Possibilities such as the ones we are considering will make many of us uneasy, but this is what I appreciate most about Jesus’ conversation with the rich man. Jesus obviously gave him a tough command to follow, and it seems cold, if not extreme, when it comes out of his mouth. He was going right for the jugular, so to speak, with a guy who had great wealth. Jesus was launching a direct attack on the sense of security and stability this man had in this world.
Words like these can seem hard to us too. When Jesus calls you or me to let go of things, to sacrifice things, to sell things, to give away things, it’s not easy. What will we do? Where will we live? What if something unexpected happens in the future? Our sense of security and stability is immediately threatened when we think about truly letting Jesus reign over our possessions.
But the beauty of this conversation is what the Bible tells us in Mark 10:21: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” What a wonderful phrase! Jesus was not telling this man to give away everything he had because Jesus hated him or desired to make his life miserable. Jesus was telling him to give away everything he had because Jesus loved him.
Jesus apparently loves rich people enough to tell them the truth.
Luke 12 echoes this theme of love. There we read how Jesus told all his disciples, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” But listen to what he said right before that: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”24
The imagery in this simple verse is diverse and breathtaking. In God we have a Shepherd who protects us from fear as if we’re a little flock. In God we have a Father who delights in us as children, a Father who is determined to give good gifts to us. And in God we have a King who guarantees a kingdom for us.
Let me amplify and paraphrase, then, what it seems Jesus was saying: “In light of the fact that you have a God in heaven who is set on caring for you as a shepherd does his sheep, as a father does his children, and as a king does who is passing on an entire kingdom, don’t be anxious. Sell your possessions, give to the poor, and don’t worry Your God—your Shepherd, your Father, your King-has everything under control.”
A wealthier man in our faith family came to my office after we had been studying the story of the rich young man. He sat down, looked at me, and said point-blank, “I think you’re crazy for saying some of the things you are saying.” Then he paused, and I wasn’t sure what direction this conversation was going to go. He continued, “But I think you’re right. And so now I think I’m crazy for thinking some of the things I’m thinking.”
For the next few minutes, he described how he was selling his large house and had decided to give away many of his other possessions. He talked about the needs he wanted to invest his resources in for the glory of Christ. Then he looked at me through tears in his eyes and said, “I wonder at some points if I’m being irresponsible or unwise. But then I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, ‘I wish you would have kept more for yourself.’ I’m confident that God will take care of me.”
When God tells us to give extravagantly, we can trust him to do the same in our lives. And this is really the core issue of it all. Do we trust him? Do we trust Jesus when he tells us to give radically for the sake of the poor? Do we trust him to provide for us when we begin using the resources he has given us to provide for others? Do we trust him to know what is best for our lives, our families, and our financial futures?