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.
19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
GOD-INSPIRED INTERPRETATION
Some have no problem with the facts of the Bible. Their issue is interpretation: How do we know that the Bible got it right? Take the cross for example: Jesus died by crucifixion— fact. Historians outside the Bible tell us this happened. But the apostles insist that Jesus died on the cross so that those who turn to him might be forgiven and reconciled with God. There is no way that anyone observing Jesus dying on the cross or thinking about his death would have understood this. It is an interpretation of the event. How do we know that apostles like Peter got it right?
God-inspired interpretation. Peter’s words in 1:19-21 are important. He wants us to understand that he is not only a reliable eye-witness, but that he is equally dependable in the way that he has interpreted the meaning of Jesus’ life and death: … no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. God has not left it to us to work out what Jesus did. He gave us prophets, people who interpreted events, who explained what God’s acts mean. So in 1:21 we read, For no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Spirit of God.
Peter’s analogy is that of a sailboat, blown by the wind. The breath of God guided and directed the prophets and the apostles in what they spoke and wrote. This is just what Jesus had promised His Spirit would do (John 14:25-26). When they taught or wrote, they didn’t speak or write on their own authority, they spoke from God. In other words, the Bible is the product of God’s creative breath, blowing through human personalities, producing reliable human interpretations of human events.
Peter is convinced that we must have the prophets and we must have the Bible. God’s acts are not enough. We need a God-inspired interpretation of them if we are to grasp their meaning.
EYE-WITNESS TESTIMONY
Peter is saying that in one single volume (the Bible) God has brought togetherthe eye-witness testimony of the apostles and the divinely inspired interpretation of the prophets. Further, this has happened in in such a way that Peter can say: You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (1:19).
In an age when some theologians and church leaders question the uniqueness of the Scriptures, saying it is full of myths, we need to ask what their presuppositions are. We need to ask whether God is capable of speaking to creatures made in his image and, if so, would he want to and would he do so? And more importantly we need to ask whether there is demonstrable evidence that God has spoken. Peter would respond with an emphatic, ‘Yes!’ The myths today are the books written by theologians who deny the historicity and unique authority of Scripture.
Here is God’s answer to those who challenge the credibility of the Christian message. Peter is insistent: it is a message of received truth. Written over two thousand years ago by those who were Jesus’ personal appointees, the New Testament is unchanged and unchanging. It is a message founded upon history, confirmed by eye-witnesses, and a message interpreted, not by mere human theological speculation, but by divine revelation through the inspired words of the prophets. The Bible stands alone to be read as the unique, authoritative self-revelation of God.
You may want to consider:
the importance of divine interpretation of God’s acts;
your response to Peter’s insistence the Scriptures are divinely inspired;
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
DOUBTS
There are times when we have doubts. Doubting is not ceasing to believe, for doubting is not the opposite of having faith. There may times when we are tempted to doubt the teaching of the Bible because of it exclusiveness, its supernaturalism, and its age.
Exclusiveness. One way we might respond is by cutting Christianity from its historical context saying, as many have done, that spiritual experience is the key. Peter disagreed: ‘Christianity is historically grounded’, he points out. And in 1:16-21 he tells us why:
‘Gnosticism’ which promoted special knowledge and mysteries of God, was on the rise when Peter wrote. His response was to say, ‘What I passed on to you is not cunningly invented myth. Jesus really was God in the flesh and he really did rise from the dead. I know this because I saw him’. In saying this Peter invites us to assess his eyewitness testimony. He couldn’t prove he saw Jesus transfigured on that mountain, but like any good witness, he tells us what he saw. Furthermore, he implies that others supported his testimony (James and John). If Peter’s testimony is true, how can Christianity be anything but exclusive? Either God spoke from heaven and said, ‘This is my beloved Son,’ or he didn’t.
Supernaturalism: – the virgin birth, Jesus’ miracles, and his resurrection. How can Christianity be anything but supernatural, if at a certain time in a certain place divinity walked among men and women? Either Jesus did rise from the dead before many witnesses or he didn’t. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to at least five hundred people.
Age. We may have problems with the age of Christianity – after all it began two thousand years ago. Certainly we cannot prove that Christianity is true in the same way that we might prove that two plus two equals four. But that doesn’t mean that by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, means we are taking an irrational leap into the dark. That is not what Peter is asking us to do: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…’ he says.
What we often forget is that these men and others with them overturned the Roman world, not by armed revolution, but by the example of their lives and the testimony of their lips. And they died for their faith. Can you imagine Jesus’ disciples constructed a monstrous lie? Christianity is not based on myth, but memory.
You may want to consider:
circumstances that might have caused you to have doubts about the faith;
the importance of Peter’s eyewitness testimony;
how you might explain to others that God’s gospel is grounded in truth.
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.
Peter is saying that in one single volume (the Bible) God has brought together the eye-witness testimony of the apostles and the divinely inspired interpretation of the prophets. Further, this has happened in in such a way that Peter can say: You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (1:19).
Supernaturalism: – the virgin birth, Jesus’ miracles, and his resurrection. How can Christianity be anything but supernatural, if at a certain time in a certain place divinity walked among men and women? Either Jesus did rise from the dead before many witnesses or he didn’t. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to at least five hundred people.