17 As he
was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him,
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus
said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You
know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery;
You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud;
Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have
kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him
and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When
he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many
possessions.
23 Then
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those
who have wealth to enter the kingdom
of God kingdom of God kingdom
of God
28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed
you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left
house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my
sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a
hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children,
and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But
many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Year B
October 9-15
October 4, 2015
Cross~Wind
Title: Wisdom with
Wealth: The Hoarding Syndrome
Quote of the day:
Aristotle, in some
of his thought on education, said that only a friend can teach you really
important things in life. Why? Because, said Aristotle, only a friend knows how
to hurt you in the right way! Sometimes it’s hard to tell the good news from
the bad.
Going deeper
Mark 10:17-22 is a pronouncement
story concerning the rich young man. Although both Matthew (19:16‑30) and Luke
(18:18‑30) also report this encounter, the Markan version presents the most
poignant, sympathetic picture of this man. The text shows this seeker's genuine
piety by having him run to Jesus and kneel. This eager man clearly recognizes
both Jesus’ goodness and wisdom.
This
scene stands squarely in the midst of the Markan discussions of what it means
to be a disciple in the shadow of the cross. Immediately following this
segment, Jesus will articulate for the third time his own passion prediction to
the faithful, but yet uncomprehending disciples. Preceding this text, Jesus
declares that the proper attitude to "receive the kingdom of God" is
to be as a "little child" (10:15). Jesus is primarily instructing his
followers about what it means to be his disciple. They must “deny themselves
and take up their cross, and follow” him (8:34). However, throughout this
section, Mark’s audience sees ways in which the disciples and others haven’t
denied themselves or taken up their crosses, even though they have been
“following” Jesus (1:18). They do not understand the signs of the coming
kingdom (9:9-13); they cannot heal a boy with a dumb spirit (9:14-29); they
discuss among themselves who is the greatest, rather than considering Jesus’
teaching of self-denial (9:33-37). Truly, they are part of the “faithless
generation” (9:19), which does not understand what it means to receive the
kingdom as a child (10:15). Between this demand for a childlike demeanor and
the harsh realities of the looming cross now comes this one man's earnest quest
for eternal life. This text depicts an
intensely personalized, detailed scene in Jesus' ministry. Jesus really gets
personal — moving from marriage to money.
17
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him,
and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[As Mark often
shows, Jesus is always on a journey somewhere and is always in a rush to get
there. Mark identifies “a man” as running up to Jesus and kneeling before him.
This man addresses Jesus as “Good Teacher (Rabbi),” a title without parallel in
Jewish sources, demonstrating this young man's high esteem for Jesus. People
recognized Jesus as a rabbi (teacher) and many recognized his goodness. The
Bible frequently applies the title “Good” to God. Yet, God called creation good. The
commandments are good. Jesus sees this greeting as an opening for a probing
question. The man wonders what he must do to inherit eternal life (that is,
apocalyptic life received at the end of time in the resurrection). As we will
see in a moment, the man apparently believes there are conditions over and
above what the law requires.] 18
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God
alone.[Jesus first responds by not answering a
direct question. Instead, he focuses upon the reference to goodness, and
refuses to accept the designated title of "good" for himself, citing
Jewish tradition that reserves that appellation for God alone. By saying that
no one but God is good, Jesus will not be tempted into being idolized.
