The place of material possessions in the life of a Christian

During the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry it was not unusual for the people of Israel to take their unsettled disputes to a respected Rabbi; but Jesus refused to become involved in at least one dispute about money (see Luke 12:13-34). However, out of that request, Jesus took the opportunity to teach his followers about the place of material possessions in their lives.

To those who had an abundant supply of possessions, Jesus spoke the “Parable of the Rich Fool.” He never saw beyond himself. There is no parable which is so full of the words “I,” “me,” “my” and “mine.” A schoolboy was once asked what parts of speech “my” and “mine” are. He answered, “Aggressive pronouns.” The rich fool was aggressively self-centered.

It was said of a self-centered young lady, “She lived in a little world, bounded on the north, south, east and west by herself.” A famous criticism was made of a self-centered man: “There is too much ego in his cosmos.” When such a person has an abundance of goods, the one thing that never enters their head is to give some away. Their attitude is the very reverse of Christianity.

John Wesley’s rule of life was to save all he could and give away all he could. When he was at Oxford he had an income of 30 British pounds a year. He lived on 28 pounds and gave two pounds away. When his income increased to 60 pounds, 90 pounds and 120 pounds per year, he still lived on 28 pounds and gave the balance away.

The Accountant-General for Household Plate demanded a return from him. His reply was, “I have two silver tea spoons at London and two at Bristol. This is all the plate which I have at present; and I shall not buy any more, while so many around me want bread.”

The Romans had a proverb which said that money was like sea-water; the more a man drank the thirstier he became. And so long as a man’s attitude is that of the rich fool, his desires will never be satisfied.

Jesus also had something to say to those who had few possessions. He told them to not be anxious or worry. Jesus never encouraged anyone to live in a shiftless, thriftless, reckless way. He taught them to do their best and leave the rest to God.

Many people give all their efforts to acquire things which cannot last. Jesus told them to work for the things which last forever. Things which you need not leave behind when you leave this earth, but which you can take with you. If we seek the treasures of heaven, our hearts will be fixed on heaven; but we seek the treasures of earth, our hearts will be anchored to the earth – and some day we will have to say good-bye to them, for, as the grim Spanish proverb has it, “There are no pockets in a shroud.”