Lectionary Scriptures: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31

I hope you heard the word from our lectionary scripture at the top of our worship this morning. "Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account." Tough words. A two edged sword – handle with care.

Let me also remind you that the word of God is also like a hammer that breaks the rock in two and a mirror in which we can see ourselves. When we dare to let the scripture speak to us, we are going to hear tough words. So, listen to the rest of that passage from Hebrews that gives us courage to open ourselves to it. "Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." I hope you will underline those words in your Bibles.

Today, the focus of our worship is the Lord’s Supper. As we approach that throne of grace we need to approach with boldness. And in order to do that we need to have reflected on the word of God so that it works like a mirror to make us see ourselves, like the hammer that breaks our hard hearts and the two-edged sword that cuts through all the junk in our lives. So let me open out some scripture for you. I am going to tell you about the prophet Amos, first. This is another of those short books in the Bible that you ought to read from beginning to end. I am going to take you through that very quickly. If you find that to be too difficult, you might write down the verses I am quoting so you might read them later.

Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees from a small Judean village called Tekoa. He lived about 800 years before Christ when Israel had reached a prosperity that was second only to the times of David and Solomon. Now, as you know, an effect of prosperity is that when some people get rich, other people get poor. And as we see in this country, usually the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Most scholars think that Amos was not a peasant but an owner shepherd and that he dressed sycamore trees as a moonlighting job. If that is indeed the case, Amos was like most of us, a middle class person trying to understand and interpret the God’s word from the perspective of the poor.

As you know, there’s a fundamental difference in the way rich and poor view the world. The rich like the way things are – so they will resist change. The poor don’t like the way things are so want change. But usually those who are poor cannot even imagine that change is possible. Together with the poverty, they become powerless; and that makes it impossible to dream of a different day. The prophet is the one who can help the poor imagine a new day, to know that God is powerful to make changes happen, to hope and in hope be empowered to cause change to happen. But before he does that, the prophet must offer a critique of the existing structure.

And Amos’ criticism is scathing. It comes upon two groups of people: one, the rich and the powerful and two, the religious establishment – people like us. He starts with a pronouncement of God’s judgment on the surrounding countries. Israel expects to be excluded from God’s judgment at this point; after all they are the chosen people. Surely God will overlook their sin. But before long, he comes round to them. (2:6-7) "For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals - they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way." You can hear the listeners protest that they are the chosen. And so he continues, (3:2) "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."

The prophetic criticism continues to those who lived in luxury, (4:1) "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, 'Bring something to drink!'" These are the ones, he says who (6:4,5) "lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sounds of the harp, who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph."

So what is the judgment? Its an attack from an outside enemy, which came in the form of the Assyrian empire which took the Northern Kingdom to exile. (3:11) "An adversary shall surround the land, and strip you of your defense; and your strongholds shall be plundered." And what will happen with the attack comes -- (2:13ff) "So I will press you down in your place, just as a cart presses down when it is full of sheaves. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives." And (4:2) "The time is surely coming upon you when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks." In chapter 4 there is a long list of judgments that end with these words "Therefore thus I will do to you O Israel, because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel" (4:12). This judgment is so complete that no one will be able to escape. It is (5:19) "as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall and was bitten by a snake." Perhaps a remnant, a very small one, (3:12) "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed." What a strong statement of God's judgment and wrath on people!

Amos' prophetic critique is not only aimed towards the economic and political structure that produced the injustice against the poor, but also against religion. That’s people like us. Established religion had often endorsed and sometimes turned a blind eye to the practices of injustice. So, God's punishment will extend to the holy places. (3:14) "On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will punish Bethel (a holy shrine), and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground." This is because the holy places, rather than draw people to God, were places where sin abounded. Listen to the irony in 4:4,5. "Come to Bethel and transgress; to Gilgal and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a thank-offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them, for so you love to do, O people of Israel." The problem was that people were using religion to justify their sinful behavior. They wanted to show to the world how religious they were so others would think that they were in fact good and just people. So they kept the Sabbath, but they kept asking (8:5,6) "When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? – skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales." Such religion is abhorrent to God, says Amos. (5:21-23) "I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps." Worship that affirms social injustice is abhorrent to God.

