everything

To me it’s always been weird that as Christian’s we’ve taken a neutral stance on riches, as if Jesus never talks about the rich, and that when He does, we act as if He is also neutral on the topic.

We completely ignore, or just water down harsh verses like the parable of the tenants (Mark 12:1-12), rich young ruler (Mark 10, Matthew 19, Luke 12), or the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-35), because we want Jesus, but not so much of Jesus, that it might stir us to change…

I mean lets be honest for a second…

Jesus does not speak well of the rich.

You can exegete, contextualize, or render the text but in the end you’ll still have to deal with the fact that Jesus says:

“Woe to you that are rich (Luke 6:20, 24).”

He warns against the dangers of becoming rich (Luke 12:15).

He tells us not to hoard (Luke 12:16-21).

He informs us that where our treasures are, our hearts will be also (Luke 16:13).

He even goes so far as saying that it is easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than it is for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus is not neutral on the topic of rich. So then why do we as Americans continue to seek and chase after being rich? Hoarding goods?

What then do we do with this tension as “Rich Christians”?

So far I think we’ve dealt with this tension by completely ignoring it.

The fact is Jesus asks us for everything.

Not 10%.

Not 90%.

But EV-RY-THING! 

To give anything less is to misunderstand The Goodnews! To misunderstand that Jesus is GOD, it’s to not get that we have the opportunity to come into relationship with the creator of heaven and earth! 

It’s like the man who found a treasure and hid the treasure in a field, and quickly sold all that he had in order that he might by the field to obtain the treasure… (Matt. 13:45-46)

He got it. Do we get it? If we do get it, as a Church, as the body, how can we move forward, embracing this tension of the fact that we are rich, while understanding in a Christian, biblical mindset that is a very dangerous thing to be…?