arnoldo

People with Bipolar disorder may be "notoriously careless with money" at times but this has nothing to do with the RYR.

trendkill

Relevance?

Solo

"At times", you say....would it be the same "times" when they appear to have no care about anything else as well ?

There are three important Jesus sayings on the "careless state" that are not present in Mark, only in the other synoptics. It may be, as some believe, because Mark did not know "Q", but they also happen to be at loggerheads with Pauline theology and ethics. Assuming that you are familiar with the diagnostic description of bi-polar disorder would you not agree that these statements are frank descriptions of someone displaying manic behaviours ?

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (technically this would be a poetic rendering of a fugue, no ?)

"let the dead bury their dead !" (says Jesus in Mt & Lk to a grieving son who asks to wait until he buries his dad)

"Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" (sounds like a frank rationalization of a carefree hanging-out. Imagine yourself hearing this for the first time from some bearded drifter with beady eyes in Central Park ! Would you be impressed ?)

Jiri

Transient

"consider the birds..."
I have always considered that a ghastly thing.
Birds get preyed on by god made predators, starve to death in the thousands and often die of thirst.
One would hope that a god would care for humans a bit better than he "cares" for his birds lol.

Requia

The repo men and the landlord will be along to take everything I own soon enough, I'm in no rush.

Cesc

It should be seen in the light of the belief of the early Christians that the world was soon coming to an end.
Its obvious to me, that if one believes the world is coming to an end in a couple of weeks or years, then selling all possessions for subsequent salvation is a very reasonable thing to do.

Therefore, I'd argue that it should only apply to Christians who believe the world is ending very soon...

The earliest Christian communities were not some sort of ideological communists, they just believed the end was near, so why not leave all your possessions and go evangelize at once?

LogicandReason

The same can be said about 'celibacy' in the early church. But don't Christians insist that these are the end times? Has the eschatology been toned down?

Solo

I think it has to do with the perceived "excesses" of Jesus, as in:

Mk 2:18-19 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

Jiri

LogicandReason

Or it shows use the conflict between religious Jews and the Hellene Jews as argued through the mouth of Jesus. I think these gospels are written to reinforce each communities ideas and refute others by writing these quips into the intentional object's mouth.

Sheshbazzar

However, If we are to accept that the impetus for this "sell off" of all worldly possessions came about as the NT (and thus the Christian religion) teaches,
by way of the very teachings of Jesus himself, and as evident in Acts, that the early Church did respond and act in a unified accordance with those teachings;
That in so doing they set an example for The Church in all ages.

Else the teaching of Christ Jesus was for that time only, and would require that The Church its self would need find the words of their Lord to be in error, untrustworthy, subject to change, or be eliminated from practice, at the whims of the church.
Neither Christ Jesus, nor that Church He founded, and headed by The Apostles, ever gave permission for any departure from the teachings or from the practices that were instituted by Him, and were lived by by them.
It was not merely a matter them of deciding to be some sort of ideological communists, but of hearing, and wholeheartedly obeying and doing their Master, and His Apostles teachings.

Christ did not change, nor His words, nor the doctrine of the Apostles.
It is the church that has departed from, and has fallen away from His teachings, and from the examples given and demonstrated by the conduct of The early Church.

Why? because latter "church members" soon came to to love the comforts of their own wealth, of their own homes, and of their own lands, far, far more than they love Christ Jesus.

This so being, they soon appointed to themselves preachers and teachers, who would for a small sum, "scratch their itching ears" with smooth words and with platitudes, and of course never require of them that 100% ALL that Christ and the membership of The early Church required without exception from ALL of its members.
Peter settled for no less, and any preacher since, or TODAY, who settles for less, betrays The Master, His Church, and the whole Household of The Lord.
Whosoever will not surrender all, is not worthy, and has no part in, nor membership in The Congregation of The Lord.
No one needs ever exclude such, as they have excluded their selves, by their love of Mammon.

"Christians" of today may cook up all of the mealy-mouth excuses that they want for their disobedience to THE WORDS of the Master, and to The Example that the Apostles and Church gave to ALL members, for ALL time;
Do they think to deceive God Himself even as they rob Him?
A slave does not own anything, ALL that a slave earns or possesses belongs to his Master, and is for the collective use of The Master's household.

In vain do they say that they are the Master's servants, who rob His household day and night to purchase their own houses, their own lands, and luxuries.

And for what? They deceive only themselves, in their saying "The Lord, The Lord God has spoken"
For if come that which they preach, In that Day, they shall certainly lose all that they have stolen from The Lord's Table, and from The Lord's Household.

All of the teachings, preachings, testimonies, and confessions of these thieving and lying false servants will be revealed as only so many vain and empty words in that Day when The Master says "Depart from Me you workers of iniquity".

Better for these that they had kept their mouths shut, than had laid claim to what was not theirs.
For while even strangers may find favor and be invited in, and be sat down in places of honor to eat and drink with The Master at His Table, thieving and lying false "servants", shall be turned away at the entry, never to enter, the door being ever barred and locked against such. Then there shall be weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

If any think they stand, let them take heed least they fall. Any servant that thinks of their self as being an "insider", take heed least they be cast out into the outer darkness.
Woe unto those servants who say; 'Our Lord delays His coming, wherefore His pantry is now ours to plunder, and He will never require it of us'. So wasting their lives only to reap the harvest of their shame;
Ah yes, far better for these had they said; 'I do not believe',
than saying; 'I believe', and then not doing ALL that the Master they confessed commanded; Without commitment and obedience, no mans faith is faithful.