Tag Archives: generosity

“Give Up All Your Possessions”: Wrestling with Jesus’ Teaching

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Jesus says a lot of hard things. Some are things that are hard to understand. Some are things that are hard to do.

A teaching of Jesus that definitely falls into the latter category is Luke 14:33: “None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

Heinrich Hofmann, Christ and the Rich Young Ruler

Most people are familiar with a version of this saying in the context of the Rich Ruler. In that story, narrated in varying ways in Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-23, a rich man comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him to follow the Ten Commandments (and some Christians today are like, “Wrong answer, Jesus”).

The rich ruler responds by saying he’s kept these since his youth, and Jesus doesn’t insist he must be mistaken for no one can fully keep the Law (“Doesn’t Jesus know how to do this?”). Instead, Jesus says the rich man only lacks one thing: “Sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. (“What?!”) Then come, follow me.”

With this version of the saying—“Sell everything you own and give the money to the poor”—we could be forgiven for saying, “Ah, that’s just for the Rich Ruler. Clearly he had a greed problem.” But Luke 14:33 doesn’t let us off the hook like that. This is for all Jesus’ would-be disciples: “None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

What do we do with this?

Well, the first thing we should do is to sit with this hard teaching of Jesus, and really wrestle with the possibility that it is calling us to do the very thing it seems it is calling us to do. Even if, in the end, we conclude that Jesus is using hyperbole, or exaggeration for effect (which is very much a Jesus thing to do), we need to sit with the full challenge of this hard teaching.

Yet, having done that, I think there are good reasons for thinking Jesus is using hyperbole here, that not every disciple of Jesus literally has to give up every last one of their possessions.

The first reason is that, just a few chapters later, we see this put into practice. Zacchaeus, that diminutive but wealthy tax collector, determines he wants to be a disciple of Jesus. Yet he doesn’t literally give up every last denarius in his vast collection of denarii. No, but he does give up half of his wealth for the poor, and commit to paying back anyone he’s defrauded four times what he took from them. That’s good enough for Jesus, who resolutely declares, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:1-10).

Second, we know of other people in Luke’s double narrative who have wealth and, while being very generous, do not literally give away all of their possessions as Jesus’ disciples. There are the women who support Jesus and the Twelve out of their resources, for instance—this is a continuous reality, which means they didn’t give everything away in one shot (Luke 8:1-3). In Acts also, for example, there’s Lydia, the wealthy businesswoman who sells purple cloth to the upper crust—there’s no indication she gave away all her wealth (Acts 16:13-15). And even in those halcyon days of the early Christian movement, when people shared their possessions with such joy and zeal, Peter makes clear that there was no requirement that the wealthy sell all their property—it was theirs to do with as they wished (Acts 5:4).

This last story can help us come to a solution in our wrestling with Rabbi Jesus’ teaching. In those early chapters of Acts, we’re told that “no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (4:32)—yet clearly, as we’ve just seen, that doesn’t mean everyone was literally required to give up their property. Rather, statements like this—and, I’d suggest, Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14:33—call us to a different perspective on our possessions and property than we’re told in the dominant economic narratives of our day.

Capitalism suggests private property is the cornerstone of economic wellbeing.

Communism insists there should be no private property at all, only collective ownership.

The Jesus way, embodied by Jesus’ early disciples, is different than either of these: we may own possessions and property, but ultimately they aren’t ours alone. Ultimately, they belong to God, and thus they can and should be used for the good of God’s people, and for the good of all.

This way of understanding Luke 14:33, I think, gets to the spirit of Jesus’ teaching. And it remains a hard teaching for us, challenging us always to examine our relationship to our possessions and property, holding them loosely, always open to opening up our hands to give generously to those in need—even if it means selling our possessions and property to do so.

Sin, Salvation, and Climate Action

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Excerpted from a sermon at Altona Mennonite Church on September 11, 2022, called “The Gospel for All Creation.”

The Apostle Paul speaks of salvation often as “liberation” or “redemption” from “evil powers.”

For Paul these “evil powers” are forces that control us, yet which seem to be beyond our control. And for Paul the most basic of these evil powers is human sin: our individual habits of harm that wound ourselves and others, and our collective systems of harm that do the same but on a larger scale.

Let me name three of these evil powers that are especially strong within us and among us, causing devastation and destruction and death not just for humanity but for all creation: the sins of pride, greed, and violence.

In our pride, we as humanity have centered ourselves within creation and elevated ourselves above creation, instead of centering the Creator and lifting up creation. In our pride we have subjugated creation for our own ends instead of caring for creation as an end in itself.

For centuries now we as a western, industrialized society have sought to master creation in order to extract as many resources as we can out of it, all for our own purposes without any thought of the impact on the rest of creation, or even future generations. Even when we have known better, as we surely have for decades now, in our arrogance we have downplayed or ignored the problem.

As for greed, our greed as a western society is well-known. We have developed deeply ingrained habits of consumption and accumulation, always striving for more and newer and bigger and better. We have developed an entire economic system dependent upon consumption and accumulation.

This has caused tremendous harm to ourselves as human beings. We have objectified each other, seeing our core identity as producers and consumers and even objects to consume rather than as persons created in God’s image, having inherent worth and dignity regardless of our ability to produce or consume.

But our greed has also caused tremendous harm to the rest of creation. Instead of seeing the earth as a sanctuary created by God for the flourishing of life, the earth is viewed as a repository of resources to be extracted in order to sustain the capitalist engine of production and consumption and accumulation.

The consequences to species and ecosystems, and the impact on vulnerable peoples as the earth heats up, are catastrophic.

Out of our hubris and to sustain our greed, we have committed violence against creation and one another, causing destruction and death. We as so-called “developed” nations have exploited and violated the poorest and most vulnerable among us, including vulnerable ecosystems and species, all in order to maintain our lifestyles of convenience built on consumption and accumulation.

Our pride, our greed, and our violence. These are three of the most evil powers of sin at work both in human hearts and in the structures and systems of our society. And, as Paul says in Romans 8, “the wages of sin is death”: our pride, our greed, and our violence has paid as wages a devastating death not just for humans but also for the rest of creation.

But this is the good news of Jesus Christ: that in Jesus we can be liberated from our pride, our greed, and our violence. We can be liberated from these evil powers that dominate and destroy us and the world which is our home.

“The Parable of the Mustard Seed” by James Paterson

Jesus shows us a better way, where we are freed to live in humility and compassion instead of hubris, in simplicity and generosity instead of greed, in ways of justice and peace instead of violence. Jesus taught and lived out these things in resistance to the pride, greed, and violence of his day.

Jesus “humbled himself,” Paul says in another Christ hymn in Philippians 2, “he humbled himself, took on the form of a slave,” and died a slave’s death on a Roman cross.

And this humility was driven by compassion: multiple times the Gospels say that Jesus was “moved by compassion” to respond to the needs of others. Jesus shows us a better way than human pride, a way that prompts us to work together for the good of each other and all creation.

Instead of greed, Jesus taught and lived out simplicity. Freeing ourselves from the need to accumulate more, being freed from the chains of Mammon. Instead, trusting in God for our daily bread: just what we need, no more, just when we need it, not before.

This way of simplicity leads to generosity. Because we can hold our possessions lightly, because we trust that God will provide for us when we need it, we can be generous with what we have when others are in need.

And Jesus taught and lived out the way of nonviolence, living in harmony with one other and all creation: loving both neighbours and enemies, and attending to “the birds of the air” and “the flowers of the field.” This is a way that resists evil non-violently, walking in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable even if that means a cross.

This is the good news of Jesus: that we can be liberated from the evil powers that dominate and destroy us, including our own pride and greed and violence. And the key to experiencing this good news? It is as Jesus himself said when he first came proclaiming the gospel: “Repent and believe.”

We need to turn away from our habits and systems of harm, our ways of pride and greed and violence—we need to repent.

And we need to believe—not simply “believing certain things to be true,” that’s not what biblical faith is. Rather, biblical faith is trusting in God and committing ourselves to God’s way. Walking in Jesus’ way of faith, walking in Jesus’ way of hope, and walking in Jesus’ way of love.

My friends, here is where the good news of Jesus intersects with our eco-mission as a church: when we live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, when we live out the faith and hope and love of Jesus, when we live out our liberation from pride and greed and violence, we will see creation renewed.

On Giving to Your Local Church

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The Christmas season is often called “the season of giving.” Those of us who follow this tradition, whether Christian or not, give and receive gifts this time of year. For some Christians, this includes giving a little extra to their local church—an especially helpful gift at a time of year when many churches are struggling to meet their budgets.

Giving to local churches has declined in recent decades. To a certain extent this has simply followed the similar decline in membership and attendance, but there are other reasons also. Fewer people are donating to charity than in the past, and, when they do give, their donations are going to a wider variety of causes and organizations.

This is not all bad. Large, cause-specific organizations like MCC or MDS can do things that a local church or even church conference cannot do. But this does raise a question: Why should Christians give to their local church at all?

The New Testament has quite a bit to say about money, including giving within the local gathering of believers, the local church.

In stark contrast to the Old Testament expectation based on the Law of Moses, the New Testament ideal is not a “tithe,” everyone giving a set percentage of their income (say, 10%), but rather “generous giving according to one’s means” (e.g. 2 Cor 8:9-15). This frees those who have little from the burden of giving a tithe they cannot afford, a tithe that can leave them without enough for their own necessities. It also frees those who have much to give more than a mere 10% when they can certainly afford to do so.

The New Testament describes at least two broad reasons for giving within the context of the local church.

The earliest Christians gave to support the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour [that is, respect plus remuneration], especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Tim 5:17). This was based on the teaching of Jesus that “the laborer deserves to be paid” (Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18); or, as Paul puts it, “the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Cor 9:4-14).

The earliest Christians also gave to help those in material need, both those within the church and those beyond it. Within the local congregation this was predominantly widows, who were some of the most economically vulnerable people in society (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim 5:3-16). Beyond the local congregation this was “the poor” more generally, including poor believers in other places (e.g. Gal 2:10; 2 Cor 8-10).

The goal of this giving was what might be called “essential economic equity”: to ensure that everyone had their basic material needs met, their “daily bread” (Matt 6:11). “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise,” Jesus taught (Luke 3:11; cf. Jas 2:15-17; 1 John 3:17). And Paul adds: “As it is written, ‘The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little’” (2 Cor 8:15).

The motive for this giving? Following the teaching and example of Jesus. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing,” said Jesus (Matt 25:31-46). “You know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ,” states Paul, “that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).

Things have evolved since the New Testament era. Now most churches have full budgets that include everything from church facilities to staff salaries to programs in education and outreach and more. That’s some ways away from small gatherings of believers pooling their money to pay the elder teaching on a given Lord’s Day, or to provide food for the widows and orphans among them without family support.

Still, the New Testament teachings on local church giving can guide us today. They should prompt us to ask some probing questions of ourselves as churches and as individual Christians.

  • To what extent do our church budgets reflect the core ministries of the church? Do they support the teaching of Scripture and the preaching of the gospel? Do they assist those in material and spiritual need, both within the church and beyond it? If not, what needs to change?
  • Am I truly giving generously according to my means? If my basic needs are met through my income, can I give more than I already am?
  • Do I really value my church’s preaching and teaching ministries, enough to show it not only through my attendance at worship services, Bible studies, and Sunday school, but also through my financial support?
  • Do I really need that [insert first-world comfort item here], when there are people in the world, even right in my church and community, who are struggling simply to feed and clothe and house themselves and their families, or to find purpose in life and connection to God within a caring community?

“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (2 Cor 9:7-8)

© Michael W. Pahl