Christ Makes You the Camel

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

October 18, 2015

Mark 10:25

Christ Makes You the Camel

In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

What sounds do camels make? I'm not sure either, but I think something like this:

“Dear, can you help get the groceries out of the car? There are too many bags.”

“Honey, we have to get both cars in for oil changes.”

“Why are all toys on the floor?! We have too much stuff!”

We make these sounds. We are the camels that Jesus is talking about.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” (Mark 10:23-25)

We're programmed to think that two things about being rich. First, that the rich those with more than us. And secondly, that being is bad.

But we are rich. We have plenty. We're never hungry. We smell good. We have soft beds and warm houses.

And none of this is bad. Christ Jesus gives you all your plenty, and nothing that Christ gives you is bad. He can't give you bad gifts.

But we are sinners, and so we worship the gifts that God gives instead of the God who gives them. And so Jesus tells us that those who are rich are hard to get into heaven. It is hard because the rich can cushion themselves away from their own sins, and thus cushion themselves away from the Savior from our sins.

Let's look at the sins Jesus mentions.

Don't murder. A rich man who plows into a pedestrian can hire lawyers, arguing that it wasn't his fault.

Don't cheat on your wife. A rich man who commits adultery can entice his wife to look the other way, or rather, look at his money and pretend that he is a good husband.

Don't steal or defraud. When most men steals or rips somebody off, they often are caught and sent to prison. When a rich man defrauds his company or a union boss skims the dues, they are often able to use their influence to walk away with a slap on the wrist.

Don't bear false witness. When a rich man bears false witness his children or his wife, he can avoid an apology with a iPhone 6s.

Honor your father and mother. A rich man can avoid his elderly parents by thoughtless placing them in a posh old folks home and feel good about not visiting them because he's working to earn the money to pay their rent.

These examples probably don't apply to you.

But these sins still cling to us. We hate each other and hold grudges. We lust after the bodies of others. We are lazy at work and lazy with our families. We lie to ourselves constantly. We are rude to our parents when they deserve our respect. All these and more cling to us, so yes, Jesus is talking to the rich young man and us today.

Why does this matter?

For much of human history, hatred, lust, laziness, and lying held tough consequences. These sins often meant you didn't get to eat. But our wealth insulates us from much of the fallout from our sins, so much so that we can come to think that we are without sin. If you can keep your sins from coming back to bite you, pretty soon you can start to think that you don't sin, or at least, they aren't that bad.

This is why Jesus said:

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.” (Mark 10:25)

Rich people like us can pretend that we aren't sinners. And since Jesus came for sinners only, we end up treating Jesus on the margins of our lives. Sure, He's there, He's around, we go to church mostly, but the center of our lives? No, and that's why it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for us to enter God's kingdom.

But Jesus has wonderful news: we are the camels that He's talking about.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:23-27)

Christ makes us the camels that pass through the eye of the needle. Christ speaks us camels into the kingdom of God by becoming the camel who

was pierced for our transgressions . . .

crushed by our iniquities . . .

the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:5a,6b)

And so

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5b)

He is the Camel of God, or rather and better, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, including the sins of people who have plenty.

What does a camel sound like?

“Lord, have mercy on me, sinner, a poor, miserable creature.”

“Lord, forgive me all my sin.”

“Lord, thank you for Your mercy and love.”

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners―of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!