Rhythm#3 Sharing

One of the more radical passages of scripture is Leviticus 25. Leviticus 25 is a part of the Mosaic Covenant where God is instructing the people of Israel about what life should be like in the Promised Land. It describes how when they enter the land God will be their provider for them and because of this they should make sure to practice Sabbath rest.  Most of us know the practice of weekly Sabbath, where we rest one day a week from work.  But Leviticus 25 also included rest for the land every seventh year, and every fiftieth year was to be a celebration of Sabbath life called the Year of Jubilee. 

The Year of Jubilee was a radical call to a life of sharing in their community. When the Israelites entered into their new land they were each given a portion of land for their family to farm and sustain themselves.  Over time there would inevitably people who lost their land or become indebted to others because of a failure of the land to produce enough resources for their family.  Leviticus 25 is this incredibly radical call for God’s people to revert back to status quo every 50 years.  Now this may seem like an incredibly gracious gift to those whose families were on the downside of those 50 years.  But for those who found themselves owners of multiple land portions this would have been a difficult command to follow for sure.  In fact there is no evidence that the year of Jubilee was actually celebrated.

Now the point of this is not to suggest that we all sell our possessions and join a commune. (Although there are a number of groups who have found that to be a faithful expression of the Christian faith.)  The point is that following the rhythms of Jesus requires that we reevaluate the ways that we view our property. 

Following Jesus means that we must begin to reevaluate how we view our stuff as ours and ours alone.

Following Jesus means that we have to live like it is always the Year of Jubilee and we are responsible to find ways to make sure our neighbors are not going without if we can make sure they could have enough.

In the book of Acts we see the new Jesus community embodying this in their new life together. It describes how…

“all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

What are some ways that you have seen radical sharing in the church?