Have you noticed that in the Gospel accounts some people are named while others are not? Bartimaeus the blind man that Jesus healed is named, as is Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross. In today’s reading the rich man is not named, while elsewhere the wealthy Zachaeus is.
Why are some people named while others remain anonymous? Could it be that those who became part of the Christian community are named because they were known and remembered as followers of Jesus. Those who encountered Jesus, but failed to follow, did not become part of the ongoing story in a personal way?
It is interesting to compare the story of the anonymous wealthy man in today’s reading with the account of Zachaeus in Luke chapter 19.
The rich man’s wealth would have been seen by people as a sign of God’s blessing, while Zachaeus was working for the occupying Romans and was clearly subject to God’s disapproval. The rich man approaches Jesus confidently and is eager to ‘inherit eternal life’. Zachaeus is keen to make his way as a successful tax collector and climbs a tree to watch from a distance.
Both encounter Jesus, but only one ‘enters the kingdom of God’. Against all the odds the impossible happens and Zachaeus, the traitor, cheat, and sinner, finds salvation. The camel passes through the eye of the needle!
Jesus loved the rich man and invited him to become a disciple, but the cost was too great, and he went away sad. Jesus found Zachaeus, and the lost tax-collector responded by promising to give half his possessions to the poor and to pay back anyone he had cheated.
Both stories are shocking. The eager rich man, apparently so blest by God, is lost. The wayward tax-collector is found. And the key issue is how they respond in relation to their possessions and money. With Zachaeus his newfound generosity and integrity were evidence that salvation had come to his house, but because the rich man held on to his possessions, he excluded himself from the kingdom.
And so it was that Zachaeus’ name was and is remembered, and the rich man’s name is forgotten.
These stories carry very challenging questions – does what I do with my money and possessions speak of my commitment to Jesus? How has my encounter with Jesus impacted my bank balance?
With best wishes,
Reverend Stephen