Have you got lumbered?

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions... “Do not take any gold or silver or copper in your belts, take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep”. Matthew 10:9-10

My wife and I recently moved house. We had spent nearly twenty-five years in our previous home so, as you can imagine, it was quite a business getting everything organised for a move of more than a hundred miles.

There were the usual stresses - legal matters, finance, insurances, removal arrangements, you name it: all par for the course. But one of the most disturbing things was to discover just how much stuff we had accumulated over the years. Stuff which we now had to decide what to do with. We realised just how much our life was dominated by things.

The trips we made to charity shops! The journeys we made to the rubbish tip! The stuff we off-loaded onto friends! We found ourselves asking silly questions: Just how many coffee mugs does a house need? How many pots and pans? How many sheets and pillow-cases? How many books, some of which haven’t been read for years (and, let’s be honest, some of which have never been read at all)?

When Jesus sent his disciples out to make known the good news of the kingdom of God, he told them to travel light: no supplies of money, no travel bag, no second tunic or sandals. Just go as you are.

We shouldn’t misunderstand this. Jesus is not saying they must be permanently hungry or homeless. No, he specifically tells them to gladly accept whatever hospitality is on offer. And, of course, the mission he was sending them out on was short-term, a kind of lightning gospel blitz.

So we shouldn’t imagine that these instructions were intended for all Christians for all time. Later in the New Testament, indeed, we come across wealthy Christians settled in large homes, and using the good things they had in order to promote God’s work.

But that doesn’t mean that Jesus’ words to his disciples here can’t be relevant to us today. What should we make of them? Here are a few suggestions...

First, there are still times when God calls his people to make big material sacrifices. And just possibly you could be one of them. 

Is God calling some of us to take a deep breath and do something the outside world might consider extravagant, even irresponsible? I love the Bible stories of people like the woman with her flask of perfume (Matthew 26:6-13) and Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37), don’t you? Is it time for a big one-off donation?

Second, even if that isn’t the case, is it time we did a bit of decluttering?

 

There have been books and articles published recently - and not particularly by Christians - that talk about how, once you reach a “peak” in the things you enjoy, they cease to bring further satisfaction, and so the best way to be happy is actually to get rid of stuff rather than add to it. 

In other words, sacrificial giving is not just a matter of serving God, it’s also in the best interests of our own happiness and well-being. Time for a car-load to the charity-shop?

Third, perhaps the main point of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples was to do with urgency. 

He wanted them to understand that making known the good news of the kingdom is an urgent business, so they should let nothing weigh them down. The writer to the Hebrews talks about “throwing off everything that hinders” in running the race of the Christian life, and I think he is making the same point (Hebrews 12:1). 

There are things which are not in themselves wrong or sinful; but which are a distraction from, or a drag on, what really matters. 

Following Jesus is not a hobby or a pastime; it isn’t a nice, cosy little added extra to bolt onto our lives. No; it is life. It’s not the cherry on the cake; it is the cake itself. And we should let nothing push it into second or third place.

Just before he spoke these challenging words we are told that Jesus looked at the crowds and “had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

Nothing changes, does it? Is it time some of us lifted up our eyes, looked around us, and made up our minds to roll up our sleeves and make a difference to the sad, aimless, confused, troubled people we live among? 

If we won’t, who will? If we don’t demonstrate the tender compassion of Jesus, who will?

Lord Jesus, create in me that sense of urgency, sacrifice and tenderness you inspired in your first disciples, so that, in whatever ways, I will be better able to show forth your wonderful compassion in this sad and troubled world. Amen.