Downward Mobility
April 2, 2006
Mark 10:17-31
Today’s Scripture passage cuts us to the bone.As the wealthiest nation in the world, it is hard for us to hear…We are the rich man.We are the ones who would be looking him in the face and be crushed--to work our hardest at being a good person, only to hear it’s not enough. And to be asked to give the most radical sacrifice…to give up our homes?Our security? Our health benefits? We couldn’t do it, it’s too risky.We’d be crushed, sad, and walking away dejected.
There are two strains of teaching in Scripture about wealth. The smaller strain says that the rich are rich in God and thus have received many blessings.The second strain, which is larger, is mostly centered in the human witness of Jesus. This teaching says that we need to be careful of the rich, for the rich can’t seem to see beyond themselves and their investments when making decisions. In other words they become myopic. They only see how things pertain to them and that’s all that matters.
This seems to put us in a terrible position.We are the rich of this world, and I know, there are many good people in this room. And yet we couldn’t leave everything that we have, we couldn’t give it all up to go and tell our stories of faith. But,there is this one small phrase at the end of the passage, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Even for the rich, it is possible--we don’t have to throw in the towel quite yet. What we have to determine is what do the least in our world have? And, if they will be first and we will be last, where will that leave us?
Today’s passage is reminding us that we all have an investment in the common good. Now, we don’t really believe in the common good in America. It goes against everything that we’ve been taught by our culture. Our culture says that it is our duty to go to school, get a job, and “make it”.And “making it” means having a family, owning a home, making good investments, and then retiring off the fruit of our work. And, from living this way the rest of the world owes us. We aren’t going to contribute until we know what we will get.Even at church…I don’t want to become a member, until I know what I’ll get.Because I have lived, worked, and survived to this moment, you owe me. I can’t share it, give it up, consider you until I know what I’m gonna get and that it won’t interrupt my plan to succeed.But, today, this passage we’ve read cuts this thinking to the bone.Our value as Christians is not one of personal wealth. God’s concern is for the wealth of the whole people and we are only as good as those who have the least.So if we will have to change places with the least, I thought it would be good to figure out who the least are and what we can do as the rich.
I think a modern day example of this parable is an organization founded in 1997 called Responsible Wealth. It’s an organization made up of business, community, government, philanthropic, academic, and the financial leaders of America. They are among the wealthiest 5% of Americans. For example, Bill Gates is a member of Responsible Wealth. These are the biggest of the big money people. And check this out, they have gathered together to work in four areas:advocating fair taxes, a living wage for all, greater corporate accountability,and broader asset ownership for all Americans. Responsible Wealth believes that growing economic inequality in America has resulted from rules tilted in favor of the rich as the largest asset owners.They are working to examine these tilted rules and use their unique voice to propose changes that will lead to a fairer economy and a more democratic society.
The first step each of these people has taken is to sign a tax cut pledge. They have acknowledged that the lion’s share of the tax cuts are going to wealthy people. They profess that this is hurting our country and that they can help to stop this injustice.They can prove that tax cuts are draining our nation of its capacity to preserve vital services, invest in research and infrastructure, build a strong and sustainable economy, and assure fairness and opportunity. And, they raise this as proof: the existing tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% will cost the more than $300 million in lost revenues every day for ten years if made permanent. And, that’s just what is happening with the top 1%.
Now let’s compare this to the poor of the United States.Despite a record stock market and strong economic growth, poverty remains high in the United States. 1 out of 5 children live below the official poverty line in the richest nation on earth. One of the reasons the rich believe this to be true is the inability of the wage floor to keep pace with the cost of living over the last three decades.The federal minimum wage,presently $5.15 an hour, would need to be raised to $8.20 an hour simply to meet the federal poverty level. And, in many higher-cost regions, a true living wage is substantially higher (up to $18 per hour).
The dominant voice of American business has predicted economic doom and mass layoffs in their consistent opposition to minimum wage increases. While none of these forecasts have come to pass when the minimum wage was increased in the past, the business lobby nonetheless remains a powerful obstacle to raising the wage floor to a decent level. Many business people, investors, and other Americans hold a different view, understanding that paying employees a living wage is good business - creating stronger communities and better customers. However, their voices have not previously come together. Hopefully,that day is coming to an end. Responsible wealth advocates for people to be paid enough to support their families. They recognize that when a family no longer needs to rely on public assistance: housing subsidies,medical assistance, food stamps, and welfare.In effect, taxpayers are subsidizing employers who don’t pay living wages.When people are paid enough to support their families, they pay more taxes and buy more goods and services in the local economy, stimulating growth of neighborhood economies. The vast majority of economic research concludes that there is little or no unemployment effect associated with wage increases, and the benefits far outweigh any negative consequences.
We know what these rich folks are saying is this truth.We’ve seen it with our own eyes in real time with the devastation of hurricane Katrina.It’s true that like the rest of the country,Louisiana is plagued by a deep racial wealth divide. In Louisiana,the average income for African-Americans is $21,461,while that of whites is $40,049. While African-Americans comprise 31.5% of the population in Louisiana,69% of the children in poverty are African-Americans. Natural disasters are not race-conscious; they do not discriminate. Yet, race does matter.Conscious political choices over many years produced the racially biased suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.If you are not white, you are more likely to be poor. Not just income poor, but asset poor, and those with minimal assets are the ones who are least able to weather life’s storms, and who suffer most during these particularly disastrous times. They are also the ones who are more likely to have difficulty in reconstructing their lives.
Jesus encounters a rich man. A man who is rich because he’s followed the law for his entire life.He loves God with his whole heart and Jesus loves him for this. And yet he tells him that he can’t follow him until he’s done this incredible sacrifice. And why? Because,Jesus felt it was time to build a movement for greater equality and a God-centered kingdom.
Jesus reminds Peter and the other disciples that they have reasons for doing this work. They have reason for standing up to persecution. They have reason and it doesn’t involve some promise that will happen in some ethereal later place. Jesus reminds that we care about the least of these because it brings rewards here and now, today.When we stay rooted in God and see God’s presence in all people, we form deep bonds with one another. These strong bonds can feel just as strong as our blood family members and sometimes these bonds are even stronger. During the time of the Jesus movement, these disciples were given hospitality and mutual acceptance by people sharing their homes,mothers, brothers and sisters--just as participating in this community does the same.
This is our work even today.We are those called to mutually accept one another and work for the common good. To address economic inequality, we have to focus on the growing gap.And, as people of faith, as those who say that we are part of this movement, we must work together as community to begin to take responsibility of our wealth. We can change the lives of the least of these by working with refugees.We can change the lives of the least of these by showing up to help someone move when they’ve been evicted because of hard times. We can change the lives of the least of these by voting and working for fair and just taxes, wages, corporate accountability and broader asset ownership.We can change lives by working, seeing, and caring for the 1 in 5 children living in poverty. We aren’t the richest 5% in wealth. But, Jesus comes to us this day to remind us, we have enough to give to a community of faith. And with that commitment comes rewards and insurance that you will not be alone.That together life will be more fun, more fulfilling, and filled with the support of others who have been there in good times and in bad. And, we will know exactly who the least are, because they will be our brothers and sisters. Let us pray.