Pannenberg notes that in rejecting the title “good teacher,” Jesus
distinguishes between himself and his heavenly Father. He stresses the goodness
of the Father as an attribute of divine love. We see that at the heart of the
message of Jesus stood the Father and the coming rule of God. He did not direct
attention to himself. Jesus differentiated himself as a mere man from the
Father as the one God. He subjected himself to the claim of the coming divine
rule, just as he required of his hearers. He sets himself as a creature below
God as he asks his hearers to do in his message of the nearness of the rule of
God. In making this distinction, Pannenberg finds the self-distinction of the
Trinity as it relates to the deity and attributes of the persons of the
Trinity. He also sees here a basis for saying that in the monarchy of the
Father, the Father is the one God.[1]
Jesus' disclaimer also serves to shift the focus of this conversation away from
the actions and attitudes of the human players in this scene. The man who
kneels at his feet focused on human abilities ("what must I do") and
capabilities (being a "good" teacher). Jesus redirects the focus of
the man's quest by declaring the goodness of God and the righteousness of the
commandments. We find Jesus refocusing
attention upon God, even when a person commends him as “good,” in line with the
rest of the teaching of Jesus. As a contrary view to what I have offered, some
view this as an acknowledgment of some imperfection in Jesus. Another alternative to what I have offered is
that Jesus is leading to the acknowledgment of his own divinity.] 19 You know the commandments:
‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You
shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud
[The addition of “You shall not defraud” (v. 19) is unique to Mark and is not
in the Hebrew Ten Commandments list — “defraud” means to illegally obtain money
from someone by deception. While not one of the Ten Commandments, the author of
Deuteronomy prohibits deceptive and predatory economic practices in another location
(24:14).]; Honor your father and
mother.’ ” [Jesus does not quote the well-known
commandment concerning love of neighbor. Furthermore, there is no mention of
the prohibition against coveting. Perhaps Jesus’ addition of this prohibition
against fraud and his omission of the commandments specifically directed to
relationships with neighbors suggests that the young man’s wealth was
ill-gotten at the expense of his neighbors. This is a possible explanation but
not certain, for there seems to be no guilt or recognition that he has been
judged by Jesus. In fact, the story Mark presents is sympathetic to the young
man. In any case, here is a
typical saying of what anyone of the time of Jesus might say. Such commandments were hardly distinctive to Jesus. Jesus directs
the man to the law, but the story also shows that one will not receive the full
answer there. The commandments Jesus
lists are from the Decalogue's so‑called "Second Table" ‑‑ the
commandments that focus most closely on interpersonal human relationships.
These relational laws suggest that one expresses obedience to God's
commandments by the ability to live in harmony and justice with one's
neighbor. The shema is articulated after the recitation of the rest of the Ten
Commandments. It may refer to the first
two commandments as listed in Deuteronomy 5. It may be that since v. 19 recites
a short-form litany of those commandments, Mark intends his reader to make this
confessional connection.] 20 He
said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”[Thus, at first, the man is delighted and confident with
Jesus' words.] 21 Jesus,
looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own,
and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then
come, follow me.” [The impulsive answer of the
man evokes in Jesus admiration. Mark especially likes to add touches about
Jesus seeing or looking as well as articulating the emotions Jesus feels at any
given time. Jesus responds to this
unthinking exuberance not with anger or ridicule, but with love. This must have
purposeful impact in this story. Mark is often so sparse in emotional and
psychological detail that this note jumps off the page. It is out of love, not
out of some decision to squelch an ego or make an example, that Jesus reveals
what is lacking in this seeker's life. With its injunction to sell everything,
the saying is in line with other things Jesus says about wealth. Jesus does not just add one more commandment,
but declares that following in his case would be renouncing riches and giving
to the poor. That Jesus chose a life of
poverty shows a difference between himself and Jewish teaching of riches being
a sign of divine favor. While Jesus states that the man lacks one thing, he
actually gives him two commands. First,
he is to go, sell what he has and give it all to the poor. Out of genuine compassion, Jesus swiftly
identifies the one obstacle blocking this man's relationship with God, an
overweening attachment to what can only be called "stuff." Jesus' command not only shocks the
questioner; it stuns the normative standards of first‑century Judaism. While
there was no scriptural prohibition to keep the pious from giving away all
personal belongings, scribal legislation restricted almsgiving to one‑fifth of
one's personal property (Kethubim 50a). This insured that the pious giver would
not be reduced to poverty ‑‑ thus becoming another candidate for charity
himself. Jesus' suggestion that the man impoverish himself also flies in the
face of the common understanding that possessing wealth was a sign of divine
favor. Jesus' command made clear that nothing less than a complete commitment
to God and God alone would enable a believer to lay up "treasure in
heaven." Second, he is to come and follow Jesus — a path that will lead
him to the eternal life he seeks. This man came to Jesus, he knelt before Jesus
and even had profound admiration of Jesus. None of this was enough. He needed to
follow Jesus. He needed to heed the
claim of Jesus on his life and turn away from other claims. He needed to belong
to Jesus. Indeed, we must not be, like the questioner himself, so amazed at
Jesus' demand that we miss the second (and most crucial) part of Jesus'
command: "then come, follow me." One fulfills the search for eternal
life only in discipleship with Jesus.] 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away
grieving, for he had many possessions. [We
now learn a painful truth about this man whom Jesus loved. He knew the second
table of the commandments, but he not really. The commandments have the intent
to leading him to freedom with regard to his neighbors and freedom from the
claim of other lords. We learn of the shock of the
man in hearing what Jesus counseled. He left Jesus in grief. As Mark catalogs
the man's response, he reveals for the first time the economic status of this
individual: He has "many possessions." He has
all possessions except the one, the fullness of Jesus. This lack condemns him
and is what excludes him from eternal life. This man is no longer enthusiastic but shocked. This man is no longer eager; he is sorrowful
or grieving, for he had many possessions.
