Jesus interacted with a lot of people who were “possessed”. That term, as we use it, is generally used in reference to people who have been taken over by a demon. However, he warns us of another type of “possession”…that is when we are possessed by things that we think we possess. In other words, Jesus had a keen eye for seeing that money and the things it buys for us can end up not only providing us with “possessions” but can also very easily possess, or own, us.
As we move along through our series on the toughest things Jesus ever said, this week we come to a whole list of tough things that he had to say about money:
Matthew 10:9 When you go, don’t take any gold or silver with you!
Matthew 5:40 If someone sues you, give him your cloak as well.
Matthew 19:21 Sell everything you have and give it to the poor…
Jesus seemed pretty intent on getting the message across to his disciples that dependency on money and possessions was not something that was compatible with joining his team of followers. He had lots of good things to say about the poor and generally not a lot of good things to say about those who had money. That’s a tough thing to hear for those of us who tend to have some money at our disposal. Or are we at its disposal??
Today we look at a few of Jesus’ radical statements about money and possessions.
Mark
As we move along through our series on the toughest things Jesus ever said, this week we come to a whole list of tough things that he had to say about money:
Matthew 10:9 When you go, don’t take any gold or silver with you!
Matthew 5:40 If someone sues you, give him your cloak as well.
Matthew 19:21 Sell everything you have and give it to the poor…
Jesus seemed pretty intent on getting the message across to his disciples that dependency on money and possessions was not something that was compatible with joining his team of followers. He had lots of good things to say about the poor and generally not a lot of good things to say about those who had money. That’s a tough thing to hear for those of us who tend to have some money at our disposal. Or are we at its disposal??
Today we look at a few of Jesus’ radical statements about money and possessions.
Mark
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