Question: Dear Mr. McLemore, Does Jesus demand that we leave everything and sell all our possessions in order to follow him?

Answer: In Luke 18:22 (and parallels), Jesus calls upon a rich man to sell his possessions and give to the poor. In Mark 10:28; Luke 5:28; 18:28, we are told that the apostles, and particularly Levi (Matthew), left everything in order to follow Jesus. As has been noted often, the particular rich man could not follow the Master because he had not mastered his money, but his money was his master. In Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13, Jesus teaches that no one can serve two masters. He said that it is impossible to serve both God and mammon (wealth). The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Disciples are often said to have had something to give others when they needed it. Perhaps the fundamental object of Jesus’ teaching is reflected in Acts 4:32: "...no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own..." One should never be so attached to what one has that one is not ready to consider it the possession of anyone who needed it.