Priorities – March 19, The Fifth Friday of Lent

Jesus spends a lot of time talking about priorities throughout the gospels.  When asked what the greatest commandment is he says that it is to love God with all of our being and then to love our neighbor as ourselves (paraphrased of course).  He constantly calls people to drop what they’re doing and to follow him.  As Jesus calls people we see a lot of things get in the way of their ability to follow him.  One thing in particular gets in the way in the scripture passage below.

Matthew 19:16-26 NIV

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

“Which ones?” the man inquired.

Jesus replied, ” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.'”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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 the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This young man comes and desires to follow Jesus, but as we see he is unwilling to really follow Jesus.  Jesus tells him to do something (sell all of his possessions) but he instead of immediately following this he “goes away sad.”  Why does Jesus ask him to do this?  Is being rich a sin?  Is having possessions evil?

Being rich and having possessions are not evil.  But they can quickly lead us to a place where we are unable to fully follow Christ.  The problem with these things is that so often as we get “things” we want more and more and more.  We become greedy.  As we acquire wealth and possession we begin to lose focus and our priorities become messed up.

Jesus told this man to sell everything because he knew that the man had messed up priorities.  During Lent we learn to examine our priorities to see what is getting in the way of following Jesus.  This is part of the reason we give things up and we try to give to the poor extra during Lent.  It helps us re-prioritize.  During Lent we have to ask ourselves questions and be willing to allow the Spirit of God lead us to the answers even in if they are hard for us to hear.

What am I unwilling to give up to follow Jesus?  I go to church, pray, and do the right things but am I willing to follow Christ in everything?  Is Jesus Christ valued above everything in my life – my time, my money, my talents, my will, my friends, my life?  What am I holding back from God?  What is really coming between me and following Christ – Is it school, sports, friends, or dreams of success?

These are questions we need to ask ourselves.  We need to find what is getting in the way of following Christ and get rid of it.

Are you willing to ask yourself these questions, even if you don’t like the answer?

We cannot hold anything too closely to our hearts except for Christ, especially not the wealth and possession of this world.

Let us pray this prayer of Mary Fletcher.

Closing Prayer:

Thy will be done!  Yes, my adorable Lord, strip me of every penny.  Bring me not only to poverty, but what I far more dread, to insolvency [inability to pay debts].  Yes! Strip me even of reputation.  Let me be as ‘filth and offscouring [trash] of all things.’ Only let me have thy approval, and all shall be well.  Yes, I will praise thee for all, and most for the severe.

– Mary Fletcher *

* Mary Fletcher (1739 – 1815) was a close friend of John Wesley and an early Methodist leader and preacher.  She was the beloved wife of Rev. John Fletcher, the man who Wesley chose as his successor (before John Fletcher’s early death).  Mary and her husband partnered together in ministry transcending traditional gender roles.  After John’s early death in 1785, Mary continued to preach and teach.  Throughout her life Mary placed the highest importance on her spiritual communion with God as is evidenced by the frequent mention of dreams and other mystical practices in her journal.