Empty Shelves
Matthew 19:16-22
Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
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I. Introduction
Times of Crisis - Photograph by Michael Fargan (Empty Store Shelves)
1. Why do we feel the need to clear store shelves in emergencies?
2. Times like these can bring out the worst and the best in us. How will we treat one
another? We must learn to curb our fear and replace it with grace.
3. It is a time like this when we take stock of the things that are truly important. It is during
times like these that we see the world through different lenses.
II. “What good deed must I do?” / Commandments
A. Is eternal life/salvation something that we just have to check boxes for and be good?
B. Commandments are about long term commitments and social action. It is not something short
term and can be checked off a to do list. They teach us how to live in community with one another.
C. Works righteousness v. Grace (Which one is it?)
IV. “What do I still lack?”
A. The irony is that the rich young ruler is so rich that they are unable to see what it is they are
missing, which is what it truly means to follow Jesus.
B. The Emperor’s New Clothes - We can possess everything, or think that we possess everything, but
in the end still be poor.
C. In our search to acquire, we often neglect or forget the things that really do matter, the things that
are right in front of us.
V. How do we talk about poverty?
A. The rich young ruler decides to go away, “grieving” as Scripture says. It is clear then that there are
people in this world who are in places of means but choose not to embrace the call of Jesus. But even
if we are not rich “materially,” we may be lacking in other ways that are still as harmful to ourselves and others. (i.e. Pride, etc.)
B. How do we nurture our spirits? How do we nurture our bodies? The tension between the flesh and spirit. Having nice things doesn’t mean you can’t follow Jesus.
C. How do we continue to build communities that look after one another, especially during times of crisis and uncertainty. In service to our neighbors, vets, teachers, older adults, health care workers, firefighters, police officers, and insert yourself here [here], we build a stronger community when we are able to look after and care for one another.
VI. We can empty shelves because we want to try and act in our own interest and welfare OR we can act in faith. Taking only what we need, picking up a little extra for those who might need it more than us, and instead of giving into fear, look towards the ways that we can live in God’s abundant grace. If we do that maybe the shelves won’t seem so empty after all.