Daily Scripture: Matthew 19:21 Yeshua said to him, “If you are serious about reaching the goal, go and sell your possessions, give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me!” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was wealthy.
23 Then Yeshua said to his talmidim, “Yes. I tell you that it will be very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 Furthermore, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” 25 When the talmidim heard this they were utterly amazed. “Then who,” they asked, “can be saved?” 26 Yeshua looked at them and said, “Humanly, this is impossible; but with God everything is possible.”
Reflection Questions:Jesus called young man in this story to be brave enough to reset his priorities. The young man wasn’t able to do it. He went away sad, which suggested that he wanted to follow Jesus. But he didn’t do it, which showed that he wanted his earthly possessions even more. Like many people then (and now), Jesus' disciples thought earthly riches always showed God’s approval of a person. When Jesus said, “It will be very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven,” he shocked them. Very hard, perhaps, but not impossible: “All things are possible for God” (verse 26). God’s power could have done what the young man was unable to do for himself, and freed him from the grip of his possessions to follow Jesus.
Many affluent people in the Bible (e.g. Abraham in the Old Testament, Lydia the seller of royal purple cloth in the New Testament—cf. Acts 16) were NOT told to sell all they had. What do you believe was the heart issue Jesus knew the young man needed to address? His story poses a question many of us would rather not ask: “Which of my possessions, if any, are so precious to me that I’d choose them over Jesus?” Bravely wrestling through that question can set you free! How will you strengthen your trust in God to guide you in accurately valuing God’s gift of eternal life, and in faithfully using your earthly possessions for God’s purposes?
Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you offer me heaven’s riches. Give me a heart that can accurately assess the treasure of your kingdom, and value it properly against all other claims. Amen.
Family Activity:
Adults, gather several pennies and hide them throughout your home. Place a bowl in the center of the room. Ask your children to hunt for the pennies. (Pennies can be a choking hazard, so very young children should be supervised.) Let each child place the pennies he or she collected in the bowl. Ask, “If this was all the money our family had, what would you do with it?” Read aloud Mark 12: 41-44 and 2 Corinthians 9:7[Mark 12:41 Then Yeshua sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the crowd as they put money into the offering-boxes. Many rich people put in large sums, 42 but a poor widow came and put in two small coins. 43 He called his talmidim to him and said to them, “Yes! I tell you, this poor widow has put more in the offering-box than all the others making donations. 44 For all of them, out of their wealth, have contributed money they can easily spare; but she, out of her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.”and 2 Corinthians 9:
7 Each should give according to what he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.[
2 Corinthians 9:7 Proverbs 22:8 (Septuagint)
]
]. Ask, “Who does Jesus say gave more money? Why do you think Jesus wants us to share?” How does God want us to feel when we give?” Decide where you will give the pennies. Pray for the people who will receive them and thank God for your blessings.---------------------Insights from Dan Entwistle
Dan Entwistle serves as Resurrection’s Managing Executive Director.Money was often on Jesus’ lips.
But to be clear, money wasn’t at the core of Jesus’ teachings. A summary of his key messages would not begin with, nor would it be centeredaround, money as the chief object of faith. If we were searching to discover what themes are central to the way of life Jesus taught about, the list-toppers would include… love, forgiveness, abundant life and good news for all humankind. With apologies to budgeters and investors, these other topics trump matters of finance.
Yet there’s no escaping the importance money played in Jesus’ teachings. It is frequently said that Jesus spoke more about money than he did about prayer, and that he mentions money more often than heaven and hell combined. Eleven of Jesus’ 39 parables deal with financial matters. Jesus did talk about money a lot and the way we handle our money is indeed important to him. Why is this? To the best of our knowledge, Jesus did not have a home of his own. He likely didn’t manage large sums of money nor would he have had a nest egg of retirement funds in a pension plan—not even one screened for socially conscious investments.
It may be that money was such an important topic for Jesus because we are in desperate need of wise assistance when it comes to ordering our financial lives. Not just people then and there, but people now and here. People at all levels of means, power and influence. People in every culture, regardless of which government’s currency they have in their pockets and bank accounts. We all need assistance when it comes to prioritizing our financial lives.
And Jesus knew that our possessions have a way of possessing us.
Notice that Jesus didn’t tell everyone to sell everything they had. This message was reserved for this particular young man. We have no record of a similar message for Lazarus, nor Zaccheus, nor Joseph or Arimathea. These, too, were people of means but it seems they didn’t receive the same memo.
So, why was Jesus so tough on this young man’s finances? It appears he really wanted to follow Jesus (or else when he left wouldn’t have left sad.) The answer seems to be that his devotion to his finances outstripped his devotion to God.
Is there anything in your life that rises to that level of devotion? Anything in your life that has become more precious to you than God? If so, what would it mean for you to “sell” that “possession” so you can follow in joy rather than depart in sadness?
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Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
But to be clear, money wasn’t at the core of Jesus’ teachings. A summary of his key messages would not begin with, nor would it be centeredaround, money as the chief object of faith. If we were searching to discover what themes are central to the way of life Jesus taught about, the list-toppers would include… love, forgiveness, abundant life and good news for all humankind. With apologies to budgeters and investors, these other topics trump matters of finance.
Yet there’s no escaping the importance money played in Jesus’ teachings. It is frequently said that Jesus spoke more about money than he did about prayer, and that he mentions money more often than heaven and hell combined. Eleven of Jesus’ 39 parables deal with financial matters. Jesus did talk about money a lot and the way we handle our money is indeed important to him. Why is this? To the best of our knowledge, Jesus did not have a home of his own. He likely didn’t manage large sums of money nor would he have had a nest egg of retirement funds in a pension plan—not even one screened for socially conscious investments.
It may be that money was such an important topic for Jesus because we are in desperate need of wise assistance when it comes to ordering our financial lives. Not just people then and there, but people now and here. People at all levels of means, power and influence. People in every culture, regardless of which government’s currency they have in their pockets and bank accounts. We all need assistance when it comes to prioritizing our financial lives.
And Jesus knew that our possessions have a way of possessing us.
Notice that Jesus didn’t tell everyone to sell everything they had. This message was reserved for this particular young man. We have no record of a similar message for Lazarus, nor Zaccheus, nor Joseph or Arimathea. These, too, were people of means but it seems they didn’t receive the same memo.
So, why was Jesus so tough on this young man’s finances? It appears he really wanted to follow Jesus (or else when he left wouldn’t have left sad.) The answer seems to be that his devotion to his finances outstripped his devotion to God.
Is there anything in your life that rises to that level of devotion? Anything in your life that has become more precious to you than God? If so, what would it mean for you to “sell” that “possession” so you can follow in joy rather than depart in sadness?
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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