LEAVING IT ALL FOR GOD

There have been several times in the Bible where a person or group was forced to leave their home and all or some of their possessions in order to travel to a strange place. In this context we might think of Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden of Eden due to their disobedience, Jacob fleeing from Esau, the Israelites during the Babylonian Exile, or the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. But even more instructive are those biblical examples and teachings regarding similar renunciations which were undergone on a more or less voluntary basis.

Abraham (Genesis 12)

In the New Testament, Abraham is held up as the paragon of faith who left all he knew and followed God's command. While that may be true to a great extent, we must also keep in mind that the Bible does not hesitate to point out his quite human failings as well in his somewhat later life.

As we read his story, it should raise some red flags immediately. The first question is why was his father Terah heading toward Canaan in the first place, and if that was his destination why did he stop at Haran? This is, by the way, where Abraham will later send his servant to find a wife for Isaac. This indicates that Abraham took some but not of all his relatives with him. Laban for example still lived in Haran. And there is a third question that arises if you look at a map of the region. Haran is not on the road from Ur to Canaan. The traditional site of Ur in Southern Mesopotamia is quite a bit in question and scholars now think it was in northern Mesopotamia instead, partially because that would place it on the trade route to Canaan.

The NIV translation of Genesis 12:1 reads, “God had spoken...” This would bring it in line with Genesis 15:7 and Nehemiah 9:7, which say that God brought Abraham out from Ur of the Chaldeans. We have to go to the NT to get some clarification. In Stephen's speech in Acts 7:2-4, he says: “The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living.”

So the new scenario that I hadn't appreciated before now is that God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Ur living with his father. And apparently he told his father about the vision, which is why Terah headed off to Canaan. But he stopped at Haran instead, and Abraham stayed with him until his father died. So what do we think about Abraham's actions? Was he disobeying God's word or just honoring his father by his actions? Have any of you experienced similar spiritual quandaries between honoring your parents and going where you feel God wants you to go? Donald Barnhouse said, “The world has many a halfway house on the road to God's will.”

Lot and His Family (Genesis 19)

One could argue that they really had no choice except to leave Sodom as it was about to be destroyed. That may be true, but it is obvious that Lot's wife was leaving her heart there, and thus she shared in the destruction. And concerning their daughters, it has been said that their subsequent actions in relation to their father demonstrated that they may not have been any longer in Sodom, but Sodom was still in them.

Israelite Slaves (Exodus-Deuteronomy)

There is also a salutary message here for all of us in this often-told story. The Israelites are subjected to increasingly harsh conditions by Pharaoh, being forced to engage in backbreaking labor and whipped if they do not obey. It is no wonder that they rejoice in joining Moses in a flight from Egypt to escape such servitude.

But it isn't long at all before they begin to grumble against Moses, and implicitly against God Himself, for the wilderness conditions they find themselves in. They are constantly on the move and must rely on the quite limited diet that God provides for them every day. It is not the amount of food they are complaining about, but the fact that they can no longer enjoy the sort of variety they had while in Egypt. In Numbers 11:5 they say, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” Of course, they fail to mention that this food did not at all come without a price, but was earned by the sweat of their brow. They also conveniently forget two key facts in their complaints: (1) they were more than happy to leave Egypt in the first place due to the harsh working conditions and (2) their exodus was not just away from one place but also, and more importantly, would lead them to a land designated by God for their own possession.
Unfortunately, most of us are similarly short-sighted and want to know what God has done for us lately.

Ruth and Naomi

I see the book of Ruth as a contrast between these two women. Naomi and her family leave Bethlehem as soon as things get a little difficult during a time of drought and head for a pagan land where they feel they will have greater material blessings. Instead, she loses her husband and both sons and reluctantly decides to head back to Bethlehem to see if things have picked up there since she left.

At this point she dissuades her two daughters-in-law from following her, thinking only of the better chance they may have getting new husbands from among their own people. But she totally leaves out of the equation the spiritual blessings they might have if they follow her.

One of the women does remain where she is out, but Ruth decides to be loyal to Naomi. To make a long story short, Ruth ends up marrying a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem and, much more importantly, founds a family that will ultimately result in the birth of Jesus Himself.

So whereas Naomi and her husband decided to trade in a somewhat difficult life among God's chosen people for the hope of something better, Ruth left her own prospects among her own people to follow a totally unknown future in a strange land with an elderly mother-in-law to care for. But she was blessed in every way for doing so, especially in the fact that she became the ancestress of Jesus Himself.

Elisha (I Kings 19:19-21)

Elisha is plowing in the field when Elijah calls him to follow him. But first, Elisha asks to be able to say goodby to his parents, a request to which Elijah agrees. In addition, Elisha takes the time to slaughter his yoke of oxen, boil them, and feed the people. He is thus burning his bridges behind him, but that action will eventually lead him to take Elijah's place as God's spokesman.

