To the Rich Young Ruler Jesus said, “sell EVERYTHING, give to the poor, and follow Me” (Luke 18:22).

Jesus commended Zacchaeus for his commitment to “give HALF of all he possessed to the poor” (Luke 19:8, 9).

Jesus commanded ALL His followers to “sell their possessions and give to the poor” (Luke 12:33).

What do we conclude from these three stories from Jesus’ life and teachings?

1. Limiting one’s wealth and possessions to enable giving to the poor is a mandate for every follower of Jesus. It certainly sounds like He envisioned a “life style cap” in order to help the needy.
2. Jesus did not have a one-size-fits-all standard for how much a person should keep and give away. For the Rich Ruler it was to give it ALL away to the poor – 100%. For Zacchaeus it was 50%. To all of His followers reducing their possessions to enable generosity to the poor was a requirement without a specified amount or percentage. The required giving ranged from “everything” to “something.” So, a “life style cap” is not optional, but where one specifically sets their “cap” is not required to be the same for everyone.
3. Apparently, it would be wrong for me to attempt to impose a specific standard of living limit on anyone else or to judge them for not setting their “cap” at the same point as I have. Nothing in the Gospels suggests that all of Jesus’ followers should have exactly the same amount of wealth.
4. The kind of radical, selfless generosity Jesus called His disciples to exemplify was illustrated in the Jerusalem church: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need . . . Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:32-35). Apparently these first Christians took Jesus’ teachings about wealth and poverty to heart.
5. A constantly increasing divide between rich and poor is contrary to the values of Jesus’ Kingdom. This was also clear in the Old Testament Theocracy because under the law of Moses all debts were cancelled every seven years and all property was returned to the original owners every 50years (the Year of Jubilee). Perhaps Jesus would see the widening income disparity in our culture as obscene and evil. Considering average annual income in the USA, the top .1% take in 188 times as much as the bottom 90%.
6. Those who have much are expected to give much away. Those who have less are expected to give less. Paul clearly enunciated this principle in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15: “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.’”

To the indignant reader who is crying, “That’s socialism,” let’s be reminded that socialism and capitalism as economic systems currently defined and/or practiced in the 21^stcentury did not exist in the first century. What “this” is, is an effort to insert Jesus’ teachings and commands as talking points in any discussion of wealth and poverty. We must not use political rhetoric or secular economic theory to demonize or ignore the mandates Jesus gave to His followers.

Rather than arguing economic theory, political talking points, or party platforms, perhaps we should be asking questions such as:

• What does Jesus want me to sell so I can give the proceeds to reduce poverty?
• What would be a reasonable “lifestyle cap” for me to adopt with a commitment to give everything else away to build Jesus’ Kingdom and to relieve suffering in my community and around the world?
• How much is “enough” in light of the desperate needs around us and around the world, the transitory nature of wealth and possessions, and the deceptive addiction of “things” as substitutes for finding the fulfillment of my real needs in God? After all, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I lack nothing: (Ps 23:1), and “be content with what you have” (Heb 13:5).