I was reading Luke and in it there is a quote that if a man has two coats he should give one to the poor that have none. If you are a Christian, do you own two coats? How do you reconcile this with Luke? I think we can also say this teaching should not just apply to coats, so how do you reconcile owning any luxuries?
Also in Luke, it says that you should give to any man that asks and if some steals from you should not ask for the stuff back. Do you follow this teaching? Why or why not? If you do not, how do you reconcile this with Luke?
Follow the preachers examples. Falwell,Robertson, etc. Live in a compound ,play golf with presidents, and of course you need a mansion. God will provide. (luxuries)
Most Christians pick and choose what parts of the bible they like (and follow and preach) and what parts they don’t.
Sometimes this is fine, like most Christians on this board don’t think Noah put two of every animal on an ark, and so forth, yet it’s abused by others. Jerry Falwel is rich, and loves to quote relevant parts of the bible that (at least in some people’s eyes) condemn homosexuality, yet completely ignore the quote about a camel being more likely to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man entering heaven.
Basically, my point is…well, I have none, really. But basically you can’t expect every Christian to follow everything it says in the bible, in part because it’s infeasible, and in part because most don’t care.
Although I don’t take the Bible literally, I think that this teaching is a good one. It would be for the benefit of mankind if I were to follow it. I am a greedy person and I have been unable to reconcile owning luxuries.
I do give a money and other things away, but the more I give, the more seems to come back to me. At least I am not the compulsive shopper that I used to be. That has given me some relief.
If I could be eighteen and beginning again, I would choose a much more simple life.
So far I’ve been able to practice this except twice – when a student stole my textbook and when another student stole my pen. I needed both of these items to do my work that day. There are other items that I would also want back – my car, for example. That is basic to my life. But if they stole one of my coats, they could have it if they needed it.
Most of the time it isn’t appropriate to reward theft by allowing the person to keep the item. It’s better to practice noticing those who need help around us. But there are many things that I would pretend not to notice are missing.
I know people who seem to follow these precepts, who live very frugal lives and who gladly give to others. Of course none of them are Christian so I don’t know if that helps.
All of Jesus’ commandments are optional. Christianity these days has been reduced to “Be nice to nice people”. No sacrifice required, unless you want to.
These commands are in context of both Torah & Roman law- Christ is telling His followers to go the extra step than what either law commands. He does not command His followers to be easy pickings for any predator or parasite who happens their way.
Two and a Half Inches of Fun There is no such requirement to own one coat as I can see, do you have the chapter and verse?
Many of the teachings of Jesus are spiritual in nature not worldly. My understanding on teachings like that are:
If you are being attacked (physically or legally), let the attackers have what they want, and even more - those things are of the world and meaningless.
If someone is truly in need that God brings to your attention give to them to stabilize their life threatening condition.
If someone is in need, but not in immediate danger, instead of giving them a fish, it is far better to teach them to fish.
For luxury items, and related things, this could indicate idolatry, placing man made things over God and will interfere with God’s work through us.
It wasn’t Jesus who said the “two coats” thing; it was John the Baptist.
Jesus himself was confronted with a similar question to the OP in John 12 when he got a hot-oil foot massage from Mary Magdalene and Judas piped up with “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” to which Jesus replied “Shut up.”
Granted. The OP also asked about Matthew 5:38-42 as well.
Self described Christians have many favorite verses they like to trot out to justify ignoring the commandments of Jesus. Are there any commandments from Jesus which are not subject to such quibbling? Take the Sermon on the Mount; it is a laundry list of commandments and sacrifices Jesus charges his followers with. Are there any which are absolutely mandatory? Or is each discretionary, depending on the faith of the believer? Most of the explanations I have heard here pivot around a personal exegesis, with the believer subject only to his own interpretation of what Jesus meant and what is required of them. So no one can be held accountable for failing to live up to Jesus commandments, because they can all be interpreted differently by the faithful.
According to the King James Version Jesus replied, “Shut thy mouth afore I stompeth upon thy head like unto grapes.” JC used to get really pissed off when someone interrupted his weekly massage from Mary, especially if he hadn’t gotten to the happy ending.
I am soooo going to Hell.
The message being given by John wasn’t that you shouldn’t own things (although some religious orders took that literally), but that you shouldn’t be a greedy bastard. It’s OK to own more than one coat or a couple pairs of shoes or even a 103” plasma HD TV. But you should also share your wealth and success with those less fortunate than yourself. Give to charities, donate extra clothing, volunteer where and when you can. In other words, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There will always be poor, no matter what we say or do. Here is an interesting article about it.
Those verses can be cross referenced with Eph 6:12:
NIV
It is the real struggle to free the person from spiritual bondage that is the goal, not against the person. That person is someone who God loves and wants them to come home.
Most Christians are not at the point where they can understand some of what Jesus has said - I’d WAG that no human knows all of what the scriptures mean, God will reveal to them what they need to know through the Holy Spirit for the Father’s purpose and glory. We understand this and we know there will be teachings that we just don’t know enough to be able to use that teaching in real terms, we just don’t see how it can fit into our lives at this time. We trust God will make it known in it’s proper time.
So all the commandments that reference earthly items like tunics and cloaks and treasure are not real commandments, more like guidlines? What about selling all that you own? Can you free yourself from spiritual bondage yet retain your earthly treasure?
I believe Jesus meant what He said and intended people to follow His teachings. He did not establish a church, someone else did that later and the members were called Christians. Jesus said to “seek the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be added unto you.” His teachings were the spiritual principles necessary to seeking the Kingdom of God.
His teaching was to hold spiritual values higher than material values. That is the path to spiritual growth. You can go to church all your life, do all the rituals, perform all the ceremonies, believe all the doctrine, but if you don’t follow the teachings of Jesus you are wasting your time. You will never know the peace and joy compassion brings.
It is not necessary to be a Christian or even a theist to have compassion for your fellow man and help him as much as you can afford. For love and compassion is the path to living life the fullest, enjoying what you do, and have a purpose and meaning to your time here on earth.