TWELVE BIBLICAL CHARACTERS
AND THEIR MONEY
by
Waldean Wall
Copyright © 2018
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Contents
1. The Rich Fool
Greed Defined ..................................................................... 2
2. The Rich Ruler
Commendable but Lost ....................................................... 4
3. Barnabas
Humble Stewardship ........................................................... 8
4. Zacchaeus
The Money-Idol Replaced ................................................. 10
5. Paul
A Life Upended ................................................................. 13
6. The Poor Widow
Knowing God .................................................................... 15
7. The Macedonians
Modeling the Gospel in Giving ......................................... 17
8. The Good Samaritan
A Difficult Lesson in Giving .............................................. 19
9. Job
God as the Supreme Treasure ........................................... 21
10. The Philippian Church
Giving is Not Only about Giving ....................................... 23
11. Mary and Judas
The Contrast of Two Witnesses ......................................... 25
12. Jesus
Rejecting Earthly Wealth for Eternal Gain ....................... 27
The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth
if we lost all our money.
– J. H. Jowett –
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1. THE RICH FOOL
Greed Defined
Greed is a self-centered desire to have something (money, time,
toys, your neighbor’s wife, etc.) for self-centered purposes or to
have more than we should. Greed and a God-dependent, content
life are enemies.
Interacting with Jesus often creates an unexpected outcome. In
this encounter, someone who was hoping to get part of an
inheritance became the catalyst for a lesson on greed and a
wasted life. In order to make his point, Jesus told the story of a
wealthy man planning for retirement.
Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], “Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made
me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And [Jesus] said to them, “Take
care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a
parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he
thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my
crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build
larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will
say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your
soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will
they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich
toward God.” – Luke 12:13-21
The man in Jesus’ story was focused on funding a secure and
independent lifestyle. To achieve this he dedicated his efforts to
building his retirement assets. Sounds reasonable, right?
Two thousand years ago there was no public safety net. No Social
Security and no health care system that would come to the
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rescue. If you didn’t build your assets and/or family support,
running out of money meant you were in big trouble. So, you
could make the argument that having as much money as possible
was actually more critical two thousand years ago than it is today.
Maybe that’s why Jesus used this particular example. What could
be more important than doing everything possible to sustain
yourself as you age?
But this was not how Jesus thought about it. It wasn’t even close.
You cannot serve God and money (Luke 16:13). It will be one or
the other. Since the driving force of your life will determine what
you do, the top priorities will get the resources. But can’t we just
live a “balanced” life? Nope. There is always a core filter through
which we think about everything else. This core filter controls
how we see life. The balanced life isn’t really balanced.
While the man in Jesus’ story had a tight grip on things that were
temporal and would vanish, and no grip on the Kingdom. You
might ask if we can we save for retirement and care about the
Kingdom at the same time? Of course we can. But that is not
Jesus’ point. The Kingdom did not have first place in this man’s
life. Money and the personal benefits of money had first place.
Aligning with God’s heart came in a distant second or third or
fourth, or nowhere.
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or
impure, or who is [greedy] (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in
the kingdom of Christ and God. – Ephesians 5:5
Now, the tendency might be to breathe a sigh of relief and claim
that this story has little connection to me. My financial situation
is not remotely like this rich man’s situation. But again, that’s not
the right observation or the point of Jesus’ story.
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Greed will always follow a heart that has the wrong focus
because, by definition, resources (time, money, talent) will be
poured into the wrong priorities. And priorities reflect our reality.
Even though this is very tough stuff, we should ask how our
spending and savings would change if we were focused on
following Jesus in everything; if we were given wholeheartedly to
God’s mission. If we use an earthly lens we would see this rich
man as very successful. If we look through the eyes of Jesus, he
is a greedy fool who wasted his life and, in the end, comes out
with nothing.
Rich people are greedy for the same reason poor people
are greedy, because they are people.
– R.C. Sproul Jr. –
2. THE RICH RULER
Commendable but Lost
The Bible is the Word of God that exposes the heart. We can fool
everyone around us and meet the best expectations of society
while still being lost. Like Judas, we can walk with disciples and
lose eternal life. To say this is difficult is an understatement. In
this story we see the Word expose a rich man’s heart.
