Wasn’t Jesus the one who told the
parable of the pearl of great price?
What Jesus meant by this parable
is evident by the way he and his disciples lived their lives – THEY GAVE UP
EVERYTHING:
Matthew 6:19-21, 25-34; 7:21;
13:44-46; 19:21-30
Mark 8:36-37; 10: 13-25, 28 - 30
Luke 6:24-25; 9:23-24, 59 – 62;
12:22-34; 14:33; 18:28
Who wants to be poor like Jesus?
Apparently the WT study conductor
is realizing that this is not sensible.
Christianity, like every other
religion, is only popular to the point where it gives something to the
adherents. When it asks something that seems unreasonable, then common survival
sense kicks in. If Christians were to embrace the full message of Jesus they would
have no money or a career, they would be sworn to poverty.
This message has not, for the
most part, been overwhelmingly popular among people who call themselves Jesus’
followers. Christian denominations have instead opted to pick and choose from
among the surviving words of Jesus, selecting the elements of his message that
they find to be personally palatable.
The majority of believers are following
the party line of their particular church and if it doesn’t suit them, they
change churches. Each church leader has to not only attract new customers but
also hang on to the ones s/he already has – tread cautiously less they walk
away seems to be the policy.
There are no real Christians except
for nuns, monks (and the Shakers), when it comes to these radical sayings of
Jesus. No wonder people like Joel Osteen have become so popular:
