If there was ever a scripture passage that makes us uncomfortable, surely it’s this one (Mark 10:17-27). When we hear Jesus say to the rich young man, “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor,” we cringe. After all, Mark tells us that the young man had “great possessions” – and so do we. Are we actually supposed to follow this radical command that Jesus gives? What do we do with it, anyway? If the truth be told, mostly we ignore it. We really don’t believe that Jesus meant what he said. If we did, we’d all be living on the streets and eating at soup kitchens. Besides, Jesus didn’t come to us in order to make new laws. Jesus came to liberate us from everything that was holding us captive. He exorcised evil spirits, healed people from debilitating medical conditions, and even overthrew social customs that kept some people permanently second-class. So what is this story doing right in the middle of the gospel?
Maybe – just maybe – this
story points to a very sneaky way that we are all captives. That captivity
doesn’t involve a jail cell or a prison sentence or even a curfew! No, it
involves something that we value greatly – our possessions. We have lots of
possessions, just like that rich young man. And those possessions hold us
captive just as tightly as any pair of handcuffs. Think about it for a minute. If
you live in a house, you have to clean it. If you have a big yard, you have to
mow it. If you drive a car, you have to maintain it. If you have a walk-in
closet full of clothing, you have to wash and mend those clothes. I could go
on, but you get the idea. Our possessions dictate how we spend much of our
time. That was as true for the rich young man as it is for us. Is it possible
that Jesus told that young man to get rid of his possessions so that they no
longer would be able to come between him and his relationship with God?
That brings me to the
practice of simplicity. Simplicity is a Christian practice that is as important
as the prayer that I preached about two weeks ago or the Bible study that I
preached about last week. Simplicity helps us to put our priorities in order,
and to ask ourselves whether we really put God first. When we practice
simplicity, we look at what we have and what we do, and we decide what is
really important. Maybe we decide to get rid of a few things to make room in
our life for something that we don’t have right now. We don’t have to give up
everything that we have in order to practice simplicity. But it does mean that we
might need to throw out a few things.
Our culture isn’t very good
at practicing simplicity. On the contrary, it tells us that the more “stuff” we
have, the better off we are! There’s always something new being offered that
claims to make our lives even easier than ever before! I went to the website of
a major retailer yesterday, and I searched for “small appliances” just to see
what they offer. Here are just a few things that you can buy, if you’re
inclined to do so. They offered blenders; juicers; bread makers; waffle irons;
coffee makers that brew one cup, 12 cups, and 30 cups; deep fryers; electric
skillets; electric can openers; pizza ovens; food processors (in a variety of
sizes); ice cream makers; mixers (both large and small); roasters; crock-pots;
rice steamers; toasters; toaster ovens; and gadgets that shrink-wrap our food
because we have so many leftovers we don’t know what to do with them all. And
that is just for the kitchen! I know that we’ve moved on since Leave It to Beaver was on TV, but my
mother could put a great meal together using a pot, a frying pan, and a couple
of well-chosen utensils. She never needed an oven just to cook pizza!
“Sell everything you have and
give it to the poor, and then come, follow me,” says Jesus. Maybe that’s not
such a bad idea. And Jesus isn’t alone in his opinion. The book of Ecclesiastes
reminds us that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity
under heaven. Of course, there is a time for gathering possessions! That’s why
we host wedding showers, and baby showers, and housewarming parties. But at
some point, there is a time to throw away, too. Simplicity was the very reason
that some of our fathers and mothers in the faith chose to move away from civilization
and live in the solitude of the desert. They traded ornate cathedrals with gold
statues and silver baptismal fonts for the simplicity of a sunrise. They left
the social rat race for the simplicity of daily prayers. They rejected the acquisition
of wealth, and accepted the simplicity of hospitality, charity, and service.
They took Jesus seriously when he said, “Sell everything you have and give it to the
poor, and then come, follow me.”
It’s a little bit more
difficult for us today to find that kind of simplicity. There aren’t many
places where we could go to leave the world behind. Besides, entering a
monastery is foreign to our tradition. We Protestants believe that it is
important to engage the world, not withdraw from it. But there are some things that we can do in order
to begin to simplify our lives and make more room for God. In his classic book Celebration of Discipline (1978, Harper
San Francisco), Richard J. Foster makes a few suggestions to help us simplify
our lives.
First, let’s be clear about
the difference between wants and needs. We really need very few things; and God knows what they are. Do you remember
what Jesus said to his disciples about that? “Why are you worrying so much,
asking ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
The pagans run after all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them.” We really only need enough food to keep us healthy, and enough
clothing and shelter to keep us warm. Everything else is just icing on the
cake. It is not our needs but our “wants” that hold us captive. Dr. Foster
even suggests that we can become addicted to some of our “wants.” Because his
book was written over 30 years ago, his examples of common addictions are
newspapers, television, and chocolate. Nowadays, our addictions are more likely
to be Starbucks coffee, email, or Facebook. But the principle is the same. If
you can’t go even a day without a cup of Starbucks coffee, checking your email,
or posting on your Facebook page, maybe it’s time to get rid of it for a while.
Are you in charge of it – or is it in
charge of you?
Second, don’t buy into our
culture of accumulation. That’s a very hard thing to do. We’re surrounded by
ads that urge us to “Buy, buy, buy!” In another week the political commercials
will disappear, and they will be replaced by Christmas advertising. We’ll hear,
“Give this diamond necklace, that updated computer, or maybe even a new car!” The
trouble is that love can’t be measured by the amount of stuff you give someone.
Maybe it’s time to remember that Jesus didn’t give us any “stuff” at all. He gave us his life.
Finally, develop a habit of
giving things away. If you buy a new appliance, a new tool, or a new piece of
clothing, donate the old one to a charity. Glance around your house. Are there
things that you haven’t used in years? Give them away to someone who needs
them. Even knick-knacks can be donated to Goodwill so that a someone with
limited means can purchase something pretty to brighten up the house!
“Sell everything you have and
give it to the poor.” No, that’s not a new rule that we have to follow in order
to get into heaven. But it is one way
to get out of the captivity of possessions. The practice of simplicity may not
be as well-known to most Christians as prayer or Bible study; but it is an
important practice to learn. After all, don’t we all want to have the time to
develop a deeper relationship with God? And if we’re obsessed with our
possessions, we’re not likely to take time to do that. There is, indeed, a time
for everything, even a time to throw away. What time is it now?
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