Word to the Wise
Monday, August 16, 2021 - Monday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Judg 2:11-19 and Matt 19:16-22]Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. [Matthew]
Let it be said from the outset that the "young man" who approached Jesus in this incident from today's gospel passage was a sincere and religious man. He had observed all the commandments. He knew there had to be "more," and he was right, but it was not the "more" he was expecting. The perfection he sought meant letting go of all that he had acquired in the way of material goods. He could not "have his cake and eat it too."
Discipleship is not like joining an organization that one can take or leave at one's discretion. Discipleship is an identity based on a relationship with Jesus that demands all our allegiance. It was not as if the young man's possessions were bad, but Jesus could see that those possessions would make this young man a contradiction in terms - a "part-time disciple!" The starting point of discipleship is the relationship with Jesus, which then shapes our commitments such as marriage, career, possessions, ministries.
The young man had the right insight. There would be "more" for him if he wished to make the commitment. But his possessions could not be part of that commitment. He had to choose. So do we, each in his or her own situation. "Part-time discipleship" would be simply one option among the many others our world offers. Discipleship for Jesus takes all options claiming equality with him off the table.
The Lutheran pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred by the Nazis near the end of World War II, wrote a little book entitled, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, in which he warns about looking for "cheap grace." Discipleship will "cost" us if we want "more" than what this world offers. AMEN