Paul presents arguments traditional in Judaism, rooted in the equally traditional understanding of poverty—first and foremost as a spiritual condition rather than a material situation. At first glance, it may seem that he is speaking of exchanging material goods for...
Paul presents arguments traditional in Judaism, rooted in the equally traditional understanding of poverty—first and foremost as a spiritual condition rather than a material situation. At first glance, it may seem that he is speaking of exchanging material goods for certain spiritual ones, even for salvation. The Savior Himself sometimes said things that appeared similar at first glance, as when He proposed that the rich young man who came to Him should distribute his earthly wealth and receive another, heavenly treasure in return. But in reality it is not so simple. This is not a straightforward exchange of one kind of wealth for another; it is rather a refusal to acknowledge as one's own what belongs to one. Nor is the issue merely the relative nature of property rights as such—something that has no place when speaking of the Kingdom. It is about a person's attitude toward what they consider their own.
What do we put into the concept of “our own”? Do we use it for something that belongs to us by right, something deserved, earned, and lawfully acquired? Or are we speaking of something given to us for our use, perhaps even for life, but only for our use? With regard to property, we all understand perfectly well—if, of course, we take the trouble to think about it even briefly—that it has been given to us for our use, if only because we will not take it with us when we leave this world. With things such as knowledge, talents, or abilities, the situation is often less obvious, at least at first glance, because much or all of what has been listed seems to belong to us inseparably. With regard to knowledge, for example, many are convinced that they achieved everything themselves.
But a person who has become poor in the spiritual sense understands that this does not belong to them either—at least not until they have become their true self, and one can become one's true self only in God's presence, which certainly does not depend on the person at all. A person truly possesses only themselves; everything else is given to them only for a time and can never replace what matters most, what God alone can give. In such a situation, owning or possessing anything is no more than an illusion. When a person parts with this illusion, they cease to regard their riches—whatever those riches may consist of—as their own. They have been given to the person for use and can easily be passed on to others if that is better for everyone. Shared. Donated. In short, relinquished in one way or another: given away completely when material goods are concerned, or made the possession of others to the same degree as one's own when knowledge, talents, or abilities are concerned.
And every church community, insofar as it lives as people are meant to live in the Church with a capital C, must likewise be ready to share everything it has with those in need. Not because one “must” or because it is “required,” but because otherwise God's breath, the breath of the Kingdom, will not be able to breathe freely in that community—just as it cannot breathe freely in the heart of a person who is not ready to share. This is what Paul is reminding the recipients of his letter.
