ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 9, 2023
According to what we read in Luke 14, Jesus told a large group of his followers, “…you cannot be my disciple unless you give away everything you own.” I spend a lot of time trying to explain away what Jesus appeared to be commanding his disciples to do and, thus, for me to do. We are quick to point out how Jesus, in another part of scripture, told a single individual to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. And we explain it away as Jesus confronting that man’s individual sin but never implying that anyone else needed to do it. Of course, that does not negate what Jesus said in Luke 14. Please understand that I am raising this not to make you any more uncomfortable than I am currently feeling. And as the minister, I should be leading by example, yet where I sit in my dining room, I am surrounded by possessions, including the computer on which I am writing this. Jesus did live at a time when there was a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots. And clearly, most of us probably have an unhealthy relationship with some of our stuff. There are probably a few items that own me more than I own them. With all that said, I still don’t necessarily know what to do with Jesus’ rather clear declaration, yet I still believe that part of our faith journey is to engage and struggle with such passages. Don’t get me wrong. I’d rather ignore it all together, but even as a person who does not take the Bible literally, I can’t ignore a passage simply because it makes me feel uncomfortable.
O Living and Life-giving Word, there are parts of the Bible and segments of my own faith with which I haven’t a clue what to do. I pray for your grace as I struggle, engage other opinions, and look at ways of stretching myself while always believing that your grace is sufficient. I pray these words in the name of Jesus, who modeled a life that did not find the easy way out. Amen.