There is one confusing comment by Elijah in these verses that needs clarification. At the end of v. 20, Elijah says to Elisha, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” Stinespring explains that this phrase should be understood to mean: “Go, and return to me, for I have done something very important to you [i.e. in putting my mantle over you].”

Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)

Here we have a poetic description of the ultimate example of someone who literally had everything in the universe to lose including equality with God the Father. However, He voluntarily gave it all up our behalf when he agreed to be born as a mere human being into a poor family in a backwater village of a small country. Not only that, but he realized when he lowered himself that his fate on earth was to be abandoned by almost all his friends and tortured on a cross until dead.

The Apostles' Call

Matthew gives us a concise description in 4:18-22 of the call of the fishermen Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. They all “immediately” left their nets behind to follow Jesus, and in addition the last pair of brothers left their father as well.

Levi/Matthew the tax-collector left his booth, his source of livelihood, immediately upon Jesus' call. (Matthew 9:9)

Christ's Teachings to Others and Their Responses

Matthew 8:18-22 // Luke 9:57-62

These parallel passages begin using practically the same language with a would-be follower asking Jesus if he can wait until he buries his father before leaving with Jesus. Jesus rather harshly replies: “Let the dead bury the dead.” Commentators have speculated that either (a) the seeker was saying that he needed to wait until his father died or (b) this referred to the custom of collecting the bones of a dead person after one year and reburying them in an ossuary. If it is the first case, then the person was begging for perhaps years more before he would be ready to make such a drastic move. If it is the second case, then there was absolutely no urgency involved at all and the man was simply making a flimsy excuse.

Luke appends the story of another man who wants to first say goodbye to his parents, and adds Jesus' words – “No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.”

Pao and Schnabel: “In these verses many commentators have...detected the presence of Elijah traditions...Verse 59 echoes the story of I Kings 19:19-21, where Elijah allowed Elisha, who was plowing at the time, to bid farewell to this family before following him.The significance of this passage is further supported by the wording in 9:61-62, where the phrase akoloutheso soi ('I will follow you')...appears with arotron' ('plow' [9:62; cf. erotria, 'he was plowing,' in 1 Kings 19:19]). The contrast between Jesus and Elijah not only highlights the unique authority of Jesus but also points to the eschatological urgency in Jesus' ministry.”

Matthew 19:16-22 relates the familiar story of the rich young man who came to Jesus seeking eternal life. Although the man was obviously well acquainted with the Law and obeyed it scrupulously, Jesus asks him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor and follow him. At that, the man “went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.”

Luke 14:15-24

Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who decides to give a feast and invites all his friends to attend. However, they each give lame excuses as to why they will be too busy to come. So he has his servants go out on the streets and bring in the poor and handicapped instead. As you can see, this is not really a case of people being unwilling to give up everything to enjoy the heavenly feast. Instead, they were not even willing to give up anything at all. In its context, this parable probably does not really address individuals' unwillingness as much as it applies to the nation of Israel as a whole. And correspondingly, those who were next invited to the feast represent the Gentiles. A more specific lesson to individuals follows.

Luke 14:25-33

This is a similarly difficult teaching addressed to the general crowd. Jesus begins by stating that those wishing to be his disciples must “hate” their immediate family members and then concludes by telling them that they must renounce everything they have. Most commentators will point out that this is a Hebraic idiomatic way of saying they must love Him more than they do their family.

Paul (Philippians 3:4-8)

Paul begins by giving the Philippians his work resume, which includes his previously prestigious position in Israel as a Judaean Pharisee blameless under the law and well known as a persecutor of the heretical sect of Christians. He follows it by saying, “But whatever gain I had, I count as loss for the sake of Christ...For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ...” This RSV version is a rather polite rendering of the original Greek since the word translated as “refuse” can have an even harsher meaning. Vine explains that “skubalon denotes refuse, whether (a) excrement, that which is cast out of the body, or (b) the leavings of a feast, that which is thrown away from the table.”

Prophecies
There are several places in the Gospels where Jesus warns His followers of what will happen in the future:

Matthew 10:34-39

Here Jesus warns that his followers will probably not enjoy peace on this earth but will experience rejection from their own family. Nevertheless, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Tilden says, “Jesus sees that the acceptance of his message with its promise also brings seeming destruction (v. 34). Only those who in faith accept the threat of destruction will find life (v. 39; 5:11-12; 16:24; Mk. 8:34-35; 10:29-31; Lk. 9:24-25; 14:27; 17:33; Jn. 12:25).

Matthew 24:15-18; Luke 17:32-33

Here we have another teaching, this time given to Jesus' disciples, about leaving it all to follow Him. However, this time the Day of the Lord is the time frame being referred to. When that occurs, they are to (a) not go down to gather their belongings if they happen to be on their rooftop and (b) if they are not in the field (plowing?) they should not turn back. As a final warning, he says, “Remember Lot's wife.”

Conclusion

At one point the apostles begin to wonder if it was such a good idea after all to throw in their lot with Jesus. His reply to them serves as a good reminder to all of us:

“”Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29 // Mark 10:29)