And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No
one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not
commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false
witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I
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have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him,
“One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was
extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How
difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” – Luke 18:18-25
Jesus encountered a wealthy man – sometimes we call him the rich young ruler – who sincerely wanted to be faithful to God and accepted by God. And based on his commandment-keeping (we’ll take this at face value), he was a very good man (In Matthew’s account we also see the critical, love-your-neighbor-as-yourself element). If he was even close to the man he thought he was, he was amazing. I’m sure he had a fantastic reputation.
Despite all of this, the man was insecure and perhaps afraid. He was unsure as to whether he was on the right path. At a minimum, he was trying to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He may have known that his good works could not make him good enough. And it’s possible that he even knew the answer to the question he was going to ask. Regardless, now Jesus was near and he could know for sure.
One of the interesting things about this story was how Luke took the time to tell us about this man’s response. The man became sad when Jesus told him to sell everything. Instead of arguing or dismissing Jesus, he responded as if he knew who Jesus really was and he knew that Jesus had it right. He was deeply moved, but he still didn’t leave his money.
So, among the many questions we might be asking, here are three:
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What was Jesus doing with this man?
Jesus was bringing this man face-to-face with his god. In the commandment-keeping that Jesus initially asked about, he didn’t ask if the man had any other gods that came before God (the first commandment). Can you imagine the response if he had asked that? I’m sure this man would have denied any other loyalties. So, Jesus directly confronts this man’s idolatry by making sure he knows that this god, money, must go. If we’re to have a right relationship with God, there is no room for idols. God must be our God. This man should have dropped to his knees in sorrow, confession, repentance, and worship. But he wouldn’t do it.
This story reminds me of a discussion I had with a young man who was on the wrong path. He was sexually involved with a girl who was pulling him away from everything he believed. As we talked, he began to cry. He recognized the problem and desperately wanted to do the right thing and follow Jesus. And I remember the next sad event as if it happened yesterday. As he picked up the telephone for his break-up call, he looked at the phone for a few moments and then put it down. He couldn’t and wouldn’t leave his idol.
Should everyone sell everything?
This story of Jesus’ encounter contains his instruction to the man to sell everything. Since he was focused on this man and not speaking to the crowd, we need to be careful in the conclusions we reach. There is no directive for everyone to do the same. While “everyone should sell everything” doesn’t stand up to the clear teaching of the New Testament – see 2 Cor 9:7, 1 Tim 6:17-19 – it is clear that that:
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• every idol must go (Ex 20:3; Luke 12:34; 1 John 5:21) • we should live as stewards of God’s resources and
relinquish the concept of autonomous ownership (Luke 14:33)
• all that Jesus is for us should erase any competing loyalties (Mt 13:44)
What’s with the camel analogy?
Is it more difficult for God to save a rich person than a poor person? That’s not what Jesus said. He’s not comparing the money-idol to any other form of idolatry. He is simply focusing on the strength of money’s deception and our inability to defeat it. Without the salvific call of God, the love of money will take our souls.
A biblical comparison
The story of this rich young ruler, at least for Luke, is incomplete without the contrasting story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Here we have an amazing contrast of two rich people. While both were rich, the community loved one and hated the other. One was exemplary in his lifestyle, and one was reprehensible. One clings to his wealth, and one releases it. One is lost, and one is saved.
The comparison of the rich ruler to Zacchaeus is not an accident. One of the strong messages here is that we can appear to be very close to God in our conduct, and still be in idolatry. This was also the case with Judas. When Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray him, the disciples didn’t seem to have an obvious candidate. And it’s interesting that money was Judas’ god too.
The rich young man in this story was trying to do the one thing that can’t be done. He was attempting to serve both God and money. The Bible is clear that we will love one and hate the other
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(Matt 6:24). We must all examine our thoughts and lives to make sure that God is our God.
…having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.
– 2 Timothy 3:5 –
3. BARNABAS
Humble Stewardship
Barnabas was a humble, trustworthy, risk-taker-for-the-gospel
kind of guy. And he seemed to understand what God was doing.
