THE IMPOSSIBLE BECOMES POSSIBLE
Mark 10:17-27 - October 2, 2005 - Pentecost 20
Dear Fellow-Redeemed & Saints in the Lord:
All things are possible with God. Today our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us that even the impossible becomes possible. Maybe in your lifetime you have seen the impossible become possi-ble. If not in your lifetime maybe in your parents’ lifetime the impossible became possible. There were many things that were impossible but became possible since the turn of the century. In the early 1900’s nobody thought about flying. It wasn’t long when the Wright brothers invented the airplane. It wasn’t long, not even in the 1950’s yet, where the people thought about walking on the moon was impossible. However, in the late1970’s people did just that. The impossible had become possible. Maybe there are many impossible things in your life that you can remember that became possible.
Those examples were just what man can do. Think about what God does--how the Lord God easily makes the impossible become possible. We were born into this world as enemies of God. In spite of that fatal flaw, God makes us his children, members of his heavenly family. The impossible becomes possible. It is all by God’s grace. Paul describes God’s grace in Ephesians when he writes: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not of works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). This is what Jesus is teaching in our text today--his saving grace, that
THE IMPOSSIBLE BECOMES POSSIBLE
I. Not by our works
II. Not by our wealth
III. But by God’s grace
I. NOT BY OUR WORKS
A young man comes to Jesus and his disciples. The disciples are with Jesus to hear all the questions of the young man and the answer Jesus gives. Maybe at the very beginning of our text you noticed the flaw or the mistaken idea of this man when he asked his question. "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him." It seems as though he was going to wor-ship Jesus; but yet, he says, "’Good teacher,’ he asked, ’what must I do to inherit eternal life?’" There is the fatal flaw of this young man. "What must I do?" This man was putting the emphasis on himself and what he could do to save himself. As we get to the end of our text, we find out this is impossible. Man cannot save himself.
Jesus what the man was looking for. Jesus told the man there were a lot of things he could do. He says first of all: "You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother." If you remember from confirmation class, this is the second table of the law, which says to love your neighbor as your-self. Jesus didn’t even talk about loving God. Why didn’t Jesus mention this? Partly, because this man was looking at himself so much that he forgot to look to God.
Remember that this man called Jesus a good teacher. What does Jesus say? Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good. No one is good--except God alone." Picture this man running up to Jesus and saying, "Good teacher." This is not a bad title. Jesus also realized, because he knew this man’s heart, the young man did not look at Jesus as the Son of God. He didn’t look at Jesus as the Savior of mankind, but looked at him as a teacher. Jesus had to remind him only God is good. If you want to do something, keep the commandments. What is the young man’s answer? "’Teacher,’ he declared, ’all these I have kept since I was a boy.’" The young man doesn’t wait, but thinks he knows in his heart that he kept all these commandments since his youth. He was a lifelong believer. This was a problem during the time of Jesus. Jesus came to the lifelong believers, Pharisees, who thought keeping the law would get them into heaven. Because of that, they didn’t recognize Jesus as the Savior. They didn’t recognize that keeping the law could not save them.
Keeping the law does not save us. What does the Lord demand of us? In another part of Scrip-ture it says, "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, is holy. Be perfect." When we look at our lives, we realize we can not be perfect. We can’t be holy because of our sinful nature. We can’t keep all of the laws of God. If we can’t keep the laws, we can’t get into heaven. The law does not save us. Our sins only condemn us. Paul writes in Romans: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Romans 3:20). Sure, as we listen to Jesus list these commandments (he doesn’t even list all ten of them), we still know we have done evil against God by breaking each one of these at one time or another. Maybe we have broken these commandments with our actions. Certainly all of us at one time or another have broken God’s laws (and still do so daily) with our words and even more often with our thoughts. It is impos-sible for anybody to work his or her way into heaven, because one sin condemns us. But what hap-pens? The impossible becomes possible by the mercy, the love, the grace of God, not by works, but by the works of Christ our Savior. In Titus we are reminded: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:4,5a).
By God’s grace, the impossible--the eternal salvation of enemies of God--becomes possible! In his mercy God has made enemies his children and part of his eternal family, not by our works, and not by our wealth.
II. NOT BY OUR WEALTH
The rest of the story continues. This young man was mistaken that he could earn his way into heaven. We also find out that he did not keep all of the commandments as he thought, did he? Jesus listed a few of the Ten Commandments, which the man thought he kept since he was very little. "’One thing you lack,’ he said. ’Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’" Jesus wanted him to have treasure in heaven. That is what the man was lacking. He had all kinds of treasures on earth. He had self-righteous feelings that he had obeyed God to the very end of the letter of the law, but he lacked one thing. Scripture calls it "the law of Christian love."
Hear the reaction of this young man: "I have kept all of the commandments;" but Jesus said there was one thing he lacked. But the young man, we are told: "At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth." We are told that the man’s face fell. The original says that he was very sad. He went away as if he was mourning the loss of a loved one. He went away grieving as if he was at a funeral. The rich, young man still lacked that one thing. This lesson was not just for him. The lesson was also for Jesus’ disciples and us today. We are told: "Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ’How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’" How hard it is--that was a problem during the time of Jesus. Many put trust and confidence in their wealth and their prosperity.
