Hebrews 10

After eating Chinese for lunch today, my younger brother sat back and cracked open his fortune cookie. It said, "You will spend many years in comfort and material wealth." He and I laughed. But I think there are many people in the West who believe that following Christ will give them a life like that. Hebrews 10:32-39 seems to say something different.

The author of Hebrews calls for his original readers to remember back to when they were first saved. Evidently they endured much suffering, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction (vv 32-33). The suffering they endured was because of the faith that they professed. He also says they joyfully accepted the plundering of their property (vs 34a). Why would anyone joyfully accept their possessions being stolen? That sounds crazy.

Well look again at the second half of verse 34. "You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." They gladly gave up their material possessions because they had Jesus! In their minds, he was their greatest earthly possession. So when their things were taken from them they could laugh and say, 'You can take that stuff. I've got Jesus.' They valued Christ so much that they did not hold tightly to the things of this world.

Think about your most valuable material property. What would be your response if it was taken from you? You might be angry, or desperate to get it back, or scared at the thought of never seeing it again. And it makes sense that you would feel that way. After all, we value our things. But what about with Jesus? If everything was taken from you, would you be more desperate to get Jesus back than any of your other possessions? We should hold loosely to the things of this world, because we have Jesus—the greatest possession anyone can have.