In the world, not of it

In the world, not of it.

Let us look at two men and see what happens when a new approach is offered to them.

Here is a young man inquiring about heaven. He is wedded to the wealth he has accumulated but, by asking Jesus about heaven, he invites a different perspective.

The world admires him for his wealth and, as a result, it rewards him with status. However, Jesus says, “No, do not be beguiled by your wealth; instead give it away because it is clouding your vision.” Sadly the young man goes away disappointed because is it is not what he wanted to hear.

Contrast him with Zacchaeus who, when called to do so, abandoned his elevated position and his wealth in order to entertain Jesus. As a result he begins his journey towards the kingdom of God and the life to come.

In the world’s view status, power and wealth are what work for mankind. They do so because they do indeed have their own rewards in the here and now. However they all too frequently prevent those who cling to them from forming a view of what lies beyond the immediate.

It is when we introduce love that a new perspective is capable of emerging and it is one which offers a completely different outlook. It is a dynamic and radical alternative because it allows us a freedom which infiltrates all aspects of our lives. Why is that and how does it come about?

Let us look first at what wealth demands from those who inherit or set out to accumulate it.

Wealth requires that we attend to its needs. We must monitor its size to see if it is growing or declining. We are required to examine the strength of its performance and to change its location if appropriate. Another task is to keep track of the performance of our portfolio compared with those of others whom we regard as our peers or betters. In other words wealth demands that we spend time with it and worry over all aspects of its well-being.

Wealth also brings responsibilities and the larger the sums we accumulate, the greater the burden we carry. Not least, wealth insists on our attention to it while at the same time making us the focus of the attention of others. We become the subject of scrutiny by those who view us as perspective customers for their services or products, as well as those who see us as potential allies or investors in their enterprises or activities. We also become the target of those who see us as competitors in the race for status.

We appear on lists, both public and private, which determine whether we are worthy of an invitation to this or that event. We are also assessed to see whether we should be offered greater status, a higher position perhaps, because our wealth justifies it.

Here we have arrived at the nub of the matter. We are listed, courted and feted, not for who we are, but for what we have acquired. Our wealth, in reality, comes to own us, not the other way round.

That reality dictates where we live, where we holiday, with whom we spend our time and what activities we engage in. We become the servants of the status imposed on us in the eyes of others. We can enjoy the power and privilege that status provides but how carefully do we consider the price exacted by it which is, emphatically, not quantifiable in monetary terms.

I am reminded of the experience of a friend who encountered a very wealthy and successful businessman who was approaching the last week of his life. In the quiet of the early hours one morning he confided to my friend, who sat beside his bed to listen, that he had wasted his life. That was because he had done nothing to prepare for death and now he thought it too late.

This was his soul’s response to a life lived not only in this world but also totally of this world. His wealth, his power as chairman of several companies and his status, exemplified by a knighthood, these were the controlling influences in his life. Fortunately for that man, he was in the company of someone who was able to bring him face to face with a different eternal reality. In a very real sense God sent him an angel.

“Be in the world not of the world” was the advice given by Jesus - but how exactly do we do that?

By surrendering what we are and have, to the blazing light of love because, in the process, we discover our true destiny. Where power sees wealth as a ladder to status, love sees it as opening the door to generosity of heart and a spirit of compassion. Where status seeks the highest rung on wealth’s ladder, love seeks to find where it can be of service. Love transforms our perceived right to wealth into a vision of the trust that wealth places upon us.

If we let it, love will teach us to surrender to the desire for wealth and to let what we have speak through us of the generosity and compassion that God requires us to show to the world of which we are a part.