Jesus' command unerringly zeroed in on this man's exclusive source of
well‑being. His most important sense of self came from the status, power and
security vast affluence afforded him.
The man's failure to follow through on Jesus' final demand reveals that what
governed his confessed observance of the Law was possessions and position rather
than by a thirst for righteousness. When Jesus listed the commandments for this
man in verse 19, he subtly altered the list. "You shall not defraud"
or "rob" is a fairly unique interpretation of the tenth commandment
prohibiting covetousness. For a man of many possessions or much land (the more
usual translation of ktemata pollan which is here "great wealth"), to defraud was more
tempting than to covet. He judges the
cost of eternal life too high and sadly leaves. For the first time, someone
rejects the invitation to follow Jesus. The way that Jesus walks is
narrow, so narrow that many who like this man will go away in sorrow. Jesus is not angry here, expresses no outrage
or fierce condemnation against the man.
He expresses sadness. Jesus
responds by reminding him that, even as a Jew, his status with God is not a
matter of simple birthright. He must
respond in obedience the law of God.
Does it sound like love, to ask this man to do the most difficult thing
imaginable, namely, to sell all that we have and follow Jesus? The text says looking on him and loving him,
Jesus confronts him, demands a major move by him.]
[Jesus’
love, however, includes a challenge that the man cannot bring himself to
fathom, let alone fulfill. In a similar passage found in the Q source, Jesus
confronts those who are attracted to discipleship but choose not to follow due
to perceived responsibilities and duties (Luke 9:57-62; Matthew 19:18-22).[
[Barth
will discuss this segment in the context of his discussion of theological
ethics in 37.3 (Volume 2.2). For him, ethics is the command of God, and in this
section, he discusses the form of the divine claim. He will say that in one
sense, everything we encounter in the world has a claim on us in that it demands
our attention. The same is true of the ultimate claim upon our lives. We
experience the voice of many lords. The difference is that the claim of God
comes to us freedom or permission, the positive response to which grants life
and grace. Granted, the claim does have a corresponding obligation. Here, the
command has the aim of the fulfillment of the one will of God. In the figure of
the rich man, we have one not equal to the demand. In contrast, the disciples
are examples of those who are obedient to the divine claim. He finds it amazing
that both the obedient and disobedient are subject of the living command of
God. Why does the rich man fall on his knees before Jesus? He is at least
adjusting himself to the significance of the claim in his life, even when as he
becomes disobedient to it. He puts himself with the disciples in acknowledging
the force of the command. His withdrawal does not lessen the force of the
command for him. Even the sorrow of the man testifies to the power of the
command. Even in his disobedience, the kingdom of God embraces him. His
disobedience now means that he might obey in another time. In coming to Jesus
with the question of eternal life, he is sure that the fleeting temporal life
is problematic in light of what death reveals about it. He was also sure that
humanity must do something to attain this eternal life. He comes to Jesus with
a question, acknowledging that he did not have the answer. He addresses Jesus
as “good teacher.” Yet, Jesus responds with reminding him that no one except
for God. Barth will make of this that whether the man understands it or not,
the command he will here from Jesus is the command of God. When Jesus refers to
the commandments and the man responds he has done them, nothing prohibits Jesus
from saying that the man is on the right path. If he continues, he will have
eternal life. In reality, his has not really observed the commandments. Even in
coming to Jesus, he passes by Jesus. The claim of God is to become a
covenant-partner with God. The claim of God is to belong to Jesus. As the story
reveals, the man is not willing to say yes to the claim. Yet, we should have
some surprise that Mark tells us that Jesus loves him. He does so, not just
because the man had virtue. He genuinely loves him. The man had offered only
external obedience to God, but Jesus offered love from his heart and soul.
