Fair critique of Christians: Why don't they follow Jesus' injunction to sell all they have and give to the poor?
On more than one occasion during his ministry, Jesus commanded a prospective follower to sell all they have, give to the poor, and follow him, presumably in full-time service.
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. (Luke 18:22)
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. (Luke 12:33)
These verses send waves of horror down the spines of professed Christians, and--like all commandments they know they will never live--trigger all sorts of mental gymnastics as they wriggle to free themselves from the weight of cognitive dissonance. This skit would be hilarious if it weren't exactly true.
Many atheists have leveled criticism against Christians for continuing to live normal lives in spite of these instructions from Jesus. They see right through the dishonest excuses Christians put forth in defense of their disobedience to the professed master.
As with many things, the truth is not easy, but it is not complicated, and it is not what the mainstream would lead you to believe.
Let us clear this mystery.
This commandment was not just to a specific person
While one instance of this commandment was to one specific person, other instances were not. We will focus on one passage in particular, from Luke 12:
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. (Luke 12)
Rather than expound this passage line by line, which I leave to you, here are extracted principles:
- This commandment is not just to full-time "ministers" like Peter and the apostles.
- Service to God is not a part-time job. It is meant to be consummate.
- Most service to God is part-time not because that is what God has asked, but because people care more about the things of this world.
That is the part that will hurt you to read. But please continue, because there is more to know, and now that we've gotten the painful part out of the way, we can add in the portion that makes the burden light.
Seeking the kingdom of God does not mean living in a cave as a monk, or living as a beggar because you gave away all your things and have denounced working for money--at least, not for all people.
Seeking the kingdom of God means providing the greatest benefit to all mankind that you have the capability to give, with no limit out of seeking your own comfort.
This is, after all, what God himself does.
He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. (2 Nephi 26:24)
What this looks like will differ from person to person, because each person's gifts, resources, opportunity, and character will vary. The greatest benefit a person can provide is subject to the limits of a person's particular circumstance and present character
Outright sale of all worldly goods is not the highest benefit a person can provide
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25)
Then, you ask, why would anyone just sell everything, if the Lord's rebuke is so stern against those who simply bury their talent?
Burying your talent is not the same as outright selling all you have and giving to the poor. That outcome is reserved for those who live life normally, which includes occasional or prescribed donations to a church or some other charity--which may not be bad, but certainly is insufficient.
The Lord clearly said that those who sell what they have and give to the poor have treasures in heaven. When it comes to the good you do for others, there is greater joy in heaven for those who do more with what they are given on earth.
Explicit sale of all worldly goods is, sadly, the greatest benefit MOST people will be willing to provide
While the ideal is to wisely and consummately leverage all you have been given and all you could obtain for the benefit of everyone as far as they will receive, very few people are ready for that level of sacrifice or the level of self-honesty, sacrifice, discipline, and consistent altruism it requires.
It is very hard to walk the knife's edge of that situation.
For most people, the terrible truth is that you would be far better off in the eternal balances if you sold all you have and and gave to the poor, because you are unwilling to provide the greater sacrifice.
How do you know which of these paths is right for you? Let the spirit be your guide. Here is a principle and an exercise that can help you.
Do you think it would be easier to sell everything you have and give to the poor than what you are doing now? If so, your heart is likely to be in the right place. If not, and the reason isn't "because I could do more for more people, even though it requires greater suffering, by keeping a stewardship," then you can rest assured you are living in covetousness, and your way forward is to sell all you have and give to the poor before God takes it from you in one way or another, and you are held eternally accountable for your present attitude.
Those who rightfully walk the path of stewardship do not have to wonder where their heart is. They have typically already given away all they have, and usually more than once, to those who did not deserve it and had no way of repaying them. They know without a shadow of a doubt that their present path is much harder than it would be to simply give it all away. They are extremely realistic about the fact that no one will leave this world with their worldly goods, and they take every opportunity they can find (and they look very hard) to give away all they have to all who will receive it, to the greatest benefit of which they can perceive. The only reason they have not given away all they presently have is because they do not yet know of opportunities where that would lead to greater good. But if they found one, they would do so in an instant. [1]
I have said this before, and I will echo it again: We live in the end times. The generations presently alive will experience wave after wave of material loss. Unlike those who came before, we do not have the option of whether we will give it all away before we die. The only choice is whether we do so out of goodwill in faith, or because it is imposed upon us.
And what if I have nothing to give?
Many years ago, a wise and holy man said:
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. (Mosiah 4)
The good you do in this world is not calculated in dollar signs, but in the depth of your heart in giving it. The Lord will credit to you the desires of your heart as you enact them in the world, no matter the magnitude of your resources, just as the sacrifice of the rich is not counted towards them by absolute amount but by degree of sacrifice.
Guard your heart, and live all you live in sincerity, and you will prepare yourself against the day when you may suddenly find the Lord plucking you out of your financial situation into one where you have greater means to serve others. In that day, maintain your heart of service, and always remember where you were before the Lord brought you out.
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[1] - One day, I had a meeting with my company. At the time, our team had about eight people. I said, "why am I the CEO?" They said, "because you founded the company" and "because you own all the stock." I said "both of those things would still be true if I weren't the CEO." Silence. I said, "I am the CEO because I can do this job better than any of you can. The moment any of you can do better, or we could hire someone to do better for my pay or less, I would no longer be the CEO." They were astonished, even though they really should not have been. So it is with a wise steward of God's resources: the maximal benefit of mankind is the point, not who gets to hold the money bag (see John 12:6).