Giving & The Gospel (Guest Writer: Alan Ghent)
November 7, 2011
Dear Friends,
The Gospel records an astonishing encounter between Jesus and a rich young ruler. We can imagine this earnest young Jew enquiring of the Master what he would need to do to gain eternal life. When Jesus reiterated God’s commandments, the young man replied that he had kept all of the law’s requirements. And then Jesus makes, what to many of us would seem an extraordinary demand, “Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” (Matt. 19:21)
I suspect if this question were asked of us, our response would have been markedly different. Perhaps we would have commended this young man on his pursuit of spiritual things. Maybe we would have encouraged him to continue to live by faith without requiring he make any practical sacrifices. Jesus though appears to have raised the bar too high-at least for this young ruler– because he had great wealth.
Jesus’ demand on this young man stopped him dead in his tracks. The Lord didn’t call on all his disciples to liquidate their assets to give to the poor, but in this instance, the young man’s riches had become his god. Jesus, who knew what was in men, realized that this had become a barrier to his spiritual growth and development. He had enthroned his wealth. Can the same can be true of us living in a materialistic western society?
The rich young ruler is not an isolated incident. In fact Jesus spent considerable time during his ministry on this subject of wealth and possessions. Why the heavy emphasis on this one subject? It appears that there’s a strong connection between our true spiritual condition and our attitude towards our possessions.
When people asked John the Baptist how they might demonstrate the fruits of repentance, he told them first to share their clothes and food with the poor. He went on to tell the tax collectors not to collect and pocket extra money and soldiers not to extort money but to be content with their wages. No one, however, asked John about money and possessions. They had simply asked him how they might demonstrate their spiritual transformation. Yet all of John’s answers spoke to the priority he placed on the handling of possessions. If John the Baptist were to visit us today and assess our attitudes and actions regarding our assets, what conclusions might he reach?
In the Western world, we live in unparalleled affluence. Our standard of living far exceeds those who have gone before us. Our comforts and conveniences are the things those in the first century wouldn’t have dreamt of. Yet how have we honored God with the resources he has entrusted to us?
In Mark 12 we meet a poor widow. She put two copper coins into the temple collection box. This was all the money she had. When Jesus drew this to the attention of his disciples, he didn’t question the widow’s wisdom. Nor did he suggest that she should have been more prudent and retained a mite for her own needs. Instead, because of her unrestrained generosity, he commended her as one who would be remembered for all time. “This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They gave of their wealth; but she out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.” (Mark 12: 43-44)
What would be said of our spiritual legacy?
Have a great week!
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