Since Jesus didn’t have a place to lay his head and 1 Timothy 6:6-11 says that we should be content with “food and clothing,” should someone consider taking a vow of poverty and deliberately setting an example by restricting their possessions?
It’s possible that God might specifically call someone to serve him through a contemporary “vow of poverty.” However, Jesus didn’t tell everyone to sell everything and follow Him. He had lots of close friends who retained their homes and possessions.
Before taking a “vow of poverty,” a person should be wary of his motivation. If he doesn’t have a genuine calling to live in poverty, he might be expressing a subtle (but particularly deadly) kind of spiritual pride, demonstrating (to himself) that he really is more righteous than most people. If a person takes a vow of poverty because a simple lifestyle may be a means to focus more effectively on spiritual things, he won’t be doing it to “set an example.”
It could also be a cop-out. If a person undertakes a vow of poverty, he needs to consider: Am I doing so for the kingdom of God, or is my renunciation of possessions like the unworthy servant’s burial of his talent, a matter of careless stewardship? (Matthew 25:25).
After all, in itself there is no spiritual value in poverty. A poor person can live just as pointlessly and selfishly as a rich person. Scripture draws no direct connection between either wealth or poverty and virtue. Whether we are rich or poor, our virtue depends on the way we respond to our circumstances.
Jesus said to His religious critics:
But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” But wisdom is justified by her children (Matthew 11:16-19 NKJV).
Both John the Baptist and Jesus were called to specific ministries. John’s was one of self-denial and asceticism, calling Israel to repentance (Matthew 3:1-3). Jesus’ calling was one of celebrating the actualization of God’s kingdom (John 12:1-8). The self-righteous religious leaders of Israel rejected both Jesus and John.
If we are living in accord with 1 Timothy 6:6-11, we will, unlike the critics of Jesus and John, see that godliness is found neither in ascetic self-denial nor festive celebration, but in the spirit in which they are undertaken.
The examples of Jesus, John the Baptist, and other prophets and apostles of Scripture make it clear that single-mindedness of purpose is much more important than any legalistic attempt to define how few or how many possessions a person should have.
