Mark 10:17-31 (RSV)
October 15, 2000
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
In the Fall of 1997, there was a rally in Philadelphia called the Million Woman March. The organizer was trying to get a million African American women and other women from around the country to come to hear speeches and attend workshops.
“The main thing is,” said the woman who was organizing the march “African American women got to regain their proper posture. We have got to look back in our history, reclaim good resources from the past, and learn to stand up again.”
This is a powerful image. The women wanted to reclaim their proper posture.
I don’t have good posture. Joy is always telling me to stand up straight. She would physically pull my shoulders back to straighten me up. I need to hold my head up high! I need to put a book on the top of my head and walk around like that all day!
You know that posture is a mirror of the soul. You can learn a lot about people by looking at their posture. Our posture, the way we carry ourselves, our exterior physical demeanor, is an indication of what is going on within our souls.
His Countenance Fell
Physical posture isn’t mentioned often in the Bible. But I think about the woman who suffered from a crooked back for 18 years found in Luke 13:10. She had spent years stooped over, staring at the ground, hobbling about, unable to work, getting by as best as she could. Then she met Jesus and stood up straight. In one encounter with Jesus, her stooped countenance was healed.
I think about the woman who was bleeding for 12 years. She must have been bent over too—ashamed to look up and see people talking about her. She had spent all of her money to get better, but rather grew worst. Her countenance had fallen a long time ago. She must have been closed to the ground and reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak in desperation for some relief. And immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt her body becoming healed.
I think about Zacchaeus who was a wee little man. Even though he might not have been physically bent over, he most definitely felt that way. Nobody wanted to be his friend because he cheated them of their money. His countenance had fallen. He was short in stature—physically, ethically, and spiritually until Jesus went to his house for dinner.
Today’s Scripture from Mark’s gospel mentions posture, at least indirectly. Did you catch it as we read the gospel?
A rich young man comes to Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mk. 10:17).
Jesus at first responds with a rather conventional word: obey all of the commandments. Of course, obeying all of the commandments would be no small order. And yet surprisingly, this young man says that he had done just that from the days of his youth.
Then Jesus from the RSV version of the Bible,
“looking upon him loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell
what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow me.’ At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away
sorrowful; for he had great possessions” (Mk. 10:21-22).
I’ve always loved this expression—his countenance fell. His countenance became sorrowful. His countenance indicated his face, his whole posture. After this conversation with Jesus who loved him, the young man felt no joy or peace. His countenance fell. He slumped down and got very depressed.