Being Obedient vs. Being Vulnerable
January 16, 2008 
The Rich Young Ruler has shown up at Mike Todd's place again. I kind of like it when that happens. Here's the thing about that vignette from Jesus' life - from all our lives. Every time I've heard that preached on, taught on, or mentioned as an aside from a pulpit, I've heard the same spin put on the story. I can't call it an 'interpretation', because there's no possible way to make the text come to this conclusion. It's spin, and it's always the same spin:
Jesus doesn't really want you to give up all your stuff. He just wants you to be willing to give up all your stuff."
For years I've thought that the problem with this spin is that it simply isn't what Jesus says. Jesus doesn't - he does not - ask the young man if he is willing to give up his stuff and follow him... he tells him to actually do it. And in Matthew's gospel the passage ends with Jesus saying that those who are least in this life will be the greatest in the next. It pains me to realize this because my 'stuff' is this place in the world called 'my home'. It's not much, but The Resident Love Goddess and I feel like we've moved on up to this de-luxe apartment in the sky - a kind of urban Love Shack on stilts, if you will - and I weep at the thought of losing any of it. Yet Jesus is drawing a pretty clear distinction between having my stuff own me, and having him. After reading Mike's commentary tonight, and realizing that the 'Have it Your Way" sentiment is exactly right, I realized what the real problem with this spin on the story is. The real question is not, "Are we willing to give up our stuff and follow Jesus?" The real question is, "How would we know?" Seriously - how would we ever know if we walk away from our stuff or walk away from Jesus? How would we know unless we actually were faced with that decision?
Can we do both? Can we have Jesus and have all this stuff in our lives? I don't know. You see, in all the untold hours spent praying through this life of mine, I've never brought the topic up. Somehow I've managed to walk all this way with Christ and never bring the topic of 'stuff' up in the conversation. Unless, of course, I wanted more stuff, or better stuff. Yes, I've talked a lot about wanting more stuff to make my life 'better'. So far, though, I've stayed away from the topic of dumping my stuff overboard.
Mike - quite rightly - points out that the trajectory of this gospel story propels it directly into our world, into our times and into each of our own unique lives. I'm hardly wealthy - compared to my neighbours - but am fabulously wealthy compared to about 3/4's of the planet. So I wonder if the real issue facing us is not that we won't give up our stuff, but that we've never gone to Jesus with the question. I wonder if our great issue is not that we've walked away from Jesus like the rich Young Ruler did, but that we never really asked Jesus the Rich Young Ruler's question, never really laid it all on the line with that one question that risks everything:
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
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Reader Comments (22)
of course i will want my 'religion' to rationalize holding on to my possessions - it gives me a chance to 'spiritualize' my delusion - a very powerful coping mechanism!
We start by listening for his answer, being silent with him on a regular basis. There's a few guidelines to help along the way: God won't contradict something in the bible; he may gently inform us of our faults and encourage us to do better, but he doesn't accuse us harshly; he speaks to us from our hearts; his words are always pure. But mostly, it takes believing that he's speaking to you, believing that it's possible to learn to distinguish his voice, and then practicing to do so.
That's my best understanding of it, anyhow. God bless.
I don't know how smart this is, but your post makes me understand Matt. 5:30 a bit differently: it could be seen as an implicit acknowledgment of just how hard it is to do what Jesus asks the RYR to do. Still: denial of self, indeed.
Beth - Why stop at rationalization? After all, God wants you to be rich.
Ginger - I wonder if the deepest longings of our heart aren't a way that he speaks to us. I have another question after reading your response, and I want to ask it as carefully and as respectfully as I can. So... why do we need our feet planted firmly on the ground? Why not Malawi? To be honest, every once in awhile I romanticize my hitch-hiking years too, and I often wonder if that's saying something more to me than I realize.
Anna - I always appreciate the gentleness of your spirit.
John B. - Denial of self - pretty much the 'crux' of the matter, isn't it?
I saw something else written recently that your post reminded me of. In case you find it interesting:
http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-are-wicked-joyous.html
God bless.
dsheff - I'm thinking about goin' verse by verse, yeah. Sort of like a modern Mathhew Henry, but with crayon drawings and a kind of Tom Waits vibe.
Regarding the Malawi thing and discerning the call of God: like many people, I tend to mix up my own personal need with "a call." For example, I think there are a number of people in the pastorate/priesthood who responded to a need in themselves which they mistook for a calling. But I digress a tad bit.
One of my personal needs is to be needed. But lots of people in lots of places need help, so that attraction to filling a need is not my best clue of a calling. I'd be running around like a headless chicken. That's why I've had to work on discerning when God is calling me to something, and when it's my own need or "romanticized picture" of being able to fill the world's needs through my own "glorious sacrifice."
What is rather odd is that I am convinced of my calling where I am, but I can't say I am filling a need, per se, that only I can fill. The romantic-ness of it isn't as I dreamed I would spend my life, but it's not a waste, either. Being assured of this calling makes the occasional pointlessness or snail's-pace progress okay. I hope this makes sense. It's rather stream-of-consciousness.
thinking about what you've been writing here (and the book) i am taking steps, albeit small steps, to be a better steward. i no longer stop at Dunkin Donuts in the morning, instead I make coffee at home. That's $1.75 a day... over $500 a year in coffee. I've been saving leftovers at dinner and eating that for lunch the next day... instead of the $8.00 lunch at the local deli. Maybe I'm not ready to give it all up today, but you keep chipping away! thanks.
Ed G - You are an inspiration. I'm struggling right now to make those little changes that add up, and not having much success.
Along the theme of the "snail's pace", I thought you each might find this an interesting read:
http://et-tu.blogspot.com/2007/05/would-you-kids-be-quiet-im-trying-to.html
On the theme of discerning God's voice, most of my ideas come from a book called Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge. He has a section called Walking with God that he talks about that. I don't always care for his presentation, but his ideas have been helping me some, so maybe you would find it helpful too. But maybe not. :)
God bless.
so all that stuff that we think is ours...the stuff in the attic, the basement, and all the other rooms, the money, the assets, the toys, house,the pets, our body, our mind, our soul...not ours. it is just sitting there or being used...but again, not ours.
we all actually think we they own things
well...we may be responsible
we may care
we may have it around us
we may even use it
but we do not own it
or even rent it
it is all a gift
to be used and shared
nancy - You really hit the proverbial nail on the head. I've been wondering over the last few days if this isn't a one time 'decision' we make or action we take but rather an ongoing process of stipping away the things that least resemble Jesus.
Mike - I'm not sure how these things happen. One morning you're going to work on the bus like everybody else. The next morning? Blogdom. Weird, huh?