For example; when Saul (Paul) was converted, Barnabas saw the
hand of God on him and went to his defense (Acts 9:26-27) even
as everyone else hesitated. Barnabas had a humble heart that
saw things in a simple, Jesus-is-my-treasure way.
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered
together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Now the full
number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no
one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but
they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles
were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among
them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and
brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet,
and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was
also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of
encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that
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belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’
feet. – Acts 4:31-37
As the Holy Spirit came upon the earliest believers, they were of
one heart and soul and their deep unity and purpose affected
how they thought about their personal wealth. As a result of a
Spirit-infused commitment to each other, those who had wealth
were using it to meet the needs of the church, and there was not
a needy person there. And what was Barnabas’ role in this? He
brought what God had given to him – wealth. He sold a piece of
land and simply gave the money to the apostles for the needs of
the group. This is one way he and others who had assets gave
themselves to the gospel and to each other.
The unity of this early group of believers was much more than
verbal agreement about the truths of the gospel. The gospel had
penetrated their hearts and produced change in the way they
lived. To be clear, there is no indication that these believers were
forced to sell their property. And there’s no indication that
communal ownership was the rule of the day. Rather, the Gospel
simply created amazing perspective and purpose in these
believers. And now they had the same radical, at-all-cost
commitment to the Kingdom that Jesus did.
What Barnabas did, and how he did it, was so exemplary, that
Luke compared it to the “gift” of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts
5:1-11. While Barnabas was concerned about the Kingdom,
Ananias and Sapphira had an evil, underlying motive. They saw
an opportunity for personal benefit in their giving. And because
of their evil purposes and actions, God killed them both.
This passage is an amazing example of what a Spirit-infused
fellowship should look like:
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• Created by the Holy Spirit.
• Unified around Jesus and focused on the Kingdom with
everything available to support God’s purposes. When
the Holy Spirit is working, believers give.i
• Holy in conduct. This Spirit-created group of believers
was sacred. So sacred that Ananias and Sapphira both
died because they attempted to bring an evil deception
into a work that God was doing.
This passage is about much more than giving to the church and
taking care of those in need. We have a picture here of how the
church should look: Spirit-filled, unified, and sacrificially giving.
Can you imagine the impact that the church in North America, or
any church anywhere, would have if we absorbed the Gospel the
way these first century Christians did? If we saw ourselves as
stewards and not owners? Perhaps the persecuted church is
growing in countries like China because the believers there have
a Spirit-saturated commitment that we do not.
Humility is not thinking less of
yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
– C.S. Lewis –
4. ZACCHAEUS
The Money-Idol Replaced
The story of Zacchaeus is one of the most familiar New
Testament Bible stories we have. While there are songs about
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this story and lots of teaching aids for children, I fear that the
substantive lessons we can learn are often missed:
And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax
collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but
on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in
stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to
see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to
the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come
down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came
down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all
grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of
my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of
anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation
has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son
of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:2-10
Do you want to see a real miracle? Well, there’s one in Luke
chapter 19! Someone who could more easily fit through the eye
of a needle than be saved, is saved. A hardened, spiritually dead,
rich, chief tax collector is raised from the dead. Zacchaeus went
from being a self-serving, dishonest, tool of Rome, to a disciple
of Jesus. And in this conversion he gains a new treasure that
replaces the one he had been committed too.
Luke tells us that Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. There
was something going on that raised his curiosity. While we can’t
be precisely sure what was going on here, Jesus looked at people
very differently and his knowledge of the Scriptures was
unmatched. He could have been a major player in the cultural
structure but he had no desire to be one of the elites. In fact, he
was very comfortable relating to the outcasts as real people with
value. Maybe Zacchaeus was trying to make sense of it all.
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When Zacchaeus truly experienced Jesus, he changed on the
inside. And that internal change created a matching external
change. His internal reality was so transformed that he did
something amazing. He gave away half of everything he had, and
he paid back those he had defrauded – fourfold. And even though
Jesus could see Zacchaeus’ heart and knew of his transformation,
he publicly confirmed the conversion after Zacchaeus
demonstrated it. Zacchaeus seems to be a living example of Jesus
words:
…any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my
disciple. – Luke 14:33
In the story which comes just before this one, we see the other
possibility. Here, a rich young ruler, someone who lead an
admirable life, just couldn’t make the leap. His wealth remained
his god. With Zacchaeus, however, we see that Jesus breaks the
grip of idols.
