Years ago, I was for gun control, to pass laws to reduce the number of guns and how powerful guns were on the street. While I do still believe reducing the number and strength of guns will reduce gun violence, I no longer think gun control is the answer, because talking about gun control leads to more gun purchases. The problem is too many hearts are self-centered for themselves or for their groups. That it is an us vs them. That “them” are against “us” and that we need to protect ourselves. It is safety through violence or threatened violence against our enemies; both real and perceived.
The heart issue is also the primary issue with the wealth divide. Since the 1970s in the US, the wealth divide has grown to the highest in US history. The idea that wealth is individualistic and there is little to no obligation to those less fortunate. We have seen corporate profit skyrocket while the workers see little growth in their income. The heart issue is that wealth should benefit the individual and not the greater good. That those without only have themselves to blame and should not receive help from the successful.
The problem is too many hearts are self-centered for themselves or for their groups. Jesus teaches that our lives are no more important than those of our enemies and that we do not need to be concerned with our possessions. Below is Jesus from the sermon on the plain.
Luke 6:27-36 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Jesus calls his disciples to the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew). Following Jesus causes a change in heart in which Christians are willing to sacrifice their possessions and even their own lives to His mission. In Matthew 16, after Peter calls Jesus the Messiah, then Jesus tells them that He must suffer and die. Peter objects after which Jesus tells Peter that he has in mind the things of man and not those things of God. Jesus then explains that the things of God; being His disciple requires someone to deny themselves. It requires a change of heart from the things of man to the things of God.
Matthew 16:24-25 – Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Wealth is the number one issue Jesus talks about in the gospels.
From the story of the rich young ruler – Mark 10:25 – It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
From the parable of the shrewd manager – Luke 16:13 – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
From the sermon on the mount -Matthew 6:19 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
The rich man and Lazareth (Luke 16:19-31) and the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) are both stories of people condemned for storing up their own wealth while ignoring the needs of those around them. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians tells them not to steal but to work so that they might have some to share with those in need.
Ephesians 4:28 – Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Citizens in the Kingdom of God are required to serve others needs first and to be especially concerned with the needs of the “least of these”.
Mark 9:35 – Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Matthew 25:40 – “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
As Christians we are not only required to live in the spirit of the Kingdom of God, Christians are also required to try to spread the message; to convert others to the self-sacrificing lifestyle in the Kingdom of God. I often feel hopeless that things will significantly change in this world. That the rich and powerful will seek their own wealth and security at the sake of the poor and vulnerable. I see the increase in the wealth gap, the increase of gun sales, and weapons to do more and more damage. However, a look at history shows that we live in a relatively peaceful world, violence is much lower than centuries ago. While the US wealth gap has been growing over the last 40 years, there are more safety nets than a century ago, and the international wealth gap has actually been decreasing.
God’s timeline is much different than ours and we never see the path nor understand how much difference we make. No law or policy can change a heart. Let us live in the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God and work to convert others to believe in the love and self-sacrifice of Jesus. As we change hearts, we will change the world – it is the only way.
