di-a-ko-nom-ics: /noun/
1. The science that deals with the costs and benefits of following Jesus.
[Origin: Shannon just read part of Freakonomics, and spun off that idea.]
Matthew 13:44-46
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The way Jesus puts it, only a fool would skip the opportunity to surrender everything he has to for the sake of Jesus. The two men in Jesus' stories are not painted as an extremist wackos, but as savvy entrepreneurs.
Sound diakonomics calls for imbalance. The one who gains the world and loses the treasure that is life with Jesus, profits nothing. Conversely, the one who loses everything, yet gains life with Christ, profits beyond imagination.
Therefore the gaining or losing of cash, cable, cars, comfort, house, health, dreams, desires, respect, reputation, admiration, titles, brother, sister, father, mother, or even children cannot be gauge of diakonomics. They cannot be the gauge for the life well-lived.
In diakonomics, it's not about you. It's all about life together with other disciples in service to our King. The gaining and losing are irrelevant.
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2 comments:
Interesting idea/concept. Kind of a cool spin on the cost of discipleship.
I will say this though. I don't know that the gaining and losing are irrelevant. I think the point of the parables is that the man found something that was priceless but could be acquired by giving up everything he had. In other words, he gave up all he had to be replaced by something better. And what that better thing is may be summed up with the "Reign/Kingdom of God" which entails the "life together with other disciples in the service to our King."
I think what he is saying is that you can gain and you can lose elements of financial "succcess" and it does not reveal one iota about whether you are completely surrendered to Christ. There are two obvioulsy wrong sides on this debate, that poverty is the only way to righteousness and that righteousness always leads to prosperity. I think that is what is implied in saying "gaining and losing are irrelevant."
I could be wrong in that being what Shannong was implying, but it is how I think about the situation.
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