By Rev. Jamie Green Klopotoski
October 10, 2021
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Gloucester, MA
I really wanted to preach about the camel. In our Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When I was in seminary, I learned that it is very likely this popular verse was either translated incorrectly, misinterpreted, or suffered from typographical errors. 2000 years ago when Jesus actually uttered these words, he would have been speaking in Aramaic, a Semitic language very similar to Hebrew. In Aramaic, the word used by Jesus in this sentence was probably “gamla” which is the word for both “camel” and “rope” (specifically a thick rope like the ones used on fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee). About 70 years after these words were said by Jesus, they were written down by Mark in Greek, and in Greek, we have the same problem, the words for camel and rope are practically the same, just one vowel is different: “kamelon” with an “eta” is camel and “kamilon” with an “iota” is rope. If you read different ancient transcripts, you see some use the word for camel and others use the word for rope. The writers may have made a typo or a translation error, or both! (There were no copy machines back then; all copies were literally written by hand, and prone to error). When the bible was finally translated into English, most translators chose the word camel, but there are a few that use the word rope. And it is quite possible that Jesus was not talking about camels at all, but actually said, “it is easier to thread a rope through the eye of a needle,” which makes the metaphor a bit more logical. But maybe Jesus was going for the ridiculousness of imagining a camel fitting through the eye of a needle. Or better yet, maybe Jesus intentionally chose to be ambiguous, or loved the word play. Interestingly, either way, no matter the translation or the typos, the metaphor has the same meaning. It is just as impossible to thread a thick rope through the eye of a needle as it is for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle.
I really wanted to preach about possibility. The reason why Jesus uses this rope or camel through the eye of the needle metaphor, is to describe how impossible it is for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. But Jesus doesn’t end there, leaving us hopeless; his message is that while it is impossible for us, it is not impossible for God. For God, all things are possible. It’s a beautiful reminder of hope and optimism and opens the world up to all kinds of possibilities. That’s the direction I almost went in this sermon, talking about things that might seem impossible for us, but realizing that all things are possible with God.
I really wanted to preach about storage facilities. Have you noticed how many storage facilities are popping up in the area? I recently drove by the old Borders Bookstore location on Rte 114 in Peabody and saw that yet another storage facility was being built there. I saw all the demolition equipment and building supplies and wondered how much money was being spent to build this facility to store people’s extra stuff. Some people don’t even have a place to rest their head, but instead of building affordable housing for them, we are building storage facilities to store all of our extra stuff! Jesus would definitely have something to say about this. He told the rich man to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. That is a super hard ask. Most of us have a lot of stuff that we are very attached to, so much stuff that we need storage facilities! I wanted us to consider how being attached to all this stuff is holding us back. I wanted to compare our greed and materialism and hoarding of stuff to the character Smeagol from the “Lord of the Rings” series by J.R.R. Tolkien. Smeagol was obsessed with getting the ring; his whole life focused on this one object, his “precious”. It completely got in the way of him living his life. It would have been impossible for Smeagol to give up his desire of the ring, just as I think it would be impossible for us to give up all of our stuff. The rich man was shocked and went away grieving when Jesus told him to give up all his stuff. He couldn’t do it. Smeagol couldn’t do it. I doubt we could do it either.
I really wanted to preach about camels and possibilities and storage facilities, but apparently that’s not what God wanted me to preach about. One word in today’s gospel lesson jumped out at me like it never had before and wouldn’t leave me alone. I’ve read this scripture no less than a thousand times, probably starting in Sunday School 27 years ago, I’ve preached on it several times, I’ve read it in Greek and English, and studied it in seminary, but I had never, ever, considered this word. As much as I wanted to preach about camels and possibilities and storage facilities, I felt compelled, called even, to preach on this one little word. It appears in verse 21. I wonder if you caught it. After the rich man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, the verse reads: “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” Jesus loved him. Jesus loved him even though he was rich. Jesus loved him even though he didn’t always get it right. Jesus loved him even though he refused to do the one thing Jesus asked, to give up all his possessions. Jesus loved him in spite of his failures and mistakes and doubts. Jesus loved him.
