It is sometimes said that the Bible teaches that money is evil. That is not so. The Bible tells us it is the love of money that is the problem. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we should view money as our servant, something to be used for service.
In 2 Corinthian 8:7-9 we read: 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 Paul writes of an Appeal he was taking up in Asia to assist impoverished Christians in Judea. At first the Corinthians had responded well to the idea. But they seemed to have forgotten that they had pledged further contributions. They needed reminder.
Part of Paul’s strategy was to point to the generosity of the poorer churches in Macedonia in the north: ‘You don’t want to be outdone by the churches up-state, do you?’ he asks. Many churches in the western world today deserve to be embarrassed when we hear of the generosity of some churches in the emerging world.
GIVING
What Paul writes is a model fund-raising letter as he sets out why God’s people should give.
* Sacrificial giving. Macedonia was an exploited impoverished colony. God’s people there had suffered persecution, often losing jobs and property. Yet instead of using lack of resources as an excuse for reducing their contribution, the Macedonians had increased their giving (8:2-3a).
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
* Faith-driven giving. In 8:5 Paul tells us that the Macedonians were not just giving money to the church in Jerusalem, they were giving themselves to the Lord. Their genuine concern for others sprang from their own relationship with Jesus Christ. It was because their lives were centered on him that they were motivated to extravagance and cheerfulness in their giving.
* Incarnational Giving! 2 Corinthians 8:9 is sometimes described as the jewel in the crown of Paul’s appeal to give. He speaks of the existence of Christ before his birth – he was rich. From all eternity Christ had been enthroned in the splendor and glory of heaven. Paul speaks of the birth of Christ – he became poor. He took to himself something that in all eternity he had never known – poverty. We also see Christ’s generosity – so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Christ condescended to a monumental humiliation – his lowly birth in Bethlehem and his ignominious death at Calvary – so that he could enrich us. We give, says Paul, because God gave. Anyone who understands what Christ has done cannot help but be generous themselves.
You may want to consider:
1. the context of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians;
2. the example of the giving of the Macedonians;
3. the impact of verse 9 – we give because of Christ.
1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5 and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6 so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
GENEROUS GIVING
It is sometimes said that the Bible is against money, saying that it is evil. That is not so. The Bible tells us it is the love of money that is the problem. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we should view money as our servant, something to be used for service.
In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 Paul writes of a collection he was taking up in Asia to assist impoverished Christians in Judea. And Paul had talked with the churches in Greece, especially the Corinthians, about this. In chapter 8:10 he tells us the Corinthians had responded well to the idea of an appeal, being not just the first church to contribute, but also one that had pledged further contributions.
Chapters 8 and 9 form a model fund-raising letter, for Paul sets out why God’s people should give.
GENEROSITY
The Corinthians needed a reminder of the Appeal to which they had given at first. Now, in Paul’s mind, some competition wouldn’t go astray: ‘You don’t want to be outdone by the churches up-state, do you?’ he is asking. Many churches in the western world today deserve to be embarrassed when we hear of the generosity of some churches in the emerging world.
* Sacrificial giving. Macedonia was an exploited impoverished colony. God’s people there had suffered persecution, often losing jobs and property. Yet instead of using lack of resources as an excuse for reducing their contribution, the Macedonians had increased their giving (8:2-3a).
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
* Faith-driven giving. In 8:5 Paul tells us that the Macedonians were not just giving money to the church in Jerusalem, they were giving themselves to the Lord. Their genuine concern for others sprang from their own relationship with Jesus Christ. It was because their lives were centered on him that they were motivated to extravagance and cheerfulness in their giving.
* Incarnational Giving! 2 Corinthians 8:9 is sometimes said to be the jewel in the crown of Paul’s appeal to give. He speaks of the pre-existence of Christ before his birth – he was rich. From all eternity Christ had been enthroned in the splendor and glory of heaven. He speaks of the birth of Christ – he became poor. He took to himself something that in all eternity he had never known – poverty. We also see Christ’s generosity – so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Christ condescended to such monumental humiliation – his lowly birth in Bethlehem and his ignominious death at Calvary – so that he could enrich us. We give, says Paul, because God gave. Anyone who understands what Christ has done cannot help but be generous themselves.
