Sell What You Have

In this brief article, Prof. Bruce explains what Jesus meant when he told the rich man to “sell what you have…” He urges us to have the right priorities, to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness above all else (Matthew 6:33).

Summary: the context of Jewish laws and the man who asked the question — what it does not mean — not all Jesus’ followers asked to do this — but a regular feature in Jesus’ teaching — Luke 12:33-34 – Matthew 6:19-21 — intended for Jesus’s followers in general — the difficulty with earthly riches — a law of life.

---

Frederick Fyvie Bruce (1910 – 1990) was Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester. He was born in Elgin, northern Scotland, and was educated at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Vienna. He wrote over thirty books and served as editor of The Evangelical Quarterly. He retired from teaching in 1978.

Bruce was a distinguished scholar, best known for his book, Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free. He also wrote commentaries on the Gospel of John, Acts, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and the Epistle to the Hebrews.

---

This article first appeared in Hard Sayings of Jesus. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983). It is reproduced here, lightly edited (with summary) exclusively for the Krapf Project by permission of F.F. Bruce, Copyright International, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and Bath, England.