The creation account in Genesis tells the story of how God formed the creatures of the earth, brought them to mankind, and waited to see what he would name them.

‘Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:19-20.

This speaks of a profound relationship between humans and the animal kingdom from the beginning. Cave art from 40,000 years ago depicts this relationship, a two-way relationship in which mankind often took on the characteristics of animals, and animals took on the characteristics of humanity.

We can see this in early Christian mosaics from the ancient Greek city of Heraclea in what is now North Macedonia, which I was fortunate to visit last week on one of Lucy Abel Smith’s fabled ‘Reality and Beyond’ tours.

The location of the city is significant as it lies on an important east-west trade route that St Paul would have used in his mission to the Macedonians. Acts 16:9.

‘During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing a begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

It is possible that St Paul visited the city and founded the church there, as by the fourth century it was an important episcopal centre. In the remains of the great Basilica were uncovered these remarkable mosaics depicting the Biblical narrative of ‘salvation’ not through the drama of human characters but through the drama of the animal kingdom.

The lion representing nobility and courage, the deer representing the martyr’s faithfulness unto death, and The dove representing peace and prosperity, also from the pagan myths Cerberus, the monstrous watchdog of the underworld chained by Christ to the tree that represents his Cross.

The plant world tells the same story. The tree from the Garden of Eden speaks of God’s provision, the barren fig tree that Jesus cursed speaks of humanity's faithlessness, and the Pomegranate tree whose fruitfulness speaks of life in all its fullness.

The animal and plant worlds are then intimately linked to our world binding us into a relationship of mutual dependence. Today we celebrate our pets not just because we love them but because God loves them and has given them to us to care for as they care for us.

Today, in Mark’s account of Jesus’ meeting with the ‘rich young man’ it is the camel who tells the story of his dilemma.

‘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!’ Mark 10:23

The rich young man in our story was an observant Jew, religiously obeying to the letter the laws of Moses with all their many prohibitions and conditions. The unintended consequences of this rigorous legalism were that you had to be rich to be an observant Jew, and the poor were unintentionally excluded from the observance of the law and therefore, as we see in the New Testament classed as ‘Sinners’. Certain trades, such as leather workers and tax collectors could not be considered faithful Jews, even the poor and the disabled were considered to be outside the Law because they could not participate fully in the many provisions that the Law demanded.

So our Rich young man was an observant Jew, yet it is clear that he felt that he lacked something necessary for Salvation. When challenged by Jesus on his observance of the Law he said, with complete honesty.

“Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth” Mark 10: 20.

Jesus knew that he was sincere. Often in the Gospels, we are told what Jesus said to people, not the way in which he looked at them, or the emotions that crossed his face. But here we have a glimpse into the face of Jesus which helps us to capture the mood and the drama of the whole scene.

To begin with, when the young man declares that he’s kept all the commandments,

‘Jesus looked hard at him and loved him’. Mark 10:21

The camel and the eye of the needle is thought to refer to the gate in the walls of Jerusalem through which traders would have to enter after all the other gates had been closed at night. To pass through this gate the camel had to be unloaded and the camel would have to kneel down in order to pass through. All this required a relationship of trust, if not love between camel and master. The camel an intelligent animal but notoriously stubborn would not do this unless there was a relationship of complete trust.

This helps us to understand the young man’s issue, first his burden and then his pride. His burden was his riches and his pride was his dependence on them. Without his riches he saw himself as naked and defenseless, with his riches he saw himself as independent and powerful.

What Jesus was offering was love and what he was asking of the rich young man was trust, the same relationship as between camel and master. Only where there is a relationship of love and trust can we unburden ourselves of the things that weigh us down. Only the security of God’s love gives us the peace of mind that neither riches nor status offer.

God’s Kingdom is all about a new creation in which the rules of the world no longer apply. In his Kingdom you can’t push your way in by trying a bit harder, by making a bit more money, by impressing the world with good deeds, or great moral achievements, all these means of achieving status in the world have the unintended consequence of making it impossible to accept that God’s gift to us depends not on our efforts but God’s goodness.

As seen in the mosaic at Heraclea we live in a world in which humanity lives in a state of dependency on God’s provision for his needs both physical and spiritual. Now God, in Jesus is doing a new thing, a ‘New Creation’ in which all are equally dependent on God’s goodness. There can be no advantages in being rich or powerful, and no disadvantage in being poor or disadvantaged. The only way to God’s heart is by receiving with faith his gift of undeserved love.

Who was the Rich young man?

Some commentators have speculated that the rich young man was Paul, it’s a fanciful idea but contains a truth. He tells us that he abandoned all his pride in his upbringing, training, and heritage, to gain the Messiah.

“Of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrew, as of the Law a Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteous under the Law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ... Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Paul had discovered the unexpected benefits of being poor!

“ We are treated as being impostors and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known, as dying, and yet behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6: 8-10

“After all, he says Jesus loved me and gave himself for me” Galatians 2:20

These were the riches that the young man desired and yet could not find in status or power or wealth.

Maybe, just maybe it was this rich young man who later came to true riches in Christ.

Just as Jesus looked into that young man’s heart and ‘Loved him’ Mark 10: 21

He looks into our hearts and sees our deepest desires seeking in us the same love that “costing not less than everything” TS Elliot

Our pets too speak to us of a relationship of love and trust and remind us that we are loved and can rest secure in that love forever.

A prayer for peace in the Holy Land.

O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma
of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims, and Christians and for all people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,
we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.