Notes from the Wayside: Perspective: A Rabbi, a Rich Man, a Ringmaster, and a Writer

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A Rabbi, a Rich Man, a Ringmaster, and a Writer

As Jesus continued down the road, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?"

Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him. He said, "You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me."

Mark 10:17, 21 (CEB)

Don't you wanna get away

From the same old part you gotta play

'Cause I got what you need

So come with me and take the ride

It'll take you to the other side

'Cause you can do like you do

Or you can do like me

Stay in the cage, or you'll finally take the key

Oh, damn! Suddenly you're free to fly

It'll take you to the other side

From "The Other Side" by Pasek and Paul

For the past month, at Travelers Rest United Methodist Church, Pastor Jonathan Tompkins has been delivering a sermon series titled Come One, Come All, Come Alive!¹ which draws heavily from the film The Greatest Showman.² This 2017 musical is very loosely based on the life of P.T. Barnum and the origin of his circus, which was known as "the Greatest Show on Earth." Pastor Jonathan has described the movie an idealized telling of the story, which is less descriptive of how things actually were and more prescriptive of how things should be. He rented the film for his children, but, when he watched it, he was struck by how much he heard the Gospel message in it.³

After I heard the first sermon in the series, I found a copy of the film at a used book store and watched it for myself, and afterward I purchased an album of the songs from the film "reimagined" by popular recording artists.⁴ I've thoroughly enjoyed the film, the songs, and the sermon series based on them, and, as I listened to the songs over and over again, I began to hear echoes of the Gospel for myself.

At one point in the film, P.T. Barnum, portrayed by Hugh Jackman, meets Phillip Carlyle, portrayed by Zac Efron. Carlyle is a successful playwright who does not seem to enjoy his life very much but, at the same time, feels that he has a lot to lose. Over drinks, Barnum suggests that Carlyle leave his life as a playwright and join him at the circus, and, as characters are wont to do at key moments in musicals, the two break into song.

This part of the film reminds me of a certain story we read in the Gospels. One day, a rich man approaches Jesus and asks Him what he must do to receive eternal life. Jesus reminds him of the Ten Commandments, and the rich man replies that he has kept all of them ever since he was young. Jesus looks at the man, smiles warmly, and says, "You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me."⁵

I would wager a guess that most Christians living in materialistic societies like mine hate this story. I cannot say that I personally know anyone who has actually done what Jesus tells the rich man to do. I suspect that we tend to focus on what Jesus tells the rich man to give up and then ignore the fact that Jesus also says, "And come, follow me." Basically, Jesus is offering to make the man a disciple if he would just be willing to leave behind his familiar life of wealth and luxury and step into the unfamiliar with Him.

I wonder if maybe the offer Jesus makes to the rich man is like the offer P.T. Barnum makes to Phillip Carlyle in The Greatest Showman. Maybe Jesus wants to show the rich man "The Other Side."

Barnum sings,

You run with me

And I can cut you free

Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in

So trade that typical for something colorful

And if it's crazy, live a little crazy

You can play it sensible, a king of conventional

Or you can risk it all and see⁶

Barnum likens the life Carlyle lives to a colorless, drudgerous prison and offers to set him free to live a crazy, free, colorful life. Carlyle admits that he admires Barnum and his show but insists that he is content to live his "uptown" life "among the swells" in which he doesn't have to "pick up peanut shells."

Barnum is essentially offering Carlyle an exciting new life, but, if Carlyle is to take hold of this new life, he will have to leave behind his old life.

Sound familiar?

Barnum asks,

Now is this really how you like to spend your days

Whiskey, and misery, and parties, and plays?

Carlyle replies,

If I were mixed up with you, I'd be the talk of the town

Disgraced and disowned, another one of the clowns

Barnum then sings,

But you would finally live a little, finally laugh a little

Just let me give you the freedom to dream, and it'll

Wake you up and cure your aching

Take your walls and start 'em breaking

Now that's a deal that seems worth taking

But I guess I'll leave that up to you

When read the story of Jesus and the rich man, we might be tempted to think transactionally. We might think that the eternal life the rich man seeks is something he will experience at some indeterminate time in the future if he is willing to trade his wealth for it now. If eternal life is instead a life lived following in the footsteps of Jesus here and now, then the rich man's opulent lifestyle threatens to keep him from stepping into the unfamiliar and experiencing the very life he seeks. Maybe, like Phillip Carlyle in The Greatest Showman, the rich man has been living his life in a gilded cage, and maybe, like P.T. Barnum, Jesus is offering the rich man the freedom to live, laugh, and dream as one of His disciples.

Barnum leaves the decision up to Carlyle, and Jesus leaves the decision up to the rich man. Carlyle accepts the offer Barnum makes after negotiating a partnership with him. Sadly, the rich man walks away from Jesus with his head hung low, unable to part with his current way of life.⁷ Jesus leaves the decision up to us as well. Will we leave leave our old familiar lives and follow Him into new, eternal life? Will we "trade that typical for something colorful" and "live a little crazy"?

Notes:

This series and other sermons from Travelers Rest United Methodist Church can be found at the following link: https://trmethodist.podomatic.com/
IMDb: "The Greatest Showman (2017)"
Jonathan Tompkins. "Come Alive!" Travelers Rest United Methodist Church, 06/16/2019.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JHVPMHZ
Mark 10:17-21 (CEB)
The quotations of dialogue between P.T. Barnum and Phillip Carlyle are from the song "The Other Side" by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Mark 10:22