Jesus' ROI (Return On Investment)

Yesterday we read how the rich young man when told that he had to detach himself from all his possessions in order to gain eternal life leaves feeling very sad knowing that he’s too attached to what he has. Remember this scene took place in front of the disciples and how amazed they were seeing what had just taken place.

They must have been wondering about themselves and if they had done or were doing enough to gain eternal life. We hear Peter verbalize exactly what was going through all their minds – you know we did everything that was asked of that man including leaving even our families behind to follow Jesus – where do we fit in? He doesn’t say it in those exact words but Jesus knows that Peter wants to have a little more clarity in this new way of living in the service and in gratuity.

Jesus tells exactly the type of kingdom he wants them to establish – extend the family, create a community and the sharing of goods. This is exactly what the early Christians did as we read in Acts 2:44-45; “All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money according to what each needed.” Imagine that they did all this without the help and great expense of the current tax collecting system (Internal Revenue Service). This is how the Kingdom spread like a fire with the aid of the Holy Spirit.

But one thing that must be mentioned that will probably have many more going away sad, is that one must not expect any  privilege in return, no security, no type of promotion. Rather, in this life they will have all this, but with persecutions. Because, in this world, organized on egoism and the interests of groups and persons, those who want to live a gratuitous love and the gift of self, they will be crucified as Jesus was, but in the future world they will have eternal life of which the rich young man spoke about.

I look at what is happening in the States and I see many similarities to Jesus time. Who did Jesus buck heads with? The Pharisees which means “separated.” They lived separated from impure people who they considered ignorant and cursed. Jesus and his community lived with the excluded; sinners, lepers, prostitutes etc.; in fact He proclaimed them blessed because the Kingdom belongs to the poor. There’s a beautiful haunting song, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor, Blessed be the Lord.”

As this country gets ready for a very important election and an even more important budget process a group from the Shrine and Paulist Ctr. in Boston has just finished an eight week course dealing with Catholic Teachings on Economic Life. What does the Bible have to say about economics?

 Did you know that;

- There are several thousand verses on the poor and God’s response to injustice?

- It is the second most prominent theme in the Hebrew Old Testament – the first being idolatry?

- One of every sixteen verses in the New Testament is about the poor or the subject of money?

- In the first three (Synoptic) gospels it is one out of ten verses?

- In the book of Luke it is one in seven?

We are living in a world that worships Market values instead of Gospel values (The Market is My Shepherd, and I Shall Want and Want and Want… ~ theologian Harvey Cox.)

“If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. ~ Isaiah 58:10-12

Jesus promises to return to you a hundred times more – where are you going to get a ROI (Return On Investment) like that? The Good News or Harsh News to many is that you have to invest ALL you have. That is why we have so many walking away sad.