So what are we to do? "Seek the Lord and live" is a continuing theme in chapter 5. Vs 14 -- "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the marketplace," and, "it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." And the Lord says, (6:12) to the people who have "turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness in wormwood," the Lord says to such people, these immortal words (5:24), "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream."

The word of God is like a mirror that lets us see ourselves, like a hammer that breaks the rock in two and like a two edged sword that cuts through all kinds of junk. Now, fast forward 800 years for a story that the deals with the real practical part.

A man once approached Jesus and fell on his knees. "Good teacher," he says, because this rich landowner knows that when you offer a compliment, you are returned one. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" A good question, is it not? But right from the outset we know this is no ordinary exchange – because Jesus’ words cut through the junk like a two-edged sword. You can feel the tension. "Why do you call me good. No one is good – except God alone."

This is a man who can afford the luxury of asking questions about the good-life-to-come because he doesn't have to worry about the life-he-already-has. He has everything he needs and more. But I do wonder if he had nearly as much stuff as most of us in our country do. But Jesus stops him in his tracks. And then goes on to remind him of a short list of the commandments. Seems uncharacteristic of Jesus to throw the law at someone seeking eternal life. But this was a religious man. He is very comfortable with this question. He has kept all these laws. He has interpreted them in such a way that it would make him comfortable. He could be rich and still be consistent with the legal requirements of his religion. Remember Amos? But look closely. Jesus throws him a curve ball. First of all, Jesus is not quoting the first four that have to do with our relationship to God, but with the last six which have to do with our relationship to our neighbor. This is where the man has trouble. Jesus is quoting from Exodus 20: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness.' Right so far. But, then, look at the next one: 'You shall not defraud; . . ." Say that again? You shall not defraud? But that’s not in the ten commandments. Did you see? Jesus changed the ten commandments. He replaced 'You shall not covet' with 'You shall not defraud'?

Remember the young man's question - "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This man had no doubt inherited most of what he owned; and, of course he thought that he can inherit eternal life as well. But since what made most people rich in those days was owning property, we can assume that he had "many properties." And since most wealthy landowners in those days became more wealthy by acquiring the land of their neighbors who defaulted on their debt, it is reasonable to assume that those who had "many properties" had become wealthy at the expense of other people. And in calling that Jesus stands firmly on the tradition of Amos.

It was no accident, therefore, that Jesus decides to edit the commandments for this man's benefit. Jesus knows why the man is wealthy just the way anyone would have known; and he wants the man to know what he must do to make things right again before God. He must give back what does not belong to him. And when the man misses Jesus' challenge the first time and claims to have obeyed all these laws, including this new injunction not to defraud, Jesus says, "Fine. Prove it. There is one thing you lack; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." He tells the man to dismantle the system that had made him rich at the expense of others. According to Jesus' logic heaven's treasure is ours only when we take steps to dismantle they system that keeps some wealthy and others poor.

But God’s word is like a two edged sword. Sometimes people turn away. This man couldn’t handle Jesus’ invitation. He preferred to stay with his legalistic religion interpreted to to suit his lifestyle, than to follow Jesus -- "for he had many properties." "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter God's kingdom!" Jesus goes on to say, "It is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter God's kingdom." This is where literalists stop being literalists and find all kinds of interpretations to get out from under the power of that statement. I want to tell you that it means exactly what it seems to say. The only way in to the place in God’s kingdom is through letting go of what God did not intend for you to have in the first place.

Amos and Jesus, what a pair! Amos critiques the system of injustice and the religion that perpetuates that and Jesus in one incident shows us how complacent legalistic religion can keep us away from the kingdom of God, because it won’t challenge us to change. He shows us how we need to be engaged in dismantling the system that we benefited from. "Sell all you have, give to the poor and come follow me." And Amos admonishes us: "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." So, that, he says, Justice flows down like the waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

This is the word of the Lord – sharper than a two-edged sword. It makes us naked and bare before the one to whom we must render an account. And so, we will pray. Open our hearts and lives in God’s presence, confess our sin, and seek God’s forgiveness. Scripture also says that, we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace, this Table of the Lord, with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace.