"Now, doggy, come on... give me that leaf...". And now, look at the dog; I don't think this is going to happen- DO YOU? Just look at those EYES, they virtually scream- Are you CRAZY??? Now, what does that dog want with a leaf, anyway? Oh, I suppose he can sit on it- to clean himself after he has done his business. Or, he can drop it and try to catch it on the way to the ground. Maybe he just likes the color GOLD? As far as I can tell, there is really no understandable reason NOT to give it up!!! Possessions are funny things, because they are only "ours" for a little while. The ones that endure, will only change hands when we die- so what is the big deal about them? I am tempted to say that we are programmed to want things all through our life by the media and this would be true; but what about a time before there was television, radio or even newspapers for that matter? What about ancient times? Specifically, the days that Jesus of Nazareth walked the face of the Earth. Then I thought of this passage from the book of Matthew...
Matthew, Chapter 19
16 Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
17 He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19 ‘Honor your father and mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. 23 Jesus said to his disciples,“Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.
17 He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19 ‘Honor your father and mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. 23 Jesus said to his disciples,“Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.
Now, I have written posts on the "rich young ruler" before, so I will just mention in passing that he loved his possessions more that God and we need to listen to the lesson (s) that portion of the Scriptures teach. But, what about the highlighted portion of this passage? What strikes me as a bit odd, is the disciples reaction in verse 25 to the two preceding statements about a rich man and the kingdom of heaven. And even more unusual is verse 26, with its reliance upon God to allow the impossibility of a rich man into heaven. Humm, then we encounter Peter saying "What then will be have"? Jesus replies as to their future work in heaven and eternal life. THEN, he states the familiar ... the last and the first puzzle. I am quite certain that all the disciples were NOT rich, so what in the world were they thinking when they ask "who then can be saved"? For me, it seems reasonable that they were talking in general about Jewish attitudes towards wealth. It is the only thing that makes sense to my mind, but hey, that is just me; I could be wrong. With that problem "resolved", I find myself back at the "What then will we have" statement. If they don't have possessions, what WILL they have? The answer is service and responsibility. Society teaches us that wealth is equal to greatness, but Jesus teaches that SERVICE IS GREATNESS!!! Possessions are mere leaves blowing in the wind, the emblem of the transitory nature of life. But service, however humble it may be, is far greater; especially spiritual service. Give things up to get things- sounds a bit crazy, but it is NOT! Then again, WITH GOD- ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!!!