Must we give up all our possessions to follow Christ?

[Stephen_says]

Every time I read the end of Chapter 19 in the Gospel of Mathew I always get either confused or sad (like the rich man). It seems pretty straightforward that Jesus was saying that anyone who wishes to follow him must sell all their possessions and give it to the poor, yet no one interprets that passage to mean that.

The answer I always get in response is that what Jesus was really saying is that money should never come before God, but that possessing great wealth is not itself a bad thing. Although I agree with the response, it doesn’t seem to me that that was what Jesus was saying… no matter how often I read or think about it, it seems clear to me that he literally meant what he said; “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Perhaps the scariest part is when Jesus says the following; “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Help me out here guys and gals, I’m not rich by today’s standards, but compared to people back then (including the rich man Jesus was speaking to) I’m filthy rich. Should I be worried about my salvation?

In the gospel of Luke, we have the story about Zaccheus the tax collector, also, presumably, a rich man.

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Rich old Zac received salvation by only giving away HALF of his possessions (willfully).

Charitable giving is a very individual thing, I mean it’s between you and God. If you keep reading that passage in Matthew and feel the tug towards more giving, maybe you have to seriously consider what God is trying to tell you.

Pax

 

[Moneyball]

In the gospel of Luke, we have the story about Zaccheus the tax collector, also, presumably, a rich man.

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Rich old Zac received salvation by only giving away HALF of his possessions (willfully).

Charitable giving is a very individual thing, I mean it’s between you and God. If you keep reading that passage in Matthew and feel the tug towards more giving, maybe you have to seriously consider what God is trying to tell you.

Pax

Thank you for the reply. My concern isn’t so much if I should be giving more money, but whether or not we are all called to give up all possessions. I was not aware (or maybe I just forgot) of that passage in the gospel of Luke, thank you for sharing.

 

[Moneyball]

In fact, we do interpret it in the way that you seem to think we don’t. Some are called to do this…normally in the context of the Consecrated Life. Which is why consecrated life is classically termed a “state of perfection.” It is a vocation for some…but not all. Each has a serious duty and responsibility to carefully discern what the Lord calls them to in terms of their lives. Those who enter Religious Life, by profession of vow, renounce private ownership of anything – all they have is held by their Religious Community. The story of Saint Antony Abbot well encapsulates how this can be, literally, what one is called to.

ewtn.com/library/MARY/ANTONY.HTM

On the other hand, if one is called to married life and to bring a family into being, the radical life of, for example, the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who own but two saris, is not remotely feasible.

The particular vocation to which we are called dictates the extent to which this evangelical counsel can be effectively lived.

The saying about a camel passing through the eye of a needle is an architectural reference in the ancient world that has to be understood according to the usage then. It is not a camel literally passing through the eye of a sewing needle.

So If I’m understanding you correctly, Jesus’ command was especially demanding because it was intended for that particular individual but not necessarily everyone else?

 

[Jon_S_1]

So If I’m understanding you correctly, Jesus’ command was especially demanding because it was intended for that particular individual but not necessarily everyone else?

Yes I think this is accurate. There is an underlying principal that applies to everyone and that is detachment from the world and willingness to radically follow Christ through true conversion.

For esch individual, that looks different.

 

[2PT3]

Questions:
Is it okay to send my own son to a private, Catholic university at twice the cost of the local public one when there boys who pick through a garbage dump in India to find food in order to survive?

A couple more passages that strike me as relevant here:

Luke 3:10-11
And the crowds asked him*, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”

I have, oh, probably 50 “tunics”. Am I required to give them all away, save one? Should my closet have just one or two shirts in it?

James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

So, what about that homeless man on the corner?*

 

[57Bill]

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

What I get from these passages are.
Following the rules (all the rules) are not enough. We are not perfect. We can’t get into heaven (eternal life) without Christ. The rich man was following all the rules and Jesus said to him that’s not enough. He told the rich man what he must do, not what we all must do unless we ask the same question which was "What good deed must I do (on my own, without you) to have eternal life?

 

[HelenRose]

I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand. I know for example that I don’t need beer, does that mean that I must give it up?

This might make more sense if you think of Christ in the same way you might think of a doctor. Christ sees each one of as a special soul with special weaknesses, sorrows and gifts. A doctor is not being inconsistent if he tells a man with a broken leg to stay off his feet but then tells an over-weight, out of shape person to get out and walk. Christ looks into our hearts and asks us to follow him as we are. The young man in the story was unwilling to follow Christ with the gifts he had to give.

What Christ is calling for you may be something entirely different than what he expected of the young man.

Christ enjoyed weddings, festivities and social events with his friends. So I would be surprised if he is concerned by a beer or two unless one has an unhealthy attachment to beer.

Each one of is called to our own special gifts and have our own special weaknesses and attachments. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is an unhealthy attachment to beer. Maybe it is drugs. Maybe it is clothing. It could be anything that someone will hold on to with an unhealthy love. Christ is calling to each one of us to give up whatever it is that separates us from God. It is a different attachment for each one of us.

 

[2PT3]

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

What I get from these passages are.
Following the rules (all the rules) are not enough. We are not perfect. We can’t get into heaven (eternal life) without Christ. The rich man was following all the rules and Jesus said to him that’s not enough. He told the rich man what he must do, not what we all must do unless we ask the same question which was "What good deed must I do (on my own, without you) to have eternal life?

“If you would be perfect…” Does Jesus demand perfection of us in order to be saved?

 

[HelenRose]

“If you would be perfect…” Does Jesus demand perfection of us in order to be saved?

I believe that He want us striving for perfection. He knows our limitations but I don’t think He wants us to settle for less. He knows how far we have come in our journey.

 

[Jon_S_1]

“If you would be perfect…” Does Jesus demand perfection of us in order to be saved?

In order to be saved…no

In order to be in heaven…yes

We are made perfect by conforming to Christ. It’s starts here and is complete through purgatory.

In heaven. We will be perfect for nothing imperfect can be in heaven.

 

[MaryT777]

In order to be saved…no

In order to be in heaven…yes

We are made perfect by conforming to Christ. It’s starts here and is complete through purgatory.

In heaven. We will be perfect for nothing imperfect can be in heaven.

 

[Athanasiy]

Every time I read the end of Chapter 19 in the Gospel of Mathew I always get either confused or sad (like the rich man). It seems pretty straightforward that Jesus was saying that anyone who wishes to follow him must sell all their possessions and give it to the poor, yet no one interprets that passage to mean that.

The answer I always get in response is that what Jesus was really saying is that money should never come before God, but that possessing great wealth is not itself a bad thing. Although I agree with the response, it doesn’t seem to me that that was what Jesus was saying… no matter how often I read or think about it, it seems clear to me that he literally meant what he said; “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Perhaps the scariest part is when Jesus says the following; “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Help me out here guys and gals, I’m not rich by today’s standards, but compared to people back then (including the rich man Jesus was speaking to) I’m filthy rich. Should I be worried about my salvation?

He could become a disciple of Christ, probably the examination for a ‘‘decent man’’ he passed but on that ‘‘to follow Christ’’ it was all too much for him.
I think that many respectable and wealthy good people of the time would not have passed such exam.