Sell Whatsoever Thou Hast: Is There a Return on the Investment?
Only two chapters and a couple of days earlier in Mark 10, the rich young man asked Jesus what else he still lacked in order to give his all, and Jesus, with love, told him what he could do, “Sell whatsoever thou hast.” It was said in great love, not as a test or to make the young man miserable, Jesus loved him so much that he was offering the rich young man a gift that far exceeded his wildest imagination, the opportunity to obey the First commandment which in turn unlocks the keys of eternal life and receiving all the Father hath.
D&C 11:7 Seek not for ariches but for bwisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made crich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
D&C 11:7 Seek not for ariches but for bwisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made crich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
Most of us, who read this story, may think that if we had Jesus directly tell us to sell whatsoever we had and give to the poor, that it would be easy but deep down we may say, “whew, I am sure glad that I am not in the place of the young rich man, so I really don’t have to find out if I would or wouldn’t.” But note that Jesus said to the rich young man, “And come follow me.” Are those familiar words? Did he direct those words only to the young man or has he used those words universally, for all of us?
When we put ourselves in the place of the rich young man, we may wonder, like the young rich man, can I really do it, can I make that leap and give all that I have and follow him? Is it really worth it? Will I not look back and regret leaving all that I had for a life of austerity, of denial, of sacrifice, of discomfort and suffering?
Luke 15 28 And he (the elder brother of the Prodigal son) was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.
29 And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found
Once again the ubiquitous word “all”. The widow who cast in her two mites, the elder brother of the prodigal son, the young rich man, the fishermen and all of us can ask the same question, “Why should I give my all to the Lord God, is it really worth it, will the return on my investment be enough to compensate for the sacrifice?”
In the case of the widow, I believe that Jesus was waiting for her at the treasury. I believe that He knew she would come. I believe that the widow was inspired to come to the treasury at that very moment. Her reward? To be received by the Savior himself. He did not just observe her from afar, he greeted her, embraced her and blessed her. To the widow He probably said, “Woman, thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine.”
Jesus has said in Luke 6
32 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.
34 Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he not provide for you, if ye are not of little faith?
35 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
36 Why is it that ye murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey thy word because ye have not all these things, and seek to excuse yourselves, saying that, After all these things do the Gentiles seek.
38 Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”
There it is again, “all” these things. What things? All these things not only refers to food, raiment and necessities of life, it refers to everything that the Father hath. By seeking not the things of the world, but seeking to build up the kingdom of God and to establish his righteousness, all these things will be added unto us. How do we build up the kingdom of God? Jesus answers by saying, “Wherefore take no thought for these things, but keep my commandments wherewith I have commanded you” What are the commandments?
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart…….
And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
The savior has made it relatively simple for us. He had given us two commandments, the keeping of which brings all blessings that are possible to be bestowed upon us.
By the way, how do we build up the kingdom of God? And what exactly does it mean to establish his righteousness? Jesus has said in Luke 17
20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
So, if we are to build up the kingdom of God and to establish his righteousness, we have to build it within. Do you see a connection of building the kingdom of God with the first great commandment? Everything he is asking us to do is within. It deals with the heart, the mind, the inner strength, the soul, all internal and interior qualities. As we obey the first commandment, we worry less about the material things of this world and give our all to the Lord our God, we are building the kingdom of God within us. Then, when we obey the second great commandment by loving our fellow man, we are establishing His righteousness.
Jesus also has said,
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments (the first and second great commandments), and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, (not Iscariot,) Lord, how is it thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
Why is it so desirable to have the Father and the Son to make their abode with us? Once they literally dwell within us, we have access to their power and nothing is impossible unto us.
How will they make their abode with him? Will they build a house next door to him? We are the abode! And what must be there before they can make their abode? The kingdom of God! God is a king and his abode must be a kingdom, the kingdom that is within us. A kingdom not built with hands but a kingdom built upon love and the giving of our all. For without giving our all, there is not enough room to build a kingdom. If we don’t give our all, then our inner vessel is still cluttered with the things of the world, our excuses, our rationalizations, our justifications, our laziness, our addictions, our comfort zones, our attachment to the world. Christ admonished his followers that they are left without excuse when he said,
“Why is it that ye murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey thy word because ye have not all these things, and seek to excuse yourselves, saying that, After all these things do the Gentiles seek.”
He seems to be saying that the disciples excused themselves because the Gentiles were successful in obtaining all these things, enjoying the good life, having abundant material things, without having to sacrifice their all. But we, like the disciples, in our attachment to the world seem to forget that he has promised us that everything will be ours, far beyond our wildest imagination. And it is available now, not in some future life after we have been buried!
John 14 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
D&C 76:55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—
59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
60 And they shall overcome all things.
61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.
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