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Two Rich Men Meet Jesus - Luke 18
Two Rich Men Meet Jesus - Luke 18
Back in chapter 14 of Luke, Jesus discussed the demands of discipleship. In that section he stated: “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33).
The bottom line is that we are to love Jesus MORE than we love our possessions. We see our possessions as a stewardship to be used for God’s glory and purposes.
The rich young ruler of Luke 18 failed (as far as the story is told for we don’t know if later in his life he reconsidered and made the better choice), but at that point he simply ‘went away sorrowful for he had many possessions’.
We will meet another rich man in chapter 19 – Zacchaeus. Even worse, at least in the eyes of most 1st century Jews, he was a tax-collector. Upon coming face to face with Jesus, it is Zacchaeus that discusses his money! “ Zacchaeus 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." (Luke 19:8).
We will see that among the early disciples there were those who yet owned property, houses, and some that were said to be ‘rich’. (cp. Acts 4:34-35; Acts 5:1; 1 Tim. 6:17-18). As Peter said concerning such possessions: “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? …" (Acts 5:4)
YET, the attitude of these disciples with possessions was to love Jesus more than their possessions. The proof? They sold them and shared the money to ease the suffering of their brethren. They were said to have done this ‘as any had need.’
You ‘have’ stuff. It is ok to ‘have stuff’. Your stuff is under your control on how you choose to use it. You MUST be willing to share.
What bothers me is that the love of such things can easily deceive me. To adopt a proverbial saying: the proof of the pudding is in the eating, even so the proof of the love is in the sharing. How am I doing? How have I done since I became a disciple? What will I do as I encounter needs in the coming days? We shall see. And you?
Hugh DeLong
