misunderstood.

As he began to take the road again (after welcoming the children), a man came running up and fell at his feet, and asked him, “Good Master, what must I do to be sure of eternal life?”

“I wonder why you call me good,” returned Jesus. “No one is good—only God. You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder’, ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother’.”

“Master,” he replied, “I have kept carefully all these since I was quite young.”

Jesus looked steadily at him, and his heart warmed towards him. Then he said, “There is one thing you still want. Go and sell everything you have, give the money away to the poor—you will have riches in Heaven. And then come back and follow me.”

At these words his face fell and he went away in deep distress, for he was very rich.

-Mark 10:17-22-

A friend and I have been writing emails today about economics.  I am not very scholarly on the topic.  We landed at one point in the story of the rich young ruler.  As I have waded through this story, I keep thinking of our country.  I keep thinking that America might just be the rich young ruler.  A country that Jesus is so warm to.  And, a country that he is allowing to walk away with great riches and nothing else.  We are greedy and comfortable and obsessed with ourselves and the protection of our comfort. 

We are convinced that God desires prosperity for us in our terms.  We are convinced that the American Dream is not only ok, it is a biblical way of living.  We are willing to give what we believe God to be asking of us (usually it is 10%), and are even willing to give some of our excesses.  We are a little bit uncomfortable, however, with the idea of giving until it hurts.  And we are opposed to the idea of giving until we’re dry.

So often we hear that the story of the rich young ruler is a story of reliance.  A story of a man who depended on and trusted his money for security and maybe his worth.  It is most certainly a story of reliance.  But, I think it goes beyond that.  I think it is a story of ownership and one of gratitude.  It is the story of a man who has a lot of things, a man who probably believes that God gave him the means for attaining those things, and a man who now believes that he owns these things.  A man who doesn’t believe that Jesus would ask him to keep nothing for himself.

It is the story of a man who misunderstood.  He misunderstood his wealth to be a gift from God for him.   

Aren’t we this man?  We have misunderstood God’s purpose and desire for our wealth.  We believe so correctly that it is from Him….yet, incorrectly that it is for us.  We believe that He wants us to have because he wants us to be happy.  We mistake happiness and joy.  We have misunderstood where that joy comes from.

He is a God who gives.  He is a God who shares.  And he is asking the same of us.  We were not ever created for personal prosperity.  It was always meant to be communal.  Look at Israel, celebrating the Jubilee and the prosperity and the harvest as one. Collecting, sharing, redistributing.  Look at the early church, giving everything so that not one had a need.  Receiving, sharing, redistributing. 

It isn’t only a story of reliance and ownership.  I also think it is a story of missing eucharisteo.  Ann VosKamp defines eucharisteo as “grace, thanksgiving, joy”.  The man’s wealth was a gift, given in grace.  It was meant to be celebrated in gratitude.  It was meant to be enjoyed in a way that comes only in sharing. Eucharisteo.