Freeing Jesus: Jesus saves
A Sermon based on the Rich Young Ruler and chapter 3 of Diana Butler Bass’ book Freeing Jesus.
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. ~Mark 10:17–22 NRSV
My earliest experiences in church took place in the Presbyterian denomination. I was Christened as a baby. I could recite The Apostle’s Creed before I could read. To this day, when I lead The Lord’s Prayer in our worship services, I do so with the word “trespasses” written on a cheat sheet. I am afraid that one day I’m going to slip up accidentally say “debts”!
When I was 8, my mom remarried, and we started attending a Baptist church. I still remember the first time I saw someone walk the aisle to make a profession of faith. I remember asking my mom what was happening. She said the person wanted to get baptized. My next question, of course, was, “What’s baptized?” My mom explained that people get baptized when they want to become a Christian; they’re saying that they love Jesus. I responded, “I’m a Christian. I love Jesus. Should I get baptized?” She clarified by saying that people get baptized as a way of saying that they want to follow Jesus, to which I said, “I want to follow Jesus.” She explained even further that people get baptized to say that they know that Jesus died for them. I replied, “Of course, Jesus died for them. Jesus died for everybody.”
As we ate lunch after church, I told my mom that I wanted to get baptized. To make sure that I really knew what the rite of passage meant, she made me wait a while. I was both earnest and persistent, so a few months later, I walked the aisle to make my own profession of faith. Shortly after that, I got baptized.
Later, when I started middle school, I moved into my church youth group. At a massive youth lock-in where several churches came together, I learned about the Roman Road and the “plan of salvation.” According to the youth ministers in my town, a necessary step in becoming a Christian involved praying The Sinner’s Prayer and asking Jesus into my heart. I’d never prayed The Sinner’s Prayer. I’d never heard of it before. I’d never asked Jesus into my heart because I thought Jesus was always there.
I was confused, so I talked with my basketball coach, who was helping chaperone the event. She led me in praying The Sinner’s Prayer. I asked Jesus into my heart, even though I knew He was already there. My coach said she was proud of me. I felt strange, though, maybe even a little dishonest because she thought I was becoming a Christian while I knew I already was one. Grown-ups whom I trusted had said that this prayer was important. It sounded like it might even be essential. However, I wasn’t accepting Jesus into my heart at this moment. Instead, I was just making sure that I had all of my bases covered.
I share this story just in case some of you need a reminder that no specific formula or mold is required to receive salvation. Not everyone has a radical conversion or a clear-cut “come to Jesus” moment. However, those experiences can be just as earnest as mine was when I was 8 years old. And salvation can mean so much more than “fire insurance” against going to hell.
If you grew up in church, you’re familiar with the story of the rich, young ruler. A man runs up to Jesus, drops down onto the dusty road to kneel at Jesus’ feet, and almost compulsively says, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
The man wants to know what is required for him to be saved. Jesus responds by saying, “You know the commandments.” Rabbi Jesus proceeds to recite the last six of the ten commandments. Interestingly, Jesus only names the commandments that address how people should relate to each other. He leaves out the four about how humans should live in relationship with God.
Jesus does change one of the commandments up a bit, too. Instead of saying, “Do not covet,” Jesus says, “Do not defraud.” Maybe Jesus is suggesting that the man got rich by defrauding others. Nothing else in the story indicates that the man is not honorable, though. Perhaps Jesus is pointing out that the system is set up so that anyone who gets rich does so by defrauding whether they know it or not.
After Jesus recites the commandments, the man replies, “Yes, Teacher, I have kept these since I was a child.” But he wants to know if there’s something else. Perhaps the man wants to make sure he’s got his bases covered like I did. Or maybe he senses that something is still missing from his life.
Seeing that the man is sincere, Jesus, with love, says to him, “Son, there is one more thing. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Then come and follow me.” The man hangs his head as we considers this option. Then he turns and walks away heavy-hearted. He can’t bring himself to let go of his earthly treasures to whole-heartedly treasure the things of God.
When the man asks Jesus what he must do to be saved, did you notice that Jesus doesn’t mention The Sinner’s Prayer? He doesn’t rattle off a creed, catechism, or even a list of necessary beliefs. Jesus doesn’t even say, “Ask me into your heart.”
Instead, Jesus tells the man how we humans make room for him in our hearts. We love one another, take care of each other, and follow Jesus. We give up everything that keeps us from loving others, caring for each other, and following the ways of Jesus. That’s what the disciples did after all, isn’t it?
We tend to think of salvation as being something that we get when we die, an eternity in heaven instead of in hell, whatever that is. In Freeing Jesus, Diana Butler Bass points out that the word “salvation” comes from the Latin word salvus, which refers to being made whole, uninjured, safe, or in good health. Bass writes, “Salvus was not about being taken out of this life; it was about this life being healed.”
She goes on to beautifully describe how Jesus began saving people long before he died on the cross. Bass writes, “When Jesus healed, they experienced salvus, God’s salvation. They followed him. Lives were changed, transformed. Disciples did give up riches and goods that they might inherit eternal life. Tax collectors abandoned their jobs and surrendered their social standing to eat with him. Children, slaves, soldiers, peasants, fishermen, farmers, prisoners, the sick, [the disabled]- when they encountered Jesus, they found salvation, the wholeness, the healing, the oneness with God that had only been the stuff of longing. Every miracle, every act of hospitality, all the bread broken and wine served, everything that Jesus did saved people long before Rome arrested and murdered him.”
Bass then points out that all of Jesus’ loving, healing, and saving is what got him into trouble with the empire. This leads us to the the question: Did Jesus get killed so that his death would save people, or did he get killed because he was already saving them?
We may put signs that say “Jesus saves” up there with “God is my co-pilot” bumper stickers, but the saying is true: Jesus saves. Jesus saves us from sin that prevents us from living whole-heartedly and distracts us from God’s vision for the world as God desires for us to help build it. What is your deepest longing? What are the most profound needs you see in the world around us? Jesus saves. He heals, redeems and restores, makes new and makes whole. He invites people to become disciples and join in this holy work. Receiving Jesus’ gifts and following in his ways is the path to salvation. Indeed, Jesus saves. Amen.
