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Pentecost 22, 2024, Proper 24
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 20, 2024
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20, Hebrews 4:1-13, Mark 10:23-31
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When I was in my late 20s I went to work as a representative for AAL, Aid Association for Lutherans, which was a forerunner of Thrivent Financial today. I worked with families regarding their finances, and sold insurance and mutual funds to try to meet their financial needs. I taught people the value of investing money over time to grow wealth. I taught my children that when they get their first adult job they should invest in their 401K or 403B in their 20s because if they can get a good chunk invested by the age of 30 they should have 40+ years for that money to grow. It takes as long to double $1,000 to $2,000 as it does to double a $500,000 to $1,000,000. So, the earlier you start, the more chances of doubling you have. As you manage money, wise investing is a good thing. But with money there is always a danger.
Money is tricky. If you work hard and control your spending and save money and invest wisely you can end up wealthy. Or if you are an entrepreneur and build a successful business and employ people, you can be wealthy. Also, you can work hard and save money and invest and run a business, and circumstances can make money disappear.
Here, at Immanuel, we have folks that are barely scraping by, we have many who work hard to make ends meet each month, and we have folks that are quite well off. But no matter how much you have, money is tricky for everyone. In our Gospel reading today Jesus teaches, Mark 10:24–25 (ESV) 24 …“Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
It is impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom. Now, you may think, that is bad news for Warren Buffet, good thing I am not rich. But you are rich. By world standards, every one of you here is rich. To be rich by world standards is to have more than one pair of shoes and get to choose what you eat. In 2019, 85% of Africans lived on less than $5.50 per day. If you have a roof over your head, clothing and shoes to wear, and food to eat you are rich. Most of us have far, far more than we need, but how much is enough?
John D. Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company and the first billionaire of the United States of America -- he was at one time the richest man on Earth. Rockefeller was once asked by a reporter, “How much money is enough?” He calmly replied, “Just a little bit more.”
Money is tricky because it is easy to believe you never have enough. You can feel like you never have enough when you spend everything you have and come up short every month. You can feel like you never have enough when you are barely making ends meet. You can feel like you never have enough when you have more money than month and savings and investment accounts grow.
How much money is enough? There is an ever present danger to love money. We all need money, and it is nice to have more money and so the desire to love money is a constant temptation.
Money is a good gift of God, but oddly enough, loving money will ruin it for you. If you love money you will be like Rockefeller -- always wanting more -- never satisfied. In our reading today from Ecclesiastes wealthy King Solomon shares wisdom about money. Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV) 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”
Throughout the Bible you are warned about the love of money. 1 Timothy 6:6–10 (ESV) 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” The desire to be rich can bring ruin and destruction. The love of money can cause people to wander away from the faith.
In our Gospel reading from Mark 10 we learn that it is impossible for you to save yourself. And yet, you are saved. You believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior, but your saving faith is not from you, it is a miracle of God. It is not from your own reason or strength, but the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified and kept you in the true faith. You cannot save yourself. Jesus saves you. As Jesus says, Mark 10:27 (ESV) 27 … “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Afterwards, in response to Peter saying that the disciples have left everything to follow, Jesus responds with a promise. Mark 10:29–30 (ESV) 29 Jesus [says], “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus promises they will have abundance in this time. Jesus promises you will have abundance in this time. You have abundance because, as a follower of Jesus, you are content with what you have been given. Being content brings great joy and thanksgiving for all you have received from God.
Enjoy what God has given you. Eat and drink and enjoy the work that God has given you to do, whatever it is. How wonderful to enjoy your labor and receive wages for doing it. God’s grace and provision are sufficient for you. Be content with what you have been given by God -- and manage it well.
Twenty percent of the commandments deal with the sin of coveting. Coveting is having a sinful desire for what belongs to another. The opposite of coveting is to be content; to be satisfied with what you have. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness with contentment makes you wealthy. Being content with what you have makes you wealthier than John D. Rockefeller who was never satisfied. Being content, you are wealthier than Rockefeller who always wanted more.
You have enough. God promises, “My grace is sufficient for you.” You have been rescued from the devil’s darkness and through Jesus you are brought into the kingdom of light and love. Be content with what you have. Take Solomon’s teaching to heart and live it out. Ecclesiastes 5:18 (ESV) 18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.”
Enjoy what God has given you. Eat and drink and enjoy the work that God has given you to do, whatever it is. How wonderful to enjoy your labor and receive wages for doing it. God’s grace and provision are sufficient for you. Be content with what you have been given by God -- and manage it well.
Jesus gave everything for you. He redeemed you with His holy, precious blood and His suffering and death. As a baptized child of God, all that you are and all that you have belongs to God. Be a good steward of God’s body that you care for, and manage well God’s money and God’s possessions He has entrusted to your care. Work hard in whatever you have been given to do and be a good steward of God’s gifts to you. If you work hard and you manage money and possessions well they may grow. That growth in God’s gifts gives you more opportunity for tremendous generosity.
Being content with what God has given you will bring joy. Rejoice in your toil. Give thanks for all God has given you to do at school, at work, at home, at church, in the community. And as Solomon teaches, Ecclesiastes 5:19–20 (ESV) 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”
So, beware the temptation to love money. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Beware the strong desire to never be content with what you have and what you have been given to do. Beware the love of money. Beware the devil and the world’s desire to keep you discontent.
The antidote for the love of money is generosity. Be generous with what you have. Give a generous, first-fruits offering to the Lord’s church. Give to deserving charities to help those in need. As you can, directly help out those in need. Share with others. Lend without expecting repayment. Be generous with your wealth and with your time.
Jesus gave everything for you. Enjoy what God has given you. Be content with what you have. God’s grace is sufficient for you. God’s provision is sufficient. Rejoice in all God has given you. You have enough. Amen.