God can do the impossible and rescue anyone – the worst of us.
We also see that faith in Jesus results in a changed heart. And
when focused on Jesus, that changed heart brings with it
different priorities and idols fade away.
While this story is not primarily about money – it’s about the
saving power of Jesus – a tax collector like Zacchaeus would be
the example of someone driven by money. This salvation
encounter is not accidental and Zacchaeus’ conversion is just as
miraculous as the parting of the Red Sea or the raising of Lazarus
from the dead.
One other thing worth considering. Luke emphasizes joy and
happiness and excitement when it comes to belief (see 1:14;
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8:13; 10:17; 13:17; 15:5, 9, 32; 19:6, 37). And we see it here as
well.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house
today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. –
Luke 19:5-6
Zacchaeus didn’t let go of his wealth begrudgingly. He did it
because earthly wealth lost its value when compared to the value
of real treasure.
God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
5. PAUL
A Life Upended
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of
all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
– Philippians 3:8
Paul and Zacchaeus have much in common. They were very
committed to the wrong thing. Zacchaeus was committed to
money and Paul was committed to God – or so he thought. And
both had their lives turned upside down by Jesus.
Paul was a brilliant man who, from an earthly perspective, had it
all. He was educated and on his way to the top of the leadership
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structure. His life was moving toward the pinnacle of success with
admiration and support from a large core of influential folks. And
he was a living nightmare for the early church. He was ravaging
the church, entering house after house to drag men and women
to prison (Acts 8:3). And he was there when Stephen was
executed (Acts 6-7).
Paul had much invested in his mission. He was making a name for
himself and, no doubt felt great about his performance.
However, when Jesus appeared to him and his reality changed,
he made the same about-face that Zacchaeus made. When life’s
real treasure – Jesus himself – became known to him, he released
his priorities and ambitions and embraced a walk-by-faith
existence for King Jesus. When Jesus became Paul’s reality, he
counted everything he had achieved as worthless.
Paul was all in. He was captured by the treasure of God Himself
and now saw everything in light of the Gospel. With Jesus as
Savior and Lord, Paul gave up the future he had been moving
toward. He now, with a new hope, embraced hunger and poverty
for King Jesus. What a change.
…and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with
him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
– Romans 8:17 –
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6. THE POOR WIDOW
Knowing God
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering
box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he
said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of
them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of
her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4
True followers of God should look like this widow. While she had
almost nothing and her earthly needs were undoubtedly real, her
faith was deep. And so she gave. There was no fanfare, and the
amount of her offering was very small when compared to others.
God, however, saw this widow as one who gave more than the
rich and powerful. Why? She saw God rightly, and she responded
rightly. True disciples don’t have a tight grip on money, and
worldly acclaim means nothing. They are happy with God.
Both Luke’s version of this account, as well as Mark's, is preceded
by a warning to beware of religious teachers (scribes) who call
attention to their piety and status while they actually have
neither. There is a great contrast between these self-elevated,
it’s-all-about-the-show teachers and this poor widow. For the
scribes, it was about position and power, while the widow went
unnoticed. They lived in different realities. Both here and in the
life to come.
Among the many things this story can teach are:
• Being cherished by God is very different than being
acclaimed by this world.
• The size of the gift is important to the world, but the size
of our God is important to the faithful.
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• Great faith produces “crazy” God-pleasing action that
doesn’t need to be acknowledged by the world.
This story leaves me in awe. As I ponder this widow’s act, I really
struggle. It feels like I’m missing so much. What exactly is the
point here? I’m glad to learn about humility and trust, but I’m
sure there’s much more. I’m sure that this woman who gave
everything will continually convict me. So, if God is everything to
me, should I be following this example? This is so “out there” that
my defenses kick in.
I’m not sure what to make of it except that this woman knew
God. It seems that her existence was so entwined with God’s that
she saw things clearly while the religious leaders didn’t have a
clue. She knew who God was, and what really mattered. She
entrusted all she was and had to God.