However, in telling the man to sell what he has Jesus points to the lack in the
man. He obeyed in the second part of the commandments, but he did not do the
first table of the commandments. He knows the second table of the commandments
quite well, but also does not know them, for their intent was to lead to
freedom with his neighbors and freedom from other masters. Instead, he is
captive to his possessions. Jesus also tells him to give to the poor,
disclosing that the man did have genuine love for his neighbor. Jesus also
tells him to follow Jesus. Kneeling before Jesus was not enough. He had come to
Jesus, he had even come close to Jesus, but he was not close enough. He needed
to follow. He needed to belong to Jesus. Jesus invites the man to be free for
God and free for his neighbor. In the end, the man was unworthy, impotent, and
lost. What God required of him was too much and too great for him. Barth then
says that Jesus is the man who is free from all other forces and lords because
he bound himself to God. Jesus stands with the poor. In relation to Jesus, the
man became the poor rich man. He has all possessions except the one, the
fullness of Jesus. This lack condemns him and is what excludes him from eternal
life. He is disobedient, but we must not think of him as abandoned. We do not
know what happened to him.[2]
Barth will stress that what Jesus says here only seems to affirm monks,
fanatics, and other legalists. The flight into inwardness looks like obedience
but in reality is disobedience. The rich man here, instead of experiencing the
freedom to which Jesus called him, accepts a yoke that he has chosen.[3]]
[Mark 10:23-27 is a
series of sayings on the danger of riches. Some scholars think this complex of
sayings reflected an attempt to define the social borders of the Christian
community, which in its early days was essentially a movement of poor
peasants. It clearly reflects the
struggle over who was to be admitted to that community. On the other hand, Jesus congratulates the
poor in the beatitudes, and that probably means he did not think the kingdom
belonged to the rich.] 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his
disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom
of God!” 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But
Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of
God![It is not typical of Judaism to believe wealth is a barrier
to entry into the kingdom. For Jesus, riches pose a problem to spiritual
welfare. The difficulty lies in the
choice between caring for the things of God and caring for wealth. That wealth
and entry into this kingdom might be negatively related is an astonishing idea,
especially since riches were generally assumed to be a sign of God’s favor.
Barth points out that the rich man not following Jesus is the general rule
rather than an unfortunate exception.[4] The notion of “entering” has
a future sense, referring to participation in the future fellowship of
salvation. Along the lines of the message of Jesus, the salvation that he
mediates consists of fellowship with God and the related life, which also
embraces a renewal of fellowship with others. To find access to the rule of God
is of the very essence of salvation.[5]] 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [Here is the exaggeration typical of parables and aphorisms
of Jesus, containing as it does a humorous hyperbole. Jesus further dramatizes
the difficulty posed by wealth by offering the mind-sticking image of the camel
passing through the eye of a needle. Jesus thinks of the kingdom as a present
reality. As hyperbole, it expresses what is humanly impossible, such as log and
splinter, gnat and camel. Some have
tried to soften its impact by changing camel to rope or by making the needle’s
eye a gate.] 26 They
were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27
Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for
God; for God all things are possible.” [Here is the
answer to the disciple’s question. The succinct point is that it is impossible
for men and women to save themselves, whatever their financial state. Barth
will stress that the disciples have done what the rich man would not do, but
they still wonder who can receive salvation. Thus, for Barth, the passage
hinges on this verse. The saving of anyone is something that is not in the
power of human to give. No one can receive salvation in virtue of anything he
or she does. Everyone can receive salvation in virtue of what God can do.[6]]
Mark 10:28-31 is a
collection of sayings on the prospect of reward for those who follow Jesus.
28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left
everything and followed you.” [Peter puzzles about what Jesus has said
and offers that the disciples have left everything and followed Jesus. Thus,
the incident of the wealthy man coming to Jesus recorded in verses 17-22
becomes the foundation for a parable about the impossible — by human standards
— but irresistible grace of God. While the issue of riches is central to this
passage, the reader is misled to focus, as the disciples do, on riches alone.
Truly, in the gospels Jesus professes God’s priority for the poor.
