In Matthew 19, a young man approaches Jesus and asks what he must do to have eternal life (see also Mark 10 and Luke 18). Jesus responds with a list of some of Moses’ commandments from Exodus and Deuteronomy. But the young man persists and tells Jesus he has done all that, and then asks what else he must do. Jesus responds with this:
21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (NRSV)
Understandably, in my mind, the man walks away “grieving” according to the NRSV, “for he had many possessions.” Jesus did not say he had to sell everything. Jesus did not even say he had to sell everything in order to “have eternal life.” [...]