Context
Recent interventions by the Archbishop of Canterbury – whose own personal history has inevitably led him to wrestle with questions of money, economic justice and the nature of capitalism have made it clear both how passionate he is about these issues, and also how wider society is very ambiguous about the church’s intervention in this area. Writing in Christianity Today, Rowena Young gives a positive assessment of the Archbishop’s views. However a critique in The Guardian by Simon Jenkins seems to challenge the right of the Archbishop as a religious leader to try and give a lead in this field. It would seem that Christians still need to make the case for the fact that our incarnational faith requires us to engage with such concerns.
There is a comment in the Archbishop’s 2016 book, Dethroning Mammon, that is good to ponder in relation to this week’s biblical passage: ‘The problem with materialism…is not that it exists, but that it dominates. It shouts so loudly that it overrides our caring about other things of greater value.’
Reflection
It is fascinating that the one and only individual in the Gospel of Mark who is described as the object of Jesus’ love is this rich young man. It is said (in this Gospel) of no other person. What was it about him that provoked this emotion in Jesus? Perhaps it was the fact that he was so obviously conflicted in himself – he truly longed to be ‘good’. It is interesting that he himself uses this epithet of Jesus; and yet the weight of his possessions weighed heavily against the necessary singleness of heart to achieve his goal. His internal conflict has been the conflict felt by many in the church – and by the church itself – in the centuries since. We can rationalise that this is not a teaching for all Christians, certainly not in the world of the 21st century, and yet there is that niggle of conscience that will not let us go. Perhaps, indeed, it is not simply a question of good stewardship of our possessions that we are being asked for, but something more whole hearted?
Two other brief pointers: The word ‘looking/looked’ appears in this passage three times. In Mark’s Gospel whenever this verb is used we are being encouraged to feel the sharpness of Jesus’ gaze: it is as though he does not just look at people (or in one case the Temple) but actually sees through them – somehow revealing the things that they might rather keep hidden. And the question that the disciples ask themselves after the encounter with the rich young man, ‘Then who can be saved?’ is actually answered by Mark later in the chapter. For Jesus’s words to Bartimaeus, the blind beggar – the contemporary archetype of what it meant to have no possessions – ‘Go, your faith has made you well’, can also be translated as ‘Go, your faith has saved you’ (the verb sozo appears in both 10.26 and 10.52). Rich young man and poor beggar are linked together: this is somehow reflected in a powerful meditation by a sixth century Syriac saint, Jacob of Sarug: ‘You have no tears? Buy tears from the poor. You have no sadness? Call the poor man to moan with you. If your heart is hard and has neither sadness nor tears, with alms invite the needy to weep with you…provide yourself with the water of tears.’
Prayer
Lord who looked,
glance upon us even today.
We fear your eyes,
for they offer us both judgement and compassion.
Give us the strength to meet your gaze,
and the confidence to look with you
for what needs to be transformed in our world today.
Amen.
Questions
- What challenges do the radical nature of Jesus’ teaching about money offer to you?
- Can what is called the ‘prosperity gospel’ (the belief that Christian faith is rewarded by economic prosperity) be squared in any way with New Testament teaching?
- Do you think that the church has a role, as Archbishop Welby seems to desire, to play a lead in encouraging discussion about the nature of economic matters in politics and society?
All-age activity
Play a game of Monopoly – but agree in advance to change one or two fundamental rules about who pays who and when. How does the game pan out? What are your feelings about this?
Young people
Gather foreign coins and low value banknotes to spell out a group message about money to be shared within the church community.
After working most recently for the Anglican Communion Office and the World Council of Churches, in her ‘retirement’ Dr Clare Amos is currently Honorary Director of Lay Discipleship in the Church of England Diocese in Europe.
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