If we look at the time of Jesus and what they had, we come now thousands of years into our time and look at what we have, we would realize that probably very few of us are jealous of what they had because of the many things they didn’t have compared to us. So you can well imagine the tempta-tion that we face in our life--prosperity and riches and wealth. God does not say they are wrong. In fact prosperity is a blessing from God, but also wealth and prosperity can be one of the devil’s greatest tools to lead us astray, to take us off of that narrow path onto the wide path of destruction. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 Timothy 6:9). Who hasn’t seen that? The wealthy of this land and of ages past weren’t happy. They fall into ruin and destruction. We don’t want to look just at others but ourselves. The Lord says to be careful. He says if we have food and clothing, we ought to be content with that. Yet, the world says we need a lot more than that. We may say to ourselves, "If I just had a bit more money, I would be happy." If we get a bit more money, we always want a bit more and more. It goes on, and it can lead into ruin and destruction. Our gracious God reminds us it can be impossible to be happy no matter what the wealth one has.
Today, we celebrate we don’t lack the one thing. We have treasures in heaven. That is where our inheritance is. We no doubt have treasures here on earth that we like and enjoy, but the greater treasure is the fact that God has prepared a place for each and every one of us. We might not be the richest people in the eyes of this nation. But in the eyes of the world, we are rich beyond all compari-son. We also are wealthy beyond all means because of the spiritual gifts God has given to us--faith by grace. We turn to Corinthians: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corin-thians 8:9). Jesus lived in glory in heaven and had everything. Jesus did not have to come to earth, but he did. When Jesus came to earth, he had people like this young man who said, "I kept all of the commandments. I don’t need anything else." There were people on earth saying that Jesus blas-phemed God and they nailed him to the cross. Jesus never had a place that he could call his own. Peo-ple rejected him. Jesus took on earthly poverty for one purpose--that you and I would become rich.
So the impossible becomes possible so that we who do not deserve eternal life are given it, not by our wealth, but by God’s grace.
III. BUT BY GOD’S GRACE
One of the short statements in the text that ought not be overlooked is verse 21. "Jesus looked at him and loved him." Jesus loved the young man. Jesus looked at the disciples and said it is hard, and Jesus loved them. Then we are told: "The disciples were amazed at his words." The original says they were utterly amazed or astonished beyond belief that Jesus would say such a thing. After all the disciples were a lot like everyone else. They thought the people of wealth, money and prosperity ought to deserve the best. But Jesus said again, "Children," and talks about the impossible becoming possible. These disciples were sinners. They were his children, because they belonged to the family of God. "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!" Jesus is emphasizing this point over and over. Jesus continued, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus says those words and says it in very simple terms. There is the eye of the needle that is very small and the camel that is very big. For the camel to fit through the eye of the needle is impossible. Jesus uses these simple words for an important lesson.
Of course, we are going to be like the disciples. "The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ’Who then can be saved?’" They were right. Who can be saved? A camel can’t go through an eye of a needle. No one can save themselves, not by their works, and not by their wealth. Finally, the disciples are beginning to understand. Who can be saved? They are beginning to under-stand as that young man asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He came with the wrong question, the wrong thinking. "Jesus looked at them and said, ’With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’" The impossible becomes possible by God’s great grace.
We live in a world that does put emphasis on wealth and prosperity. We live in a nation that does put emphasis on self-righteousness. We see people make demands. The athletes of our day de-manding more and more and breaking contracts, because they think they are worth more. That is the general prevailing attitude of our nation and at times maybe ourselves. But the Lord reminds us we are still sinners. We don’t deserve a thing, still God gives us everything. Our heavenly Father makes the impossible become possible. Rather than ending up in the depths of hell forever because of our sinful-ness, our evil actions, our wicked words and tainted thoughts, God graciously provides us grace; so that we will be with him in heaven. Isaiah the prophet tells us how this all happens: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Isaiah is talking about Jesus. Our punishment, our sins were put on him and we are healed by the nails driven through his hands and his feet into the cross. His wounds take our wounds of sin away. So the impossible becomes possible and is possible.
We were bought back from Satan and eternal destruction by one simple thing--not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ. Peter says: "(For you were redeemed) with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:19). This is the price that God demanded of himself, the precious blood of the perfect lamb. We are reminded today of Jesus’ sacrifice in the Sacrament of the Altar--the Lord’s body and blood. When we come to the Lord’s altar, we see and we taste and touch bread and wine. The Lord says, "This is my body. This is my blood." There too the impossible becomes possible. In those simple elements the Lord says, "Here is my body and blood, and here is my forgiveness for you."
What a blessing, what a joy, what a celebration we have everyday. We sang it in our Psalm: "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Our salvation is so important the Lord does not entrust it to us sinful human beings. Imagine if we had to earn our way into heaven. Imagine if we had to buy our way into heaven. We would never know if we had done enough to earn salvation. We would never know if we paid enough to buy salvation. Certainly, we could not because we cannot work our way into heaven. We cannot buy our way into heaven. But by God’s grace, the impossible becomes possible. We are made members of God’s family.
In Galatians we are told: "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Ga-latians 4:4,5). We are no longer enemies of God, but his children. The impossible becomes possible. All things are possible with God. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
Readings - Pentecost 20(ILCW-A): ISAIAH 5:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 3:12-21; MATTHEW 21:33-43
