Treasure in Heaven
Preacher: The Rev. Andrew Van Kirk
Passage: Mark 10:17-31
Series: Treasure in Heaven Stewardship Campaign
One day in the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton, the Isaac Newton known for gravity and the laws of motion, sat down at his desk, got out his ink and paper, and proceeded to copy, by hand, what he titled "The Preparation of [Sophick] Mercury for the Philosophers' Stone by the Antimonial Stellate Regulus of Mars and Luna from the Manuscript of the American Philosopher."
It was a long procedure for the distillation of mercury, which was needed to make the philosopher's stone, which was called that because one of the appropriate subjects of philosophical inquiry at that time was alchemy, the study of how to turn base metals, like lead and iron, into gold. That's right, the father of modern physics (not to mention Robert Boyle, his friend and the father of modern chemistry) was an alchemist. Isaac Newton wrote over 1 million words on alchemy.
Of course it doesn't work no matter how many words you write. The would be magic. There is no such thing as the philosopher's stone. But God has actually provided us with something similar, a saints' stone if you will, that can transmute earthly treasure into heavenly treasure.
But before we get to this idea about treasure in heaven, let's look at our gospel reading today. This reading is on the short list of readings that I'll get asked about at cocktail parties. Someone will come up to me, "You know that story about the rich man, the one Jesus tells to sell all his possessions?"
"Yes, I know that one."
"Does Jesus mean that all rich people should give away all their wealth?"
"Well, how much you got? And are you taking suggestions about where to give it?"
Just kidding. That's not actually how I reply. What I actually do is try to explain that, probably just as is true for my cocktail party interlocutor, this story is spiritually complex. I point out that there are lots of good rich people in the Bible, who – while very generous – do not sell everything they own. And I remind them that Jesus was providing spiritual advice out of compassion. Verse 21: "Jesus, looking at him, loved him."
I think we must never forget, when we talk about material wealth, that God's advice, God's commandments, come from a place of love. God's will for our earthly wealth is inseparably bound to God's love for our eternal souls. If you hear nothing else this whole stewardship season, here this: God's call to give comes out of God's love.
There's a lot to like about this man in the gospel reading. He's earnest. He's respectful. He "ran up and knelt before [Jesus], and asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'"
And after an oblique self-revelatory comment on the use of the word "good," Jesus answers: "Keep the commandments." And then he lists six commandments.
But there are Ten Commandments. Six is less than ten. So let's look at which six Jesus names. "You shall not murder." (#6) "You shall not commit adultery." (#7) "You shall not steal." (#8) "You shall not bear false witness. (#9), "You shall not defraud." (#10, with defraud substituted for covet). "Honor your father and mother." (#5).
Jesus names the entirety of the second section of the Ten Commandments, the commandments that are about our duty to our neighbor. He doesn't say anything about first section, #1 - #4, the ones are about our duty to God. This is not an accident! Jesus didn't just name the first six commandments that he could remember.
When Jesus is done listing the commandments, the man in the gospel reading is feeling pretty good. He says, I assume with a self-congratulatory fist-pump, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Alright. I'm doin' it. I got this.
And that's when Jesus looks on him and loves him, and says, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
Oh snap.
Now, the first thing we need to see is that whatever else may be true, Jesus' instruction to sell and to give must be related this first set of commandments, #1-#4, the ones about out duty to God. The others have already been addressed; we're good over there. Wherever the fault is, it lies over here.
The rich man's spiritual problem has to do with his relationship to God.
To put it another way, the rich man's problem is that he doesn't think he has a problem. He's done all the things. He's depended on himself, and that's worked so far. I don't know where his wealth came from, but he's a morally self-made man. And Jesus calls him to depend on God instead, by telling him to sell and give everything he has. You cannot inherit eternal life without depending on God.
Yes the poor will get the money, but this isn't actually even about that. It's about who gets the man's heart.
