Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Mark 10:23-31               

Mark 10:23-31

Can it still be a “thing"?  People speak and wrangle and argue over what saves us before God. And people actually believe weak, paltry, sinful-to-the-core human beings could possibly have a part in their salvation? It blows my mind. Now, of course I am not referring to those who by their own ignorance and apathy have never really “dug into” the issue. But for those who open their Bibles regularly and find help and solace, the question really couldn’t be more clear. Salvation is of the Lord.

In our gospel for the week Jesus lets his disciples know that, surprisingly, perhaps alarmingly to them, rich people will have a whale of a time getting into heaven. They are stunned at the Master’s take on this. God’s blessing is shown through material wealth or so they believed. Jesus says rich folk will have more of a battle and heck, just the average Joe is no better off in the grand scheme of things. We do NOT make our way into heaven. I guess you could say even Jesus does not “make” our way. It may be a bit technical, but Jesus IS our WAY. Remember, “I am the way, the truth, and the life …” (John 14:6).

The gift of eternal life is just that. A gift. And the treasures and pleasures of such a life are resplendent and they begin in the here and now. Jesus is here with us now where He promises to be: in Word and Sacrament, in the forgiveness of sins and in, as Luther put it, “the consolation of the brethren.”  And of course Jesus will be with us in the new heavens and new earth. That’s our home and His, too. Jesus is THE WAY. Salvation is God’s business.