Readings for today: Joshua 15, Luke 18:18-43, Psalms 86, Proverbs 13:9-10
"One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:22-25)
The story of the rich young ruler should come as a sobering challenge to all American Christians. We are him. He is us. We come to Jesus looking to justify ourselves. We come to Jesus looking to get our needs met. We come to Jesus looking for His blessings on our self-centered choices. “What must we do to inherit eternal life?” we ask. Where’s the bar? What’s the minimum standard? The lowest common denominator? Jesus responds, “Keep my commandments.” We start to run through the list in our heads. Don’t commit murder? Check. Don’t commit adultery? Check. Don’t steal? Check. Don’t lie? Check. Honor mom and dad? Check. Even if we are guilty, we rationalize our way out of responsibility. “They had it coming so it can’t be murder.” “It’s not adultery if it’s love.” “My company owes me so it can’t be stealing.” “Little white lies don’t count.” “I know I haven’t called mom and dad in a while but they understand.”
Jesus doesn’t play our word games. He refuses to engage our rationalizations. Instead, He probes deeper. “Fine”, he says, “Let’s get real. Sell all you have and give it to the poor so you can follow Me.” Whoa. Wait a minute. What do you mean, Jesus? You want me to sell my house? Sell my cars? Empty my bank accounts? Liquidate my 401k’s? I thought our deal included my comfort and safety? I thought our deal included my upper class lifestyle in the suburbs? I thought our deal included my kid’s travel sports teams? I thought our deal included my corporate success? I thought our deal included exotic vacations? Jesus is silent. Again, He will not dignify our selfish, greedy desires. In the face of His silence, we are left to reflect. If we have the courage to reflect, we will find our hearts filled with sadness because we know the depths of our sin. We know the choices we make. We know the ways we fall short. This is why Jesus says it’s harder for a rich person to get into heaven than a camel through the eye of a needle. It’s not because Jesus has it out for rich people. His love is not based on economics! He simply recognizes the more we have the more temptations we will face to keep everything for ourselves.
Recently, some of our presidential candidates released their tax returns. One of the things that always intrigues me is how much our candidates give to charity. Generosity of heart is something I think is important in our nation’s leader. Sadly, almost all of the candidates give very little in terms of a percentage of their income. They are greedy. Selfish. They spend almost all of their money on themselves. And the same is sadly true for most Christians. The average American Christian gives around 2% of their income to the Lord. The subsistence agricultural farmers of Jesus’ day gave multiple tithes and freewill offerings. We live in the richest, most prosperous nation on earth and we give 2%. Camel meet needle.
Can we be saved? The disciples weren’t convinced. Jesus Himself calls it an impossibility. Except for God. Only God can shift our desires from earthly riches to heavenly ones. Only God can help us see Jesus as our supreme treasure. Only God can unlock the doors of the human heart and grant us a generous spirit. Everything rests on this, friends! Eternity rests on us surrendering all that we have to God and giving Him control over our finances and possessions. So ask God to do the impossible! Ask Him to give you a generous heart today!
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 16-18, Luke 19:1-27, Psalms 87, Proverbs 13:11