In Habits of Grace, David Mathis writes, “Do you ever abstain
from something you’d otherwise think of as ‘the needs of life’ in
order to give to others? Nothing shows our hearts like sacrifice.
When we are willing to, not only to give from our excess, but
embrace personal loss or disadvantage for the sake of showing
generosity toward others, we say loudly and clearly, even if only
to our own souls, that we have a greater love than ourselves and
our comforts.”ii
Charity is, indeed, a great thing, and a gift of God, and
when it is rightly ordered likens us to God Himself, as far
as that is possible; for it is charity which makes the man.
– John Chrysostom –
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7. THE MACEDONIANS
Modeling the Gospel in Giving
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been
given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of
affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave
according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of
their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in
the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave
themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6
Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should
complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—
in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for
you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a
command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also
is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by
his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my
judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this
work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that
your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out
of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable
according to what a person has, not according to what he does not
have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you
burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the
present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may
supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written,
“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered
little had no lack.” – 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Macedonia was a region; an area that encompassed towns like
Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Paul
uses this area as an example of what commitment to the
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Kingdom looks like. He writes about the Macedonian Christians
because the Corinthian Christians were not giving as they should.
Interestingly, the Macedonians were poor. Paul says they were
experiencing extreme poverty (v.2) but giving anyway. And they
insisted on giving. They begged Paul earnestly for the privilege of
helping other believers (v.4). They were giving from the heart
with joy and determination – more than anyone could have
expected of them.
So, how did they arrive at their radical giving commitment? First,
they gave themselves to the Lord. Then the Lord directed their
giving. So, in this statement (v.5), Paul has another message for
the Corinthians. Christians can’t live as they should unless Jesus
dominates life. When Christian’s give themselves to God, the
Holy Spirit reorders our priorities.
And this amazing, sacrificial giving, lead Paul to a profound
observation. These Christians are modeling the gospel in their
giving. They are following in the footsteps of Jesus who became
poor for the sake of others (v. 9). These Macedonian Christians
understood what it meant to follow Jesus.
Paul then approaches the Corinthian giving – or lack of giving –
from another direction. He asserts that we cannot mature as we
should without giving (v.7). It’s almost as if there’s a beautiful
checklist that can help us know if we’re on the right path: faith,
speech, knowledge, eagerness, and giving. Paul encourages the
Corinthians to add giving to the way they think about Christian
virtue.
Following Jesus, like the Macedonians, is amazing and wonderful
and challenging. When we earnestly seek the Lord, we will end
up giving.
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…but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
– Proverbs 21:26 –
8. THE GOOD SAMARITAN
A Difficult Lesson in Giving
And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” – Luke 10:37
In this story (Luke 10:25-37), we find another example of how
those in discussion with Jesus often receive the unexpected.
Here, an expert in the Mosaic law is trying to justify his prejudice
against those outside his sphere of belief. The problem is that he
knows he should love his neighbor as he loves himself (Leviticus
19:18) but just can’t seem to embrace this. So, he wants to get
Jesus’ opinion on who really qualifies as a neighbor.
Jesus then turns things around on this religious authority as he
tells a story of a Samaritan (someone this lawyer despised) that
is an example of how to follow God’s heart. This fellow gives his
time and money and attention to a wounded traveler. He gives
without hesitation or limitation. He sacrifices for someone who
needs help while the pious religious leaders in the story (those
like this lawyer) go to great lengths to avoid this wounded man
and his pain. The conclusion is, be more like the Samaritan – go
and do likewise.
Then Jesus tells this smart guy that his question is not the right
question. It’s not about who qualifies to be your neighbor. It’s
about being a neighbor. It’s not about who merits your love, it’s
about loving. Love your neighbor.
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But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in
return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most
High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. – Luke 6:35
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good
to one another and to everyone. – 1 Thessalonians 5:15
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor
to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly
provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready to share… - 1 Timothy 6:17-18
We have a natural tendency to embrace those who think like we
do and reject those who don’t. And if you’ve been a Christian for
a while, you may have put up barriers as this lawyer did. But this
is not loving, and this is not biblical. Our role is to serve in the
name of Jesus and proclaim the gospel. God’s role is to save.
