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Have you met a Christian that sold/gave up everything they owned? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 week ago by solidheron@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

45 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Im still a salty biznatch about a street preacher saying they didn't have to sell everything they down because Jesus said to one disciple and in that context yeah Jesus said it to that disciple.

Turns out that Jesus did say that you have to give up everything luke 14:25-33

The Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62; John 6:59–66)

Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. 27And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? 29Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’

Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.

In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.

But does anyone see a Christian legitimately follow this commandment from Jesus

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[–] lemonwood@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

No, never personally. But I'm convinced it was meant absolutely literally. The Jesus movement was a hardcore apocalyptic cult drawing many members (like for example Jesus) from older apocalyptic cults like the one of John the Baptist, who was executed for leading a cult. Everyone knew this, so anyone who still joined must have known full well what it entails. It seems fair and consistent with dogma to say, that Jesus went in it with a death wish. But all the other followers must have been pretty hardcore as well. A core tenet of the movement was preparing for the imminent kingdom of God - the end of the world. They are very clear about the kingdom coming within their lifetime, so any possessions would have been superfluous.

And then there's the material component: the Romans had raised taxes immensely, mostly collecting them in the country but only investing in the cities. The Jesus movement was made up of losers of this process (that's why cooperators and "tax collectors" are painted by them as the worst kind of sinners). They didn't have much to hold on to. Too bad their revolutionary tactic came down to simply declaring what ever they wished to happen was about to be caused by devine intervention any moment now.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

It's also important to note that each of the Apostles literally did it. They abandoned their property and families (some were married with children) and they followed him. The command to sell everything, give the money to the poor, and follow him is something this man could see was possible because 12 people there had done it.

[–] solidheron@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

I was also thinking that followers must have been super poor. Since massage of give up everything and you'll be rewarded would resonated to literal beggars or people who had nothing. Comes off as high yield return for the poor