It's Possible for God

Mark 10: 24 - 31: But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

There are times when I wish I understood what all these passages and ideas meant to the original apostles/disciples. I wonder what Jesus himself was talking about. Did he have the same "God will rescue me from anything" idea that we sometimes want? Did he mean that we will be well taken care of, safe, happy, and forever smiling?

My guess is, "Probably not!" But that is as far as I can go. Anyone who claims to know truly what all these mean is fooling themselves and any who listen to them. As a preacher I would wrestle with making definitive statements about these. All I could say was "This is what it says. This is how I understand it today."

Which brings me again to wrestling with God's ways. It always does. And, I have mentioned before, this has been really placed in my thoughts thanks to the two-novel series by Mary Russell- The Sparrow/Children of God. I am two-thirds of the way through the second novel and am stunned by its style, story, and ideas. Using a "science fiction" genre story about discovering sentient life on a distant planet, Russell takes readers on an amazing journey trying to find answers to theological/philosophical questions.

At the heart of the story is knowing what God's call can mean and how following God can raise more questions than it answers. I have no idea how Russell is going to bring resolution to the question. Her protagonist, Jesuit priest Emilio Sandoz is one of the most interesting literary characters I have met. He speaks for my soul when faced with the pain of God's will. He speaks for those who have been brought down by circumstances beyond their control yet supposedly in the control of God, who they hope they are following.

So far Russell hasn't given us any easy answers. In fact, she seems to make it more and more difficult to come up with an easy answer. Will there be a Job-like epiphany? Will there be a "deus ex machina" - God from the heavenly machine sweeping in like the Cavalry? I hope not. But that is often how we expect it to happen.

In fact our understanding of the Second Coming is exactly like that. Out of the heavens will come all the answers to all our world's problems never again having to worry. But I find that answer to be as uncomfortable as having no God at all.

So when it says that "with God all things are possible"- even the salvation of the wealthy- or my salvation and yours- I am with Fr. Sandoz in wondering what and how God will do that and whether it is worth the pain of getting there. Somehow we know the answer to that should be "Yes, it has to be worth it". But it sure doesn't make any sense.

Which, at least at this point in my life, I am happy to live with. If I could understand the ways of God with my limited and closed human mind, I am not sure God would be a God I could follow.

Yes, I believe that with God all things are possible.

Help my unbelief.