“If Jews were required to sell all they had and give all the proceeds to the poor (Luke 18:22), why was Joseph rich (Matt. 27:57), and why did Zacchaeus only give half (Luke 19:8)?”

They weren’t required to sell all until Pentecost (Acts 2:44,45). That’s when Barnabas did it (4:32-37). One of the reasons he was singled out as having done so may be to let us know when they did it. — Pastor Ricky Kurth

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.