You may want to consider:
the context of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians;
the example of the giving of the Macedonians;
the impact of verse 9 – we give because of Christmas!
9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. 10‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,* who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’*
MONEY: A RESOURCE FOR MINISTRY
Back in 1985, Neil Postman in his Amusing Ourselves to Death, wrote that the average American was exposed to one thousand TV advertisements a week. When you factor in cell phones and computers, how many more ads are we exposed to thirty years later! Money and what money can buy dominate our minds more than we realize.
Two thousand years ago Jesus knew how money tugs at the human heart. In fact, he spoke more about money than about anything else.
With the first words in Luke 16:9, there is a change of subject: ‘I tell you’ (literally, ‘To you I say’), make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth, so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
In 16:1-8, Luke records Jesus’ parable about a dishonest manager who faced an existential crisis in his life. Now, in 16:9-13 Jesus urges his listeners to consider how they should live in the light of the temporary nature of life. Specifically, how will they view and use their money and resources?
The words translated dishonest wealth capture the idea that it is possible to obtain money or hold on to it by unworthy means. Jesus may have in mind the way some fail to pay their taxes. He is not saying that money in itself is necessarily wrong or evil.
In Luke 12:33 we noted Jesus’ injunction that we need to acquire ‘treasure in heaven’. Here he is saying, ‘win friends now so that ‘they may welcome you into the eternal homes.’ While ‘they’ has been thought to be a reference to God or to the angels, it is more likely to refer to people who heard the gospel through the generous giving of God’s people.
‘It is absurd to make money and possessions your life’s goal,’ Jesus is saying. Support the ministry of God’s gospel in your church and beyond. Alongside this, show practical compassion to the poor.
There’s a story about two men laying bricks. Both were asked what they were doing. The first replied that he was building a wall. The second responded that he was constructing a magnificent cathedral. Jesus wants us to see life now in the context of eternity.
How do we do this?
Here are some practical ways we can apply Jesus’ principles:
Adopt a biblical pattern of percentage giving: 10% is the guide.
Support the ministry of your church as a first commitment. We may not always agree with all the policies of our church, but if the Bible is being taught and the gospel proclaimed we should have no hesitation. It is through the effective witness and ministry of Bible-based, gospel-centered local churches that people are normally built into God’s kingdom.
Invest in the training of ministers: the future of the church depends on it.
Support mission in the wider world and include Christian ministries that care for the poor.
22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MONEY MATTERS
Anxiety. People tell me it is all very well for Jesus to say that we should not worry about money and possessions. ‘What about our daily material needs – food, clothing, and a roof over our head?’ they ask. We need to consider the context of his words: he is making a commitment to his disciples, to those who follow him.
Think of the logic. Jesus tells us that to be preoccupied with the basics of human life, food and clothing, is to underestimate human worth. We are more than that the sum of our parts. There is a spiritual dimension to our existence. To be preoccupied and anxious about these things is to be blind to what makes our existence so special and precious.
Further, we need to consider the way God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers (12:24, 27). God does not work a special miracle each day to achieve this. Rather, he provides for them in ways that are consistent with the nature he has given to each. Birds have beaks to forage for food and a digestive system to benefit from it. For their part, flowers have a biological structure to harness the sunlight, the soil and the rain. ‘If God has taken so much trouble to provide for the needs of these transitory elements of creation, how much more trouble will he take with you?’ Jesus asks.
Furthermore, to worry about material things, is to overestimate human power: ‘You can’t add to your length of life’ (12:25). The irony is that worry about our lifespan can actually shorten it. Just as we can’t add to our years by worry, so we can’t guarantee success in all our financial affairs. There are too many variables.
GOD’S COMMITMENT
‘Be assured,’ Jesus says, ‘that God your Father knows your needs; he cares for you and promises to provide for you for as long as you need it (12:28-30).
It is tempting to say that this is empty talk – like an election promise. Jesus is assuring us that as God has provided an environment where the needs of the birds and the flowers are met, so too as our heavenly Father, he has provided environments where our needs can be met. He provides the soil for the seed, the sun and the rain for the growth, and the human skill to harvest and harness the food we need. Anxiety about material needs puts blinders on our eyes and ignores God’s goodness and grace.
