Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20
“I affirm that truckle-beds afford no worse repose than the ivory couch; and the goatskin coverlet being amply sufficient to spread on the bed, there is no need of purple or scarlet coverings…See. The Lord ate from a common bowl, and made the disciples recline on the grass on the ground, and washed their feet, girded with a linen towel — He, the lowly-minded God, and Lord of the universe. He did not bring down a silver foot-bath from heaven. He asked to drink of the Samaritan woman, who drew the water from the well in an earthenware vessel, not seeking regal gold, but teaching us how to quench thirst easily. For He made use, not extravagance, his aim.”
Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) in Pædagogus, or The Instructor, 2.3 (written c. 198).
Laura Hartman includes this quote by Clement in The Christian Consumer (72) when talking about how moderation is essential to proper enjoyment of blessings. I don’t know what a truckle-bed and a goatskin coverlet look and feel like but they sound like simple alternatives to an ivory couch and a scarlet covering.
In looking at the example of Jesus, Clement concludes that “He made use, not extravagance, his aim.” That’s a great word for us today. Our world tells extravagance is what brings happiness. Consumption like Christ, alternatively, is about using with moderation so that we have margin for sharing.
Father in heaven, show us today what a step toward moderation might look like for each of us, so that we have margin for sharing that reflects your love. May we listen to the still small voice of your Holy Spirit and do what it says. Hear my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.