How many times have we heard the story in Luke 18 about the rich ruler and justified ourselves in some way so that we can say we aren’t like that guy? I think we’re a lot more like him than we’d like to admit. I know the common argument I’ve heard surrounding this passage is that God doesn’t really expect everyone to sell all that they own. He was just trying to prove a point. Maybe….but before we dismiss it altogether, I think we first have to honestly ask God what He is saying to us through this passage. If we did, I think there might be more of us with fewer things.
But let’s say you don’t feel God telling you to sell everything; what was His point then? I believe is point was in examining the heart behind the man. If anything gets in the way of us being obedient to Christ, then we’ve set that thing up as more important that God and we’ve replaced Him with an idol. Some say we only have to be willing to sell everything and then God won’t ask it from us. Yes, we should be willing, but we can’t use this as a way to merely trick ourselves into thinking that God is still first and money, possessions, my desires are second. The idea really goes farther than just cash, but using money as the example is a quick way to get feathers ruffled in the American church.
I think the thing we just don’t understand today in the Western church is the idea of sacrifice. My generation has grown up on fast food, video games, the internet and constant entertainment. We have everything at our fingertips, don’t have to wait for anything, and rarely have to forego something we want. Luke 21 paints and interesting picture on this idea of sacrificial living when it tells the story of the poor widow and her offering to God. See, we often play the comparison game and justify our actions by saying, I give more money, time, resources than that person. But God isn’t in the business of comparing you to your friend, neighbor, or even your enemy.
I know for myself, I have this idea of giving that says I’ll do it when I have enough. I’ll give out of my excess funds, my leftovers from the month, or I’ll volunteer to help if I have time after I’ve done what I want to. That’s exactly what the rich did in Luke 21. They gave out of their abundance, while the widow gave all she had. She gave sacrificially and put all her trust not in herself but in God. I think it’s important to remember that Christ calls us to sacrificially give and leads by example when he hung on a cross so we might have life. He deserves our first fruits and not the leftovers we can’t find another use for.
God, you have to help us sacrificially love one another. You said it yourself that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom. But we know that nothing is impossible for You. Please break the chains of materialism, idolatry, and pride that bind us…even if we can’t see them.
