“The lessons of the manna were clear: trust God implicitly, no hoarding permitted, and – most pointed of all – no greed allowed. There were to be equal portions for all. The reason for equal portions is so practical: it eliminates the occasion for covetousness, jealousy, and division. And it is this principle of equality that Paul stresses so vigorously. What should the principle mean for us today? Inequity in the Christian fellowship is so blatant as to need no demonstration. Millions of our Christian brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa, and Latin America barely escape starvation – many do not escape – not to mention their lack of health care and education. Dare we sit back in our comfort and ease, debating the color of our padded pews, while this scandal exists? No, of course we must do something. But the real difficulty is exactly how to respond to the problem… For those who do not feel total divestiture is right for them, I offer three suggestions. First, we could establish as a budget policy a goal of giving as much to others as we spend on ourselves… Second, we could develop an ongoing relationship with an economically poor church… Third, we could set aside one special year as a Jubilee, in which we try to give all we possibly can to a particular work.”
Equality. Commonality. Again, we return to our theme of shared life. Foster suggests, dreams, sends out a clarion call for shared life beyond our home, beyond our closest friends and families, beyond our small groups and churches, beyond our countries… He speaks of bringing equality and shared life with those around this globe.
I remember being in a seminar on the New Testament in college. One student, an atheist, stated that he didn’t see anyone he knew following Jesus’ call to give up everything he owned to follow Him, the call Jesus made to one rich young ruler. He suggested that if he ever DID see a professed Christian doing this, giving up all their possessions, all their money, everything… to follow Jesus…. he might start to believe. Of course I can’t address this person’s heart or evaluate the truthfulness or likelihood of his claim. And of course we can talk about the danger of extremes, but I tend to want to push the envelope… Foster suggests it may indeed be God’s call on a few to live a life of poverty. That perhaps some churches might decide on total divestiture. But perhaps that is not the call of everyone. I am not sure that the followers of Jesus we see throughout the New Testament all lived lives of poverty, or truly did as that young ruler was asked to do, to give up everything they owned… all their riches, all their possessions, their entire livelihood. But isn’t it interesting that we want to justify our decisions rather than consider the possibilities that maybe we need to be a little more “extreme” in our following of Christ? When this classmate of mine made this statement, he was sitting nearby to myself. It was unmistakable to me that he looked in my direction, curious perhaps if I would say something as a response. (Everyone knew I was a believer.)
But I couldn’t. I had nothing to say. Because I thought, maybe he’s right. Maybe he has a point. Maybe believers are not giving up what we should give up. Maybe we are not living the lives we should live. It may not be poverty we are called to, a Franciscan-like life. But perhaps I have been too content with the status quo. Perhaps the entire Christian world has been too content with our wealth, our buildings, our stuff, our things. Perhaps “things” have dulled our hearts and minds.
So let’s consider, how to awaken to the extreme call for shared life, sacrifice, community spanning across borders and oceans… How can we live in a way, corporately, to share with our brothers and sisters in this world? Foster gives a few suggestions, which I find interesting. Because the problem is not in the fact of an inequality in earnings/money/income. The problem is the stewardship of those earnings.
2 comments:
I think you make a valid point, that perhaps not all believers are called to a life of poverty and that the NT does not seem to support that all belivers did that. Jesus' challenge to the rich young ruler was, in my mind, a challenge to where this man found his worth and identity more than a challenge to his wealth in particular. We are too easily DEFINED by our material things instead of by our identity in Christ.
I agree, though, that we (especially American and first-world believers) must consider how we should steward our material possessions / earnings. Consider how few of American believers actually tithe a 10% of their income? I've heard something like 2% of churchgoers do that (or at least the average works out to that figure).
We must be careful not to immediately judge those with vast financial resources, but instead pray that they steward the money in the right way. I think often about Africa - such a vast continent of poverty, and many believers. What a challenge to American believers to use their resources to "live in community and share to those who have need"'! Some, yes, may be called to move to Africa and live in poverty together to minister to people there. But others may be called to fund research and medicine for AIDS victims and bless the people there so they can have hope and health, and praise our Father for it!
*karen
Excellent points, Karen. Sometimes giving up large sums of money for a few makes one feel good, and benefits a few greatly, whereas, spreading the same wealth to many, will enable many more to rise to a livable level and support themselves the way they want to live. To paraphrase an old saying and adapt it to believers, "Give a man a fish, and he will thank you and eat, teach him to fish, and he will thank the Lord and feed many". Perhaps it is better not to live a life of poverty to benefit a few, but to continue to be a generator of wealth so that you may have it to share with, impact, and benefit many. So you must ask yourself, "What can I do, that others may not be able to do, that will enable me to offer the greatest overall benefit?" Dad
P.S.-Excellent series, Kristi!
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