sabbath? to or not, and whyfor ..

a podcast with Walter Brueggemann on what sabbath is all about and if/how it applies today.. here

(there's quite a bit of chat, both before and after, between the 2 hosts .. don't let that dissuade you from the interview)

where is my wealth ?

and someone approaches Jesus ..
" Rabbi, what good thing do i have to do to gain eternal life ?"
   " why ask me about 'good' ? there's only one person who can define 'good' ..
      if you want to enter into Life keep the commands of God "
" which ?"

   ' which ' is a strange question .. who would think that there are certain ones
   to be kept, but others not so much ? .. they're ' commands '
   so Jesus lists some of ' the 10 ' Big Ones, and adds this one .. love your
   neighbour as you love your own self
      ( at least according to the current translations; but if we look at the
      commands Jesus points to, they are all concerned with neighbourliness ..
      perhaps then this last thing Jesus mentions is not a command in the
      sense of the others, but a summary .. as He said elsewhere, all the
      commandments and the Law and the Prophets and the Writings are
      summarized by 2 things - love God with your entire self, and love
      your neighbour as yourself )

" i've been doing these .. what else is there ? what am i missing ?"
   which is another strange question .. why would he think he was missing
   something, that there was something else ?
 
      Jesus' answer is likewise strange - " if you want to be perfect .. "
      huh ? now i'm lost
      are there different levels of getting eternal life ? such that one level is
      not so 'perfect' while there's another, perfect level ?
         perhaps a pastor's wise comment will help .. perhaps Jesus is
         saying, the same way that God is perfectly God you be perfectly human,
         and the perfectly human thing to do is to love your neighbour, and the best
         way to demonstrate that is by relinquishing your hold on your wealth
         and using it to feed the poor around you ( see Matt 5:48 ) ..


hanging his head in despair, the man turned and walked away
this was the one thing he just couldn't do .. he was a wealthy man
..

consider .. the man asked Jesus about ' eternal ' life
   life-to-the-fullest
   quality life that supercedes common life in
      the now
   life beyond this life, both in terms of existence and in terms of quality
   presumably the most significant question/concern a person can have ..
presumably he comes to Jesus because he believes Jesus has the answer ..
and yet
   he chooses not to
   he decides to keep his wealth
presumably to forego eternal life ..

" no thanks " ??
really ?
..

where to go with this?
   where does it take you ?

don't just think ' rich ' ..

what is it that i hold-to as my wealth ?
   what is it that i will refuse to give-up to gain eternal life ?
      or who ?
at what will i hang my head and walk ..  ?
   that thing becomes my wealth

?
what will it take to make me change my mind
   to open my hands and let the ' wealth ' go ?

?
will i ever ?

?
do i believe there is eternal life
   life that transcends this life
   that surmounts
   that fills full this life
      abundantly              ?
??

is there faith here ?
   in this place where i am
..

will i relinquish my hold on all for Jesus ?

because Jesus wants me all
   all of me
   my everything
   me in all my meness

and to be perfect means for me to be loosed of all my wealthiness
so that i can be fully truly human

   like Jesus

      no attachment
      no encumberance
pure human

have a listen ..

a great podcast with Brad Jersak mostly around his then recent book, A More Christlike God ..

enjoy
link