Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Deciding what is Irrelevant Written by Bart Ehrman Read by Ken Teutsch Can Jesus teachings on wealth and what to do with it have any relevance for a world that does not share his underlying assumptions, views, beliefs about religion and economics?
[00:00:22] That question is not relevant only for the uber rich in our world.
[00:00:26] Name your names. Some of them, of course, claim to be ardent followers of Jesus, or just to those living fairly extravagant lives, or even to those who have more than enough to live comfortably. Just about everyone I come in contact with even below that level, and probably, though not certainly everyone you do as well, has and buys things they don't actually need or much need.
[00:00:52] In this post I deal with the religious issues and in the next, the economic.
[00:00:58] It is not difficult to figure out the key difference between Jesus religious views and those widely shared among his followers today of relevance to his teachings on wealth. But it's surprising we don't read or hear more about it. At least I don't.
[00:01:13] As was long known by scholars and over the course of the past 30 years has become far more widely known among non scholars, Jesus was an apocalypticist expecting an imminent Day of Judgment. He taught his disciples that some of them would still be alive when the Day of Judgment arrived with the coming of a cosmic judge, the Son of Man, from heaven.
[00:01:36] He taught the crowds that their own generation would not pass away before the cosmic upheavals took place.
[00:01:45] Throughout his teachings, he urged people to be prepared for it. They did not want to be caught unawares. They'd need to be alert and awake because it could happen at any time and therefore needed to repent now before it was too late.
[00:01:59] Repenting means turning back to God. That entails committing yourself to living as he demands, doing his will on earth as it is in heaven. And what is God's ultimate demand?
[00:02:12] Love your neighbor as yourself. What is his ultimate will? That you live a life of service to others.
[00:02:19] Whom is he principally concerned about? The lowly poor and needy. How do you turn your life around? That is, Repent if you have financial means.
[00:02:29] Help others radically. How radically? The end is imminent, so sell everything now and you will have treasures in heaven.
[00:02:38] Jesus Radical religious economics are inextricably rooted in the Jewish apocalyptic belief that the Day of Judgment was coming at any moment, and so there was no time to lose. The approaching destruction of this material world should motivate a radical shift in our relation to it. It's all going to disappear. Get rid of your possessions now so you can enjoy the benefits of the kingdom. You will be losing them soon anyway, and there are more important things helping those in need.
[00:03:08] The more you sacrifice now, the more you will enjoy in the age to come.
[00:03:13] Today, literally today, many of us are afraid the world seems to be heading to its ultimate demise. That may be right, but we don't actually know. And a glance at the history of pessimism can cause us to realize that people have always felt like this, often with reasons just as good as we have today.
[00:03:33] Of course, many people today will deny that, but also of course, that's what the people before us thought as well. It's never been this bad, and it can't get worse.
[00:03:44] Few of us, apart from ultra conservative Christians, genuinely think that there is a time set for the end, and that it is upon us, coming possibly next month, or at least next year.
[00:03:56] Those Christians who do think that should probably be advised to act on their convictions and sell everything they have and give to the poor. This would be a good time to embrace Jesus teachings delivered in his apocalyptic moment in light of our own apocalyptic moment.
[00:04:12] But most of us think that life will go on and possibly on and on. We won't be around to see the destruction of the planet, despite the eagerness of some of those among us to bring it about sooner than need be or the obliteration of the human race. We don't share the immediacy of Jesus perspective with the same kind of certainty. We also realize that if we sold everything, we would need someone else to support us and we would no longer have any resources to help others or the kinds of wealth that makes wealth.
[00:04:46] And if there is no more wealth being generated, then later they would be nothing for everyone, making ongoing existence infinitely worse.
[00:04:55] Without a radical apocalyptic view of the imminent end of all things, it makes no sense even for Jesus followers to abandon all their wealth.
[00:05:04] Is there a way, though, to follow the spirit of Jesus teachings without going to the radical apocalyptic extreme he urged?
[00:05:12] Of course, be extremely generous. Provide help to those in need. Give of yourself and your resources. Care for others rather than just yourself.
[00:05:22] It's not exactly what Jesus taught, even though preachers, well documented since 200 CE, have widely claimed it was since they couldn't. Still don't believe that he really meant what he said. He did mean it. Sell everything.
[00:05:38] It may have made sense with his religious views, but we don't share the ones that made it relevant.
[00:05:44] Literally speaking, then it is irrelevant. But the spirit of what he taught that we should be concerned for and help those in need can live on and makes far greater sense in the world we live in. Now that becomes yet more clear when you consider just how incommensurate our economic world is from the one Jesus inhabited.
[00:06:06] Ours would have been beyond his comprehension to realize why we have to try to comprehend His.
[00:06:14] That's the next post.