In variably, be they rich or not, the most generous people I know also work very hard. They have earned what they give. But they have not given their heart over to what they've earned; for they've come to know that their life is not in their stuff. As my friend Dave says, "I don't have stuffitis." The secret to generosity is not knowing you have enough to give, but knowing that what you have is not enough to live.
In the same breath Jesus says "give" he also says "you will have treasure in heaven." These go together, the giving and the treasure. As surely as Jesus says give, he also says get.
Please note, Jesus does not say, "Give and you will have another jewel in your heavenly crown," or "Give and I'll make sure you get a room in heaven overlooking the 18th green." Jesus doesn't promise us things that we won't care about in heaven.
In fact, we don't even have to wait until we get there to have it. The treasure in heaven that the man "will have" comes even before his coming and following Jesus. It's something he can have already now.
That's because treasure in heaven not stuff to possess in the afterlife, but it is transformed lives – our own, and those of others.
Enough abstract theology for a moment; let's be concrete. Imagine you're in heaven in the presence of God. What are treasure are you going to care about: the fancy embroidery on your heavenly garment, or the person singing God's praises next to you in whose life you made a meaningful difference by your giving?
We're going to be more overjoyed to have been a part of bringing others nearer to God than we will with all the stuff that fills our houses. In fact, making a godly difference in the lives of others is more joyous even here on earth than the stuff we own.
Giving, because it changes us and changes others, builds treasure in heaven. It takes earthly wealth and turns it into heavenly treasure. That's really what we're about around here.
But I also know that it can sometimes be hard to see the heavenly treasure that is built.
You give, ministry happens, and – well – what's in the treasure box? Over the course of the next few sermons, I'm going to try to pull some things out of the box that you probably haven't been able to see. Now, there are of course heavenly treasures that are built around here that I cannot see, but I do have a privileged vantage point. Second, I'm only going to tell you true things. But I am going to try to tell them in a way that doesn't just point people out and make them feel awkward.
So, let's take a peek in our treasure chest, shall we?
Getting this honey into this bottle was the product of years worth of giving by members of this parish. A bedroom in their house, money to help buy a car, driving lessons, hours and hours spent learning English, prayers, dental work, money for utility bills. Much of this giving individuals did directly; some of this giving all of you were a part of because it was part of the ministry of the church. Along the way there were tears, baptisms, smiles, and meals. And then, a job. The job at which this honey was put into this bottle, represented independence, hope, a new life, and a new faith in Jesus Christ. And in turn, this person had given us inspiration, hope, and faith. This is heavenly treasure.
Ah, yes. I remember this one. When she changed into this hospital gown, she had no idea it would be the last thing she ever wore. But mercifully her decline was rapid. Shortly after the doctor left, the church showed up. It was my face, sticking up out my clergy collar, that greeted her. But it's important you understand that I wore the mantle of St. Andrew's in that moment. When I knelt down by the side of her bed, grasped her hand, and said "We're praying for you and we love you," I did not mean "my family and I," I meant us. It's important that you know this, because the last words I ever heard her speak were, "I love you too. I love you too." And she did not mean me, she meant us. This is heavenly treasure.
By virtue of your being a member here, by giving to our ministry as Christ's Church, you go to people's lives in their darkest moments, in their final hours. You also go to their births and baptisms, their weddings; you go to field day at Burks Elementary, to lunch at the Samaritan Inn, to nine square games in the parking lot. There's heavenly treasure built in all the ways our giving leads to changed lives.
In this year's stewardship brochure we've unearthed a few more "everyday treasures" made possible by your giving here. And over the next couple weeks I'll be pulling other things out of the treasure box to try to shed light on our treasure in heaven.
We want to show you these things because the sort of giving to which Jesus called the rich young man, and the sort of giving to which he calls us – it's not just about giving up, but it's also about getting. Give earthly treasure, get treasure in heaven. Get transformed lives; not least of which is the one you yourself are living. Amen.