Nevertheless, this story really is not about the issue of wealth — it is about
trust in God’s ability to save. Like other more traditional parables, the
disciples become perplexed, unable to fathom the truth of what God’s kingdom is
really like. Barth stresses here is a specific direction to specific people at
specific times and followed in specific ways. The call to discipleship cuts
across the self-evident attachment to that which we possess.[7]] 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has
left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields,
for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not
receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and
children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
[Jesus leaves his disciples and the modern reader unsettled, for the
“reward” of leaving all for the “sake of the good news” is persecution in the
present. Even if there is a hope for an eternal life in the age to come, one
needs to be careful in identifying the “age to come” with life after death. If
it is true that many of the early Christians expected Jesus to return before
their own deaths, then the “age to come” identifies a time on earth that the
first disciples were expecting to see. Furthermore, there is even a hint of
warning, at the conclusion, for those disciples who have left everything not to
be too self-righteous in their renunciation. We find a distinction between the
reward received here and now and the rewards in the age to come. The saying
promises abundance to those who have abandoned property and family in response
to Jesus’ summons. The promise of reward to those who sacrificed so much was
enticing. The riches of social and religious communion would compensate
suffering and real loss.] 31 But
many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Introduction
In my own way, I have become one who hoards things. It does not take up
much space. You would hardly notice it. I hoard things on my computer. I hoard
things on my kindle. In the old days, I would have books in the office, at
home, and anywhere else I could find. I would have study notes, notebooks, and
files everywhere. Now, I can simply store them on these little devices. Even my
music is there. I have things on my computer that I started collecting since
around 1992. Before then, I wrote out my studies, which would have started
around 1980. Slow but sure, these old studies found their way into my computer.
I came across a few reflections on Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome. My own
theory about compulsive and/or addictive behavior is to choose something
healthy about which to be compulsive or addictive.
In any case, Gordon Stewart, 74, was a retired cabinetmaker and
ponytailed loner in England whom neighbors noticed had not come out of his home
for several days. They called the police. Officers broke in, only to find a
house so full of trash that the only way to get around was through an elaborate
series of tunnels running through the filth. The stench was so bad that
authorities called a police dive team using breathing apparatus to search for
Stewart, whom they found deep inside the home. Police believe the mountains of
collected stuff disoriented Stewart and he died of dehydration. “Human mole
dies of thirst … lost in his own tunnels of trash,” read the headline in The
Sun.
This story was in an article regarding Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome, a
type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that causes people to acquire and hold on
to stuff that is useless or of limited value — stuff most of us would call
“junk.” Obviously, in the case of Stewart, it had become dangerous to his
health. Some think that the compulsion to hoard is an acute case of
perfectionism. The person does not want to make a mistake in throwing something
away.
The OCF says an estimated 700,000 to
1.4 million Americans suffer from Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome. These people
are often isolated, lonely and in need of help.
However, while syndrome sufferers
represent extreme cases, we might argue that much of culture focuses on the
accumulation of stuff. Accumulation of stuff, in its proper place in our lives,
is a healthy and good thing. It provides for your health, physical well-being,
retirement, children, and so on. Yet, Jesus challenges us often to re-consider
our relationship to stuff. No, it may not be “junk,” and it may not clutter our
homes to the point of madness, but the constant drive to acquire bigger homes,
cars, televisions, gadgets and other high-end stuff may be symptomatic of a
larger and more pervasive human disease — call it greed or avarice, or maybe
something such as “chronic wealth syndrome.” Whatever the name, it has the
potential to be no less debilitating or even deadly to sufferers. When the
overwhelming desire to accumulate and hold on to material things begins to
dominate a person’s life, whether you lock yourself in an apartment or live in
a palatial mansion, it is a serious problem to your soul and to your
discipleship.
Application
Jesus challenges that assumption directly, and his words are convicting
for all who want to be his followers. He calls us to think about how we
continue to hoard and hold on to things in our own lives. The question is
whether we will seek health and wholeness by learning to give up our stuff when
God asks, or whether we will continue to cram our houses and bodies full of the
junk that the culture says we need. When we are willing to let go, to see all
our stuff as belonging to God, we begin to see the light of the kingdom break
through all the clutter.
Then again, we might remember the little quip by comedian Stephen
Wright, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” Eventually, we
learn that having it all becomes more of a life-choking burden than a blessing.
What are we to do?
First, we are to honor God.
