March 2, 2021

Sharing form the Congregation: David Petty

They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. —Mark 12:16

A writer whose name I don’t remember has given the following illustration. A traveler arrived in a very distant land, carrying a large amount of money. Unfortunately, it was all in the currency of his native country, and he had difficulty being able to exchange it. So he found himself in a real dilemma. Unless he could find a way to exchange what he had for the local currency, he would be unable to buy food or any other necessity.

Jesus famously said that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (fortunately, he added that with God all things are possible.) Keep in mind that by “the kingdom of heaven” he may have been referring to God’s kingdom on earth. I don’t know that he meant that riches themselves are bad, just that they won’t be worth anything in the kingdom — unless we can figure out a way to make them useful there.

And it isn’t only riches that may not be portable. Some of our attitudes may not have much currency in the kingdom either. Our notions of retribution against those who have done us wrong probably won’t have much purchase. Our successes, and even our good works, won’t give us power.

You can come up with other examples, depending upon your personal baggage.

We are promised, though, that we will have abundance when we get to our destination (for example, Matthew 6:25-33.) The bad news, I suppose, is that the exchange may not be available in the reverse direction either. Once we have acquired “kingdom things,” we probably won’t be able, as per the prosperity gospel, to trade them for success here and now.

Gracefully submitted,
David Petty