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October 19, 2003
19th Sunday of Pentecost
Mark 10:17-27
Pastor Robert Raasch

A Man with a Case of Affluenza

1. The Symptoms are Masked
2. The Diagnosis is Unmistakable
3. The Cure is in the Hands of God

Did you hear the news this morning? Thousands of people in our nation have died from an outbreak of a terrible disease. An epidemic is sweeping the country, claiming the lives of men and women, young and old, black and white. And what's worse, there seems to be no cure for it. What is this epidemic? Is it the West Nile Virus? Another anthrax outbreak? The AIDS epidemic? No, the disease that I'm referring to is much more widespread than any of those diseases. And much more deadly. I'm talking about something that has already hit our community hard, as well as our congregation. And yes, I'm afraid, is may have already infected you and me. What is this debilitating disease? Well, the ancient Greeks called it "philarguria," which literally means the love of gold. Today we'd call it materialism. Or if we want to continue that idea of an epidemic, we might call it not influenza, but rather, "affluenza." It's the disease that is marked by a desire to be affluent. A desire to have more money, more things, more everything. It's a disease that is absolutely running rampant in our world today.

But even though it is a very common disease these days, it's not exactly a new disease. It's been around a long, long time. In fact, one of the more well-known cases of the disease is recorded right here in the Bible. Here in Mark chapter 10, we have the account of a man who showed some of the classic signs of materialism. But we also get to see how the Master Physician of Body and Soul dealt with this man's disease. This morning let's turn our attention to how Jesus handled:

A Man with a Case of Affluenza

We'll see that

1. The Symptoms are Masked

But,

2. The Diagnosis is Unmistakable

And finally,

3. The Cure is in the Hands of God

First, the symptoms are initially masked. What does that mean? Well, I think you realize that sometimes people contract a disease without actually realizing it. It's like the symptoms aren't immediately apparent. For example, a person may have the HIV virus a long time before it breaks out into full blown AIDS. A person with Lyme's disease may think he just has a touch of the flu. A person with a congenital heart defect may appear to be in perfect health. In each one of these cases, the true nature of the disease is somewhat hidden. It is masked by the appearance of relatively good health.

Well, so it is with the man here in our text. This man didn't appear to be in any grave spiritual danger. He didn't look like his soul was in jeopardy. I mean, it's clear he's no atheist or anything. He has not totally abandoned religion. Quite the contrary. He comes to Jesus and says, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" In other words, he's concerned about his soul. He has an eye toward the afterlife.

But not only is he concerned about getting to heaven someday, he's willing to do something to make it happen. He says, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Well, as you heard, Jesus gave him a list of things to do, didn't he? Jesus tells him, "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.'" The man's response? "Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy." And you know, in a very general way, he's probably right. He probably never killed anybody; was never unfaithful to his wife. He was probably an honest, trustworthy guy, loved his mom, went to church each week.

In fact, maybe he reminds you of somebody you know-somebody like you or me. I mean, is there any chance that we can see ourselves in this man? You know, trying our best to live by the golden rule. Following the 10 Commandments since we were little kids. Hoping that someday we'll go to heaven when we die. I don't think it's that hard to see ourselves in this fellow's shoes.

But now maybe you're thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute. The Bible says that this man was wealthy-and God knows I'm not wealthy!" Are you sure about that? Do you realize that if you own a house, two cars and have some kind of retirement plan, you are in the top 2% of the world's richest people? Look around your house. How many people in the world can afford to own an electric handheld hair dryer, or an automatic dishwasher, or a portable foot spa? How many compact disks do you own? How many pairs of shoes, how many golf balls or fishing rods or Precious Moments figurines? How often do you pay people to make your food for you while you wait? Whether we are willing to admit it or not, in the global scheme of things, you and I are all very affluent people. And even though our checkbooks and purses don't always show it, even though we may be buried in debt, still we all own far more stuff than we need to survive. By the world's standards, you and I are all financially rich.

But wait a minute. Is that so bad? Is it a sin to be rich? No. There have been plenty of believers down through the centuries who were very wealthy. Abraham, Job, King David to name a few. The problem is not how much money we have, but rather, how we feel about our money and possessions. Or to put it another way, there's a difference between being affluent and being infected with affluenza. Affluence won't kill you. Affluenza will. So, how does a person know whether he or she has contracted a case of affluenza? Well, Jesus shows us here in our text. In the case of this man with affluenza, II. The Diagnosis is Unmistakable.

You see, this man probably assumed that on the basis of his good behavior, he was all right with God. But Jesus loved him too much to allow him to think that way for long. Instead, Jesus cuts right to the heart of the matter. In fact, he cuts right to the man's heart-because that's what is the matter with this man. This man had a heart that was divided. It was divided between the desire to earn heaven and a desire to enjoy his wealth. And, like a master surgeon, Jesus diagnoses this man's problem with a single statement. Jesus tells the man, "One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven."

