Luke 12:32-40

There are two very challenging teachings in this week’s reading from Luke 12:32-40. One is Jesus’ commandment (it is in the imperative mood) to “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Luke 12:33). The other is “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Luke 12:40).

Here are some guiding questions for reflection:

It is helpful to understand “the kingdom” (v. 32) and “heaven” (v. 33) as states of being rather than geographical places. Understood this way, we can hear Jesus’ command as something we can do now, and something that blesses us now. “Sell your possessions and give alms” simply means that we are blessed when we regard our belongings, our money, our time, and our abilities as something we can share to help others rather than something we would hoard under the illusion that it can bless us like God does.

What happens for you when you try to “re-look” at your belongings, wealth, time, and abilities as resources for enriching others?

For a long time, we had a refrigerator magnet that said “Jesus is coming — look busy!” It was a conflation of the sense of guilt that much Christian teaching and preaching have peddled through the centuries, and the school-days sensibility that teachers were the enemies of childhood fun. For those of us who spent our fair share of our school days in the principal’s office, this is an accessible joke. But Jesus is not some joyless school teacher or principal. And his point is not that we ought to be obsessively vigilant, on guard for a horrible Day of Reckoning. Rather, is is encouraging us to try to shift our default way of life from “some day” to this moment.

What is a virtue that you want to incorporate into your life “someday”?

Jesus wants us to live joyful lives (John 15:11). What causes you to postpone the joy of living a life focused on helping others?