Jesus is making a commitment here to provide for the practical needs of his people for as long as we need them. ‘Don’t be anxious about your material needs,’ Jesus says (12:29). He is speaking not about wants, but needs. ‘Centre your life on God,’ he says (12:30).
‘Do not be afraid,’ he continues, ‘for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’ (12:32). Nothing we have now can be compared with the riches God has in store for his people. God’s great joy – something that makes him happy – is to give us the riches of his kingdom. ‘You may think you are hard done by now,’ Jesus says, ‘but one day God will give you everything to enjoy’ (12:32).
THE CHALLENGE
Jesus is not saying material things are evil: God created all good things for us to enjoy. Nor does he go on to say that we all need literally to sell up everything we have (12:33). His disciples didn’t. Yes, there are some who will be asked to do this – as we see was required of one young man (Luke 18). Rather, he sets out a principle: we need to learn to sit lightly to the things of the world. And if a situation demands it, we should be prepared to sell. There is more to life than a successful share or property portfolio. We are to put spiritual values at the top of our priorities. Instead of hoarding money, amassing wealth, putting it into more investments or more real estate, we should consider ways we can use it in the service of God.
You may want to consider:
the three reasons Jesus gives for us not to be anxious about material things;
the commitment he makes to provide for our needs: can God be trusted?
the ask that he makes of each one of us – to put God’s kingdom first!
13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
MONEY MATTERS
Money and possessions can all too easily dominate our thinking. This was certainly true in the case of a man listening to Jesus: ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me’ (12:13). Jesus had been speaking about life and death matters, but this man was thinking about an injustice that was gnawing within him. Without missing a beat Jesus asked: “Man who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” (12:14). Knowing how possessions can grip the human heart, he applied shock treatment: ‘Who do you think has given me this authority?’
The man had not thought about this. If he did think Jesus was a prophet who could adjudicate his affairs, he was in fact, inviting God to judge his own life. “Watch out!” Jesus said. “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (12:15).
Jesus wanted this man, as he wants all of us, to see that there is much more to life than money and possessions. He wants to free us from the domination that material things all too often have over our thinking and life. To make his point, Jesus told a searching little parable (12:16-20).
THE RICH FOOL
Jesus, the master story teller, painted the scene of a wealthy land-owner. As the parable fills out we see that the man was totally self-absorbed with his successes. He didn’t give a moment’s thought to the source of that success (God’s kindness) or the fragility of life. He spoke of ‘my crops,’ ‘my grain,’ ‘my barns,’ ‘myself,’ ‘my life,’ and ‘my soul’ as if he was completely in control (12:17b-19). Jesus wants us to feel the arrogance of this man’s self-satisfaction.
The man could choose how he would invest or use his wealth, but he failed to understand that his life was ultimately not his own (12:20). This is something we all have to recognize, for we all will need to give account for our lives. Indeed, as many have observed, if there were no accounting there would be no justice!
The future tenses of the verbs in Jesus’ story reveal a heart of greed and self-confidence. In response to his own question, ‘What shall I do,’ the man says, “…I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years…Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’ (12:18-19).
The words of God’s verdict: “You fool”(12:20) are chilling! To be obsessed with things is stupid and myopic. None of us can speak with certainty about tomorrow let alone many years hence. Possessions are temporary and insecure and in any case, we can’t take them with us. ‘There are no pockets in a shroud’. Materialism doesn’t offer real security or lasting satisfaction. Jesus had turned the question of a self-centered man into a provocative moment in his life.
When J.D. Rockefeller died a journalist asked Rockefeller’s accountant: ‘How much did he leave?’ ‘Everything,’ he was told. In contrast to laying up treasure for ourselves, Jesus tells us that we should settle for nothing less than becoming rich in our relationship with God.
You may want to consider:
the implications of the request of the man in the crowd and Jesus’ warning;
your own response to Jesus’ parable;
where your is life centered and what your priorities are.
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
The words translated dishonest wealth capture the idea that it is possible to obtain money or hold on to it by unworthy means. Jesus may have in mind the way some fail to pay their taxes. He is not saying that money in itself is necessarily wrong or evil.
