a while—
to the spiritual exercise 
of saying your prayers,  
and making the commitment,
and writing something down
so you can feel what it’s like 
to open up and give. 
It tell you what . . . 
it feels a lot like freedom. 

On Sunday, November 17, 
we’ll gather them our pledges together 
so we can ask God’s blessing on them right here 
as an act of worship and love. 

You want to be part of that.

The Grace for Us Today

But here’s the bottom line; 
here’s the grace for us all today. 

You, by virtue of your baptism, 
are already, 
irrevocably, 
indissolubly 
an heir of eternal life, 
a child of the Holy Spirit, 
a sibling to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
a member of the household of God. 

You never had to do anything. 

Simply by being a child of God, 
your name is already in the will. 

So since we are made 
in the image of such a giving, loving, living God, 
who are we 
not to be giving as well? 

Because, don’t you see? 
God has already 
gone first, 
and he has given us 
everything.

Amen.

If you’re ready to make a pledge or learn more about giving at St. John’s, you can do that here.