I always thought the rich man was the bad guy, that he was an example of what we are not supposed to be. But the reality is, we are all the rich man. We all make mistakes. We all don’t always get it right. We all struggle with doing what Jesus asks of us. In first year of seminary, I attended a Christian Conference in Washington D.C about Taking Your Faith to the Streets hosted by a group called “Sojourners”. After a very powerful lecture about Christians protesting for social justice, I was able to ask a question of the speaker. I asked him what one thing he recommended I do to put my faith into action. He said, “Get arrested.”
Like the rich man, I was shocked and went away grieving. I couldn’t do that. It’s been 14 years, and I still feel guilty that I was never able to take that advice. I try to do what I can to help our world, but I’ve never been arrested. For the record, I also have not sold all of my possessions. Sometimes I feel like a failure, like nothing I do will ever make a real difference. Maybe you feel that way too. Between climate change and the pandemic and racism and poverty, it’s easy to feel completely hopeless. I judge myself for not being good enough, for not being able to sell all my possessions, for not ever getting arrested for standing up for a cause I believe in. But hearing Jesus love the rich man reminds me that there is love for me too. And for you. Jesus loves us, even though we don’t always get it right. Jesus loves us even though we refuse to do what he asks of us. Jesus loves us in spite of our failures and mistakes and doubts. That loves motivates me to keep trying, even though that I know I won’t always get it right. That love allows me to forgive myself when I make mistakes. That love encourages me to show myself some compassion.
Loving yourself might be one of the hardest things Jesus asks of us. Many of us don’t even realize that Jesus does ask it of us! But Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself. We often focus on the “love of neighbor” part but we completely neglect the “love of self” part. You know when you're on an airplane and the flight attendants go through the safety procedures and they say you should help yourself with the oxygen mask before you help others? It's the same with love. You’ve got to be able to love yourself before you attempt to love others. Truly loving and accepting and forgiving ourselves, seeing ourselves the way God see us, is hard work. Loving and caring for myself and forgiving myself are things I’ve been working on my entire life.
Why do so many of us struggle with self-love? Is it because a parent has made us feel as if we will never measure up? Is it because a spouse or partner or boss dishes out nine criticisms for every one compliment? Is it because the church has too often declared us sinners while rarely reminding us that we are created in God’s image? Is it because we focus on our faults rather than our virtues, our screw-ups rather than our good deeds? Is it because we have allowed advertisers to convince us that we will never be good enough, attractive enough, successful enough, unless of course we purchase their products? Do we think we do not deserve to love ourselves until we are perfect?
Celtic scholar Philip Newell writes: “The gospel is given not to tell us that we have failed, but to make known to us what we have forgotten, and that is who we are.” Created in God’s image, and loved.
Time and time again, the bible reminds us that God loves us despite our imperfections, failures, and mistakes. Psalm 139:14 says we “are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Matthew 10:29-31 says, “Not one sparrow will fall to the ground outside of God’s care. Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” And even in today’s scripture, hidden within messages about camels and rich men, is love.
God loves us; Jesus loves us. And not just love like we love pizza or chocolate. When Mark writes about God’s love, he uses the Greek word “agape”. In Greek there are many different words for love; for example, philia is friendship love and eros is romantic love. But agape is a totally different kind of love, an unconditional, active, thoughtful, boundless, pure, unlimited, incredibly deep form of love; love full of forgiveness, acceptance, wholeness, compassion, kindness, understanding, and tenderness; love without anger, irritation, jealousy, pain, guilt, or judgment.
Opening up to God’s love, to agape, opens us up to loving like God loves. Once we grasp the fact that we are beautiful and loved, cherished and valued as God’s dearly beloved child, made in God’s very image, once we internalize that love, and become energized and transformed by that love, only then will we be able to reach out to others and share that love. Imagine the world we get if people think they are ugly, immoral failures, unloved and unlovable. Imagine the world we help to create if people believe they are beautiful, good, and loved, without having to be perfect, without having to always get it right.
We may be faced with a seemingly impossible, insurmountable task of changing the world, as impossible as threading a thick rope through the eye of a needle. But with God, and God’s love, it is possible, all things are possible. As you go from this place into the week ahead, know just how precious God holds you, just how beloved you are – take in God’s agape love, love yourself, and by that love help to build a better world.
Amen.
Sources:
http://augustineunitedchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Sermon-Pentecost-24-November-4-2018.pdf
https://www.wpc.org/uploads/sermons/pdf/November4Jones2012.pdf
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