Article February 10, 1940 Issue

"Sell all that thou hast"

EDWARD H. HORSTMAN

IN Matthew we find recorded the story of a certain rich ruler who came to Jesus saying, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, he replied that he had done so from his youth up; and then he asked further, "What lack I yet?" Jesus answered, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

Does it seem strange that Jesus should tell this man to dispose of his possessions in order to follow Christ, when on another occasion he said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly"? Did Jesus mean that this rich man should become a pauper and depend upon the charity of others for clothing, food, and shelter? If one would take a comprehensive view of his life and doctrine, one could not reasonably come to such a conclusion. There is no record in the Scriptures that Jesus ever condoned poverty. Since God is Love, and the Giver of every good gift, one would hardly expect the Master to advise his followers to arrange their personal affairs so as to bring about a condition of poverty and want. During his ministry on earth, Jesus never lacked any good thing. His human needs were always harmoniously met. And he cautioned his followers not to be anxious about tomorrow's needs, drawing their attention to the way the fowls of the air are fed.

Jesus discerned that the rich man still believed in the reality and substantiality of matter, and that he depended upon his material possessions for happiness and well-being. Though he had made considerable progress in human goodness, Jesus saw that he lacked one thing. "Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor," he said. What was it that Jesus wished this man to do? Doubtless it was his belief in and reliance upon matter as substance, his dependence upon material possessions for security and happiness, which were to be exchanged for wholehearted reliance upon Spirit. When he willingly yielded up these beliefs, he would receive a profit, a rich reward; he would receive an hundredfold, having gained a spiritual sense of life. Mrs. Eddy, on page 428 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," writes, "To divest thought of false trusts and material evidences in order that the spiritual facts of being may appear, — this is the great attainment by means of which we shall sweep away the false and give place to the true."

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