With Jesus concern for the poor always seemed to assume a position at or very near the top of his list of priorities. On many occasions his directives regarding meeting the needs of the poor linked directly to the challenges of being rich.
On one occasion a very wealthy man approached Jesus with a theological question.
In the religious tradition of my own heritage, the man's question was the ultimate question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered by pointing to the Ten Commandments.
The rich man replied, I expect with some relief and pride, "All these I have kept since I was a boy."
I expect Jesus' reply came as a shock to the man:
"You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
There it is.
Front and center.
Love God by loving your neighbor.
That is it.
At the end of my tenure as Senior Minister for the last church I served before moving to the inner city, I remember telling the members there that "I believe more and more in less and less."
It was my way of trying to say that the issues of faith are not usually all that complex. The way of Jesus is not hard to understand. The journey and the following can be a challenge, but the call and the content are not very complicated.
I've found most of the theological disputes and doctrinal arguments for which Christians are infamous are largely irrelevant to the heart, to the essential truth of Christianity.
For Jesus, faith is all about loving God via loving and caring for others.
Simple.
Demanding at times.
But, very, very clear.
[Read the full story of the rich man and Jesus at Luke 18:18-30.]
While we should help the poor and love our neighbor, it was never a universal requirment to sell all ones possessions. There are many examples of wealthy followers of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been a good idea for the young ruler to obey Jesus because history tells us that not a single Christian died as a result of the distruction of the Jewish nation in 70 AD.
Chris~
ReplyDeleteIs selling all we have not a requirement? Or is that our justification for maintaining our "things?" I've oft heard preachers and Christian colleges tell me the same thing you're saying. I believed it because it always made me feel better, but as I've gotten older, I wonder if it's really true or if it's more about us wanting to make scripture justify our lifestyle. After all..."the poor you will always have with you..." Matt. 26:11, right?
Don't get me wrong. I haven't sold all of my things, yet. But how much more could I do with so much less? How much "stuff" do I really need?
Thanks. I was struggling with this passage just last night. While I know I have too much "stuff", The whole things makes more sense in being willing to help others...even if it means selling "all" my stuff to do so.
ReplyDeleteI love the way God uses even blogs to help answer my prayers for understanding.
Janet,
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I lead a rather simple life but we do plan. We do not have a lot of "stuff."
Proverbs says:
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
"it was never a universal requirment to sell all ones possessions."
ReplyDeleteBut how does one tell? There are "commands" from Jesus, spoken to individuals, found throughout the Gospels, that have always been perceived to be "universal."
I agree that this one was probably not intended to be universal -- but, aren't there some that Jesus would say this to today? I wonder who those might be?
Randy Mayeux, Dallas