Too often wealth and power go together in our society. Scandal after scandal in the political and business worlds reveal a web of bribery and deceit, people who use money and influence to further their own desires rather than the common good. This isn’t anything new. Sirach reminds his listeners that bribing God will do no good. He tells them that their God “is a God of justice who knows no favorites.”
We might keep Sirach’s advice in the back of our minds when we read about Jesus and his disciples discussing their having given up everything to follow him. It’s not about impressing God or looking for a reward. It’s about letting go of what we don’t need so that we can focus on our need for God. Mark tells us that Peter “began” to tell Jesus how much they’ve done, but Jesus cuts him off.
The activist philospher Peter Singer has suggested that people limit their income to what they need for a reasonably comfortable life and donating anything above that to causes that support the common good. Most of us recoil from that suggestion, but it’s no different than what Jesus is telling us in the Gospel. The difference, perhaps, is that he doesn’t hesitate to put his ideas in concrete economic terms. We’ve become adept at spiritualizing Jesus’ advice. But I have a feeling he might agree with Mr. Singer.
I suspect there are few of us who don’t have more than we need. And at times we might be tempted to hold money over others in subtle or not so subtle attempts at influencing their behavior. Jesus is telling us that this isn’t God’s way. Jesus is challenging us to remember that all the good things we have come from God. We’re to use those gifts for the good of all, whether it’s the people close to us or vast numbers of people in the world who struggle with the most basic needs: food, water, shelter, adequate medical care. Our God doesn’t compromise and neither should we.
