Spirituality Or Materialism

Spirituality or Materialism

John 6:25-34

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 “aOur fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

What is the most crucial to you, materialism or spirituality? The problem is that food is a part of materialism; without it, one’s body dies. Yeshua is saying that without spirituality, one’s soul dies. In this narrative, Yeshua emphasizes spirituality. He adds the caveat that being concerned about spiritual food and growth is essential and that this concern will lead to physical food. That is a difficult concept to accept in today’s world. Can a person give up earning an income and just study the Bible? The answer is yes if someone else supports the person or the person is retired with a nice pension. Another view would be that Yeshua is saying there is a balance between the spiritual and material. Food is essential, but so is spiritualism.

Let’s talk about your personal budget. If you list your monthly expenses, what would be the first one. For many who have mortgages, that becomes number one on the list. Being homeless is not a good thing. If you continue making a list, where does spirituality land? Or does it land on the list at all? I have known people who spend money on their spirituality with the crumbs of the money that might be left at the end of the month. In this case, the expenses of spirituality are not a budgeted item but rather a leftover.

There is a Midrash that fits the budgeting idea. I am sure you remember the story of Cain and Able. Able went into his sheep flock, selected the absolutely flawless animal, and sacrificed it to the LORD in thanksgiving. Cain had lunch, and when he was done, he collected the leftovers into a sack and brought it to the altar of the LORD. Cain offered his leftovers. The LORD gladly accepted Able’s sacrifice. Cain’s leftovers were not accepted by the LORD. When Cain realized that he should have offered his best, he became angry with Able. You know the rest of the story.

In Able’s budget, the first line was for the LORD, while Cain’s budget was whatever was left when he was done. You can say that Cain’s sacrifice of leftovers was an afterthought. Cain might have thought, “oh yeah, I should give something to the LORD in thanksgiving?” What kind of gift to the LORD is it when you give the leftovers.

Giving to the LORD entails all kinds of things. Materials, Bible study, and currency giving are just a few. You have to decide what you want to give to your spiritual development. Jesus said that it is essential to build up your spirituality. He called it “treasures in Heaven.” A purpose of our existence is to learn all we can about the LORD. Learning about the LORD is called spiritualism. There are numerous ways to learn about the LORD. If you are unsure what these methods are, simply ask the leader of your spiritual community. In Christian communities, this person is the pastor. The pastor will be able to supply you with many opportunities.

Now let’s turn to the faith community, the church. Church budgets are generally developed by taking the current budget and adding a percentage to each line item. The challenge for churches is to create a mission budget. Each line item must show how it supports the mission of making and educating disciples for Jesus Christ. The line items are presented in the order of importance. Once it is developed, it should be taken to the congregation for them to decide whether they will support the mission plan for their church. If they do not support it, then have a congregational conversation about what items should be reduced or eliminated from the mission budget. Perhaps they might add some additional items. Anything is possible.