Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21
“An attitude of detachment from worldly treasure will make it easier to use worldly wealth well; for example, using it to care for the poor (Matthew 19:21). The rich young man is called to make an investment in lives, to trust the “bull market” of works of charity to bring “treasures in heaven” (explicitly recalled here from Matthew 6:19–21). Only such generosity and compassion leads a person to be “perfect” (a distinctive feature of Matthew’s version of this story, recalling Matthew 5:48), for such is the generosity of God.
David DeSilva in An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004) 642.
The call to perfection is a call to detachment and maturity. I have a long way to go. Yesterday was an eventful day of travel for me. It was one of those days that numerous times I felt attached to the way I wanted things to go. Instead I endured perpetual difficulty.
If I were to recount the day, you would not believe it. And I would have to relive it. Unkind people. Horrible traffice. Late flight. Missed meals. Seriously, it was the evil one trying to stir frustration and anger within me. He won’t win, but he scored points.
I made it safely to my hotel room. I showered, but I was hungry after missing dinner. But then in silence with Jesus. I’m heard His voice reminding me of His presence and love. And then I read this in my ongoing reading of DeSilva.
When I think of “detachment” I think of the “Let it go!” song from the famous movie, Frozen. So, I actually played it on YouTube in the privacy of my hotel room to try to get myself to breath and let go of an unspeakably hard day.
These words touched me deeply. “Here I stand in the light of day. Let the storm rage on.” I stopped the song. There’s a battle going on here. The evil one does not want perfection (think: maturity) for workers in India.
The evil one does not want me here or for the 50-60 people to attend the all day session I will be teaching when this posts. So, I declare victory in the name of Jesus. I will not give up. I will detach from both treasure and difficulty and cling only to Jesus.
Pardon the vulnerability. Today the opposition was unspeakably hard. Pray for me.