The rich young man was quite good about the second table of the
commandments, but he forgot those troublesome first four commandments. They
command us to honor God, making our lives subject to God. When we take those
commandments seriously, we begin to see that our own idea of perfection is
nothing compared to God’s perfection. For God, perfection and prosperity are
not about full houses and mountains of material goods. Rather, they are all about
emptying, about giving away, about clearing the clutter and letting go of
anything and everything that keeps us from finding the door to God’s kingdom.
Second, we are to break the addiction.
Clearly, something here has the rich man hooked.
In this case, Jesus finds the hot button. The call is clear: Give up
what defines your life, and follow me. In this case, it clearly was the man's
toys and playthings, the possessions he had managed to scrape together. Jesus
challenges the man to make an exchange: drop what limits him in exchange for
what frees him - opens him up to a wider and more meaningful life. He listened
to the call from his possessions instead of the call of Jesus. He heard the
claim that wealth placed upon him rather than the claim of Jesus. Think of the
claim today that alcohol, food, sex, drugs, gambling, and the Internet may
place upon your life. All of this blinded him from seeing the path toward
eternal life, which was right in front of him. In any case, Jesus' advice is the same: Break
away from what defines and limits you outside of your relationship to me as my
disciple. Only then will you be free. If there is such a dependency, Jesus
advises that we give it up. "Dump it, drop it, ditch it," Jesus says,
"and follow me."
Third, we need to
re-evaluate our attitude toward wealth.
Jack
Benny radio skit: A voice says, "Your money or your life." There is a long silence. "Well?" Benny says, "I'm thinking, I'm
thinking."
An Amish man stopped his farming to watch a new
neighbor move in. Among the many items
that came out of the delivery van were a deluxe refrigerator with a built-in
ice cube maker, a state of the art stereo system with a VCR, and a whirlpool
hot tub. The next day the Amish man and
his wife, who brought a gift of homemade muffins and jam, welcomed the new
resident. After the usual greeting and
conversation, the Amish man said, "If anything should go wrong with your
appliances or equipment, don't hesitate to call me." That is very generous of you, the new comer
said. "No problem. I'll just tell you how to live without
them."
New
Testament scholar Richard B. Hays says,
On no other topic is the
danger [of evasive rationalization] so acute as on the issue of sharing
possessions...The New Testament writers bear witness passionately about the
economic imperatives of discipleship.[8]
"The practices of sharing that characterize the
New Testament church are to be understood as eschatological signs,
demonstrating that the transforming power of God's Kingdom has broken in upon
the old age...the Kingdom impinges upon the present in such a way that we are
free to act with a generosity that figures forth God's good future...'How can
we order our economic practices in the church in such a way that we give
testimony with power to the resurrection of Jesus?'
"To
ask that question in a serious and sustained way will require of us not only
imaginative reflection but also costly change... For the church to heed the New
Testament's challenge on the question of possessions would require nothing less
than a new Reformation."[9]
Conclusion
Think about it. How many of your commodities have caused problems for
you?
I am not necessarily talking about physical, real property here. Our
personal commodities might include the habit you refuse to give up that harms
both you and your family. It may be an attitude — of entitlement,
self-righteousness, bitterness or an unforgiving spirit that totally keeps you
from walking the talk, talking the walk — moving forward in your discipleship
We are rich in so many ways. Yet, the commodities we hang on to may be
the cause of death in our own souls, and in the lives of those around us.
Jesus never says that it is impossible for the rich to enter the
kingdom of heaven, simply that it is extremely difficult, and that it is going
to happen only with God’s help (v. 27).
Jesus is calling us to discipleship. Before we can answer that call, we
have to resolve the conflicts.
[1]
Systematic Theology Volume 1, 263,
309, 321, 326, 432, Volume 2, 372.
[2]
Church Dogmatics II.2 [37.3] 613-23.
[3]
Church Dogmatics IV.2 [66.3] 542.
[4]
Church Dogmatics IV.2 [66.4] 556.
[5]
Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume
2, 328, referring to Johannes Weiss, and p. 398.
[6]
Church Dogmatics II.2 [37.3] 623-27.
[7]
Church Dogmatics IV.2 [66.3] 548.
[8]
(Richard B. Hays, The
Moral Vision of the New Testament (San Francisco :
Harper San Francisco
[9]
- Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New
Testament, San Francisco: Harper San
Francisco
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