LK 18: 15-30 

Laterally Luke…Pentecost +20…Revised 2019

Let’s not entangle vv.15-17 with infant baptism; that would be an anachronism. It’s about Jesus' welcoming attitude towards ‘little ones’ of all sorts & conditions.¹  And what it means for little kids, or bigger kids like you & me, to accept the Rule, the Kingdom of God. Embrace its ‘all embracing-ness’ as enthusiastically as He does  these little ones. Do we have the imagination little children (of all ages) have to  embrace God & each other, irrespective of colour, race, sexuality, politics, etc.?

‘Goodness’, as Jesus is quick to point out, is reserved for God. Whether this chap (let’s call him ‘Sam’) is simply being sincere in calling Jesus ‘good’, we can’t tell, but we can imagine a loving smile on our Lord’s face, can’t we? MT, MK, & LK all tell us the man is wealthy; LK, that the man is of the ‘ruling classes’; MT, that he's young; & MK, that Jesus looks at him lovingly. The more complete the picture, the more likely we are to find ourselves in there, & the more likely the story will move on in us today.

 Have we been brainwashed into accepting 'eternal life' as something that comes if we’ve earned it in this one? But, if we aren’t enjoying eternal life now, how will we recognize, let alone enjoy its quality later? My wife & I were sad some years back when a small boy died. His parents are devout folk, yet when sending out ‘thank-you' cards to those who took part in his funeral, they printed the date of his death as the date he ‘entered into eternal life’. Hadn’t he entered it at his Baptism & in life?

Notice how Jesus homes in on commandments relating to human relationships when He ‘puts Sam through his catechism’? Is it because we aren’t keeping the ones that centre on God that we can’t keep the person to person ones? And vice-versa?

Whatever explanations we come up with about the camel & the gate, it's a joke. I imagine those who hear Jesus rolling about in the aisles as He play-acts someone trying to squeeze a laden camel through a too-narrow gate, & His other funnies! Jesus is a gifted storyteller who, I’m sure, uses His voice, His face, His hands, His whole body to make His stories live. Even if it means lovingly caricaturing those in the stories He tells. And being able to laugh at ourselves with Him.

Peter’s ‘What's in it for us?’ shows he still doesn’t quite get it! Jesus tells him, “A whole lot of benefits, including eternal life!” If we ourselves are asking in any way, "What's in it for us?”, might we be trying to squeeze our own camel through that narrow gate all over again? And have Jesus mimicking us, not someone else?

Brian

Afterthought: ¹  The Anglican Abp. of Sydney has recently told people who don’t agree with his / that Diocese’s views on the marriage of ‘gay’ people that they should ‘leave the church’! Hardly reminiscent of Jesus’ inclusive attitude to folk?