money

Defining the Man

“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” Luke 12:15

Quite a few years ago we took my parents on a ferry trip to Fremantle from Perth. Someone was giving a kind of commentary which almost exclusively focused on who owned which mansion and how much it cost. That person was defining people by what they possessed. It is a sad thing when a person believes that their employment or their possessions define who they are.

In this parable of a wealthy but foolish man Jesus does not criticise the fact that he was rich but that his motivation in life was to possess “treasure for himself” (v 21). In pride he then spent some of what he had on providing greater capacity to keep what he had for his own pleasure. One does not have to have great wealth to have this heart motivation.

There are three errors in this man’s thinking. First, he believes that his ability to create wealth and accumulate wealth defines him. Secondly, he won’t live to spend his wealth. The third and biggest mistake is in believing that he is the sole reason for his ability to create and retain wealth and that it is for him.

What did he have that was not given to him? Yes, he had to take advantage of his environment and his talents but these were given to him by God. No one chooses where or when they will be born or who their parents will be. No one chooses their genetic makeup that may or may not grant mental and physical capacities as well as other inheritable traits.

Jesus goes on to teach that we have no need to be anxious about our earthly needs because God will provide for us. He gives the birds and flowers as examples of His gracious provision. Since our earthly life is so brief Jesus urges us to have our minds set on things above and lay up heavenly treasure. What is His logic? “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v 32).

Whether it is one’s employment or accumulated wealth, or lack thereof, a person is not defined by these things. Some people have taken Jesus at His word, “sell what you have and give alms: provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.” (v 33).

A person is defined first by the fact that they are created in the image of God. Everything we think we possess is actually His and Jesus affirms that what He seeks are faithful stewards. The key error of the person in the parable is that he believed his wealth was his and for himself (v 15, 21).

Fit to Give

“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king” 1 Samuel 15:23

Saul became king of Israel because the people wanted a king like those of the surrounding nations. The Lord was Israel’s King but they rejected Him and sought one that fitted their desire (1 Samuel 8:7). Not surprisingly, the king of the people’s desire would be like them and also reject the Lord.

King Saul was given the task, under delegated authority from the Lord, to utterly destroy the Amalekites (15:3). This was not a difficult instruction to understand but Saul did what many of us do; he interpreted the instruction to suit his desire rather than take it literally. Consequently he expressed his own initiative by sparing Agag and keeping the best of the flocks and herds.

He may genuinely have believed that he had obeyed the Lord when he stated, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (v 13) when in fact he had not fully obeyed. His excuse is also one that is used to this day. He claimed it was to honour God with a better sacrifice (v 15). This was how he and we often justify disobedience. We think we can please God by offering something that we think is better than He has asked.

Saul did not understand his error and insisted that he had performed what the Lord had commanded, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites” (v 20). He did not obey. He brought back Agag. He had not followed the command of the Lord literally but interpreted it in a way that would give him the praise of men.

Can you see that sin subtly captivated his mind so that he really believed that he was obeying the Lord when in fact he was not? We live in a period of church history that must grieve the Holy Spirit greatly. People who claim to belong to Jesus Christ are not taking His word literally but interpreting it such that it gives man at least some of the glory due to the Lord.

Sacrifice of material things has its place but it is never a substitute for obeying the Lord’s will. If the Lord sends us to a task then we must perform it, not pay someone else to do it.  No amount of giving to the church or missions or any other enterprise related to the kingdom of God will substitute for obeying the Lord when sent by Him.

Because King Saul did not take the Lord at His word and perform it he lost the kingdom. If we make the same error we will lose fellowship with Jesus Christ and become ineffectual in His kingdom. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (v 22). The sacrifice that Lord desires is “a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17) and that we “present our bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Paul commended the Christians in Macedonia that they “first gave themselves to the lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5) and then they were fit to give material things.

My Next Meal

“Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all.” (Luke 21:3)

To the wealthy and religious leaders of the time this would have been a most unwelcome and repugnant statement.

The rich were the ones who put the most money into the treasury and sustained the religious system. The widow’s monetarily insignificant offering would make no difference to the treasury of the temple. It could have been lost in the dust on the ground for all the financial difference it would make.

Jesus is commenting not on the amount of money given but the kind and amount of faith behind the offering. Giving to the Lord in monetary terms has nothing to do with God needing money. What purpose would God have for gold since He is able to create it out of nothing?

The widow gave all that she had. We might rationalise that she ought to have kept it for her next meal and given when she was better able. However, she preferred to give it and trust God for her next meal.

The better off people who put in much more in monetary terms still had ample left over for many meals and had no need to trust God for the next meal.

Giving is an expression of faith in God. The expression of that faith may be by obedience to His command to provide for the ministry of His church, to missions or in compassion on one in need but first and foremost it is an expression of faith and therefore it is also worship.

Jesus says that giving should not be related to whether we will have enough for our next meal or not.

The fact is that Jesus does not want our money, He wants us. Our money without ourselves is like the rich who put in out of their abundance. When you first give yourself (2 Corinthians 8:5) you give in faith in Jesus Christ who first gave Himself to and for you. You know that you are no longer your own and that you and all you have is His for His disposal. This is the kind of faith for which the widow woman was commended. It isn’t wrong or ungodly to be well off materially unless it becomes the object of our faith in place of Jesus Christ. It has then become our god and idol.

It is God’s pleasure that we enact the dependence that in actuality we have in Him. The better off we are materially, the more difficult that becomes. The temptation is to trust in our own ability or wealth instead of the Lord’s faithfulness. It is quite clear that the widow woman’s trust was wholly in the Lord.