Hmmm. Here was the ultimate test for this man. What was more important to him? His riches or his soul? Could he, would he give up everything he had on earth in order to gain a treasure in heaven? Well, you heard the man's answer. Mark tells us that "the man's face fell. (And) he went away sad, because he had great wealth."

Tell me, would your reaction have been any different than his? What if God said to you, "I want you to put all your possessions in a rummage sale, sell everything you own and give you money to the poor." Could you do that? Would you do that? I ask that question not because God demands that you give all your money to the poor, nor because God promises to give you eternal life if you do. No, I ask that question-God asks that question-as a way to help you and me diagnose our own hearts. It's a chance for each one of us to ask ourselves, "What is more important to me? God or money? What do I cling to most tightly? What do I spend the most time thinking about? What do I work harder for? Which hurts more to lose? Is there a part of me that winces at the thought of giving even more of my money to church? Would I rather just keep it all for myself? Have I become the rich fool who said to himself, "I'll build bigger barns to store my wealth"? Have I stored up things for myself without being rich toward God?

I don't know about you, but as I think about the attitude of the man in our text, I realize that in many ways, he is me. I am guilty of the same sin of idolatry, that is, loving money more than God, letting something besides God fill that Number One position in my heart. Like so many of the people infected by this epidemic of affluenza, I'm afraid that I've contracted it too. The question is, "Is there any hope for people like me?" Yes, there is. But, III. The Cure is (Entirely) in the Hands of God.

Here in our text, Jesus underscores what a spiritual stumbling block wealth is when he says, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God." In fact, "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."

When Jesus' disciples hear Jesus say that, when they think about what Jesus had demanded of that rich man, and more importantly, when they think about their own sin-filled hearts, they find themselves asking the obvious question, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus' answer is telling. "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." In other words, the only person who can get a rich man into heaven is God. And God will get the rich to heaven not by demanding a vow of poverty, or a larger gift to charity. No, God will get rich people to heaven the same way he gets anybody else to heaven. And that's by leading them and us to see that we are all idolaters by nature. We're all guilty of loving something more than God, be it money or possessions, or pleasure. God will get people to heaven by leading us to see that because of our sinfulness, we deserve nothing but hell. He leads us to see that our only hope has nothing to do with our goodness, but everything to do with his grace. He leads us to see that our only hope is to throw ourselves on his mercy and trust that because of Jesus' perfect life and sacrificial death, God has declared us to be not guilty in his eyes. In Jesus Christ alone, God gives us something that is truly precious. He gives us full forgiveness for our sins. He gives us the promise of life as a child of God now and forever in heaven. And really, it's those priceless gifts which finally allow us to loosen our grip on the material things we're tempted to cling so tightly to.

In fact, that picture reminds me of how people used to trap monkeys in the Orient. They would put out jars with an opening just big enough for a monkey to slip his hand in. And then they'd bait the trap by putting some kind of fruit or candy in the jar. The monkey would put his hand in to grab the fruit. But when his fingers wrapped around it, his hand formed a first which was suddenly too large to pull out of the jar. So there the monkey sat, unable to pull his hand out, and refusing to let go of the bait.

I wonder if the Devil has you and me in the same kind of monkey trap? Are we clinging so tightly to our possessions that we can't get free? Are we trapped, feeling like a prisoner of our own desires? My friends, let's realize that Jesus offers us so much more than the little piece of candy that Satan is offering. We can let go of Satan's candy and the Devil's trinkets. Let's confess that we have been caught in the trap of materialism-and believe it when God says that he has set us free.

In Christ, God has made each one of you somebody new. He's made you somebody who sees wealth not as something to be hoarded, but rather something to be shared. Through the eyes of faith, you and I can see that wealth doesn't have to be a trap. But rather, it is a blessing, a way to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of ourselves, our family, our community and our world. In fact, isn't that one of the reasons God gives us wealth, to give us a tangible way to show our gratitude to God for all of his gifts to us? Isn't that why we want to take the time this week to plan our gifts to God for the coming year? We don't want to give God what's left over after we've taken our cut. As an expression of who's #1 in our lives, we say, "God, I'm going to set aside this portion for you. In my head, I'm not quite sure how it's going to work out. But in my heart, I believe that you won't let me go hungry. I know that as long as you're in charge, I can be content.

Let's face it. We live in a world, yes, in a nation, yes, in a community where affluenza has reached epidemic proportions. But thank God that he has provided a cure. Just as Moses lifted up a bronze serpent in the desert to cure the Israelites of snakebite, so God has lifted up his Son on a cross to cure us from the guilt, the power and the punishment of loving money. And in so doing, God has freed us to truly live a life that is truly dedicated to God. May God so grant it for Jesus' sake. Amen.