I have been pondering through a passage for some time now, and as a new seminary class approaches I have decided to really focus on this passage for the next few months as part of the course. I have marked you in this note because I wanted to invite you to give me some of your insight about what this passage means to you, and maybe that will help me figure it out for myself. I have tried to select many different people from different backgrounds in order to get a better cross section of people, if you feel you know someone who may be able to help us feel free to invite them to the discussion. I understand that some of you may not agree with every comment and only ask that you remain cordial as we discuss this topic.
Passage: Luke 18:18-30 (Rich young ruler) You can check it out here: http://www.biblegateway.com/
My main questions:
1. Should this be translated literally? As in did Jesus really want the rich young ruler to give up everything he owned?
2. If Jesus did mean it literally, then what does that mean for us today? Does that mean that everyone should be selling everything and giving it to the poor? Does it mean that only some should sell everything and give it to the poor? If it means that (some or all) Christians should sell everything and give it to the poor, why have I never seen this is in our world today (although I have seen incredibly generous givers, they always have a place to sleep, food to eat, etc.)?
3. If Jesus did not mean it literally then why would he let this man walk away from Him completely let down, as well as confuse the issue for us today? It would seem that Jesus was playing some kind of cruel joke on this man by telling him something that wasn’t really a requirement.
4. Is there something else that I am missing?
I would love to hear back from you on this topic…
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