There are times when Jesus’ teaching goes against everything
we’re inclined to do. The religious expert in this story was
undoubtedly offended beyond words. Jesus told him that he
really didn’t understand what he was talking about and that he
could learn from those he looked down on. When Jesus’ words
cut into you, how do you react? Do you repent and follow? Or do
you, while knowing the truth, stay disobedient?
The Samaritan in the story did much more than feel bad for the
wounded traveler. He gave.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and
he will repay him for his deed.
– Proverbs 19:17 –
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9. JOB
God as the supreme treasure
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I
return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the
name of the LORD.” – Job 1:21
One of the most difficult aspects of living as a true Christian, at
least for me, is the temptation to worship God because of his
earthly blessings rather than because God is God.
The Old Testament story of Job is very important for many
reasons. It speaks to us about God’s sovereignty and gives us an
amazing example of someone who saw God rightly while
everyone around him was in opposition.
Job was worth millions! While it’s difficult to know exactly, he
owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500
donkeys. And if he owned the land that would be needed to feed
all of this, the total value would have been between ten and
twenty million dollars or more. And, he worshiped the true God.
Satan, however, knew the power of wealth and its ability to
influence and deceive and to be one’s god. He was sure that the
foundation of Job’s worship was God’s earthly blessing and not
really God:
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no
reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all
that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands,
and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your
hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” –
Job 1:9-11
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Job, at least to Satan, was the perfect example of someone who
would crumble in the face of suffering. After all, his lifestyle was
saturated with the benefits of health and wealth and family. I’m
guessing that even his servants had servants.
As God allowed Satan to do his worst, we watch Job lose
everything. His financial assets disappear, his children die, and he
develops boils from head to toe (this may have been leprosy). He
moves from being housed in luxury to living in garbage outside
society. And his friends have only earthly counsel for him as his
wife tells him to curse God and die. But Job is still faithful.
God’s reward in this story is important. A long life, double the
wealth, and a fantastic family. Job’s faithfulness resulted in a
blessing beyond imagination.
The job story helps us to know that God is God. In the person of
Job we also see an image of the One who was faithful as he
suffered on the cross and absorbed the wrath of God. And for
both Job and Jesus we see the outcome of faith that endures – a
reward beyond description.
Job not only gives us an example of what it means to faithfully
worship the true God, he also gives us the opportunity to repent
of the idolatry that can easily grip us.
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on
the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields
yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there
be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I
will take joy in the God of my salvation.
– Habakkuk 3:17-18 –
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10. THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH
Giving is not only about giving
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in
glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19
The rewards of a gospel-first, walking-by-faith, living-for-the-
Kingdom life are amazing. The “sacrifices” that we make here
evidence the truth that God is our treasure and we are excited
about and satisfied with him. And it’s important that we know
that as we walk rightly, God will be everything for us.
After circumstances had prevented the Philippian church from
supporting the Apostle Paul, these folks were now back. They had
made a financial gift in order to revive their partnership with him.
But Paul responds in a way that could seem strange. Instead of
thanking them for meeting his desperate need, Paul actually
downplays the need for their help and says he’s content in any
situation (Phil 4:11). And he does this in order to focus on
something different. Paul is more excited about what the giving
means for the giver than about what it means for him.
Paul is anxious for the benefits they will receive from their giving.
And, in verse 19 we find the promise that God will supply all of
their needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
This verse has been the object of much debate. What does Paul
mean here? Is Paul saying that if someone gives financially to
their church or to missionaries, they will always have enough
food or money, or that they will gain perfect health?
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It can be easy to take this verse this way. After all, it’s easy to
think that our deepest and most critical needs are material, right?
The truth is, if we have Christ we have everything we need.
Paul is simply excited about the truth that in living lives of faith;
lives that embrace God’s vision for life, God will be and will
provide what we need. While God is in control of how his
material blessings take shape for us, one thing is sure as we
follow Jesus and put the Kingdom first, God will draw near to us.
(James 4:8)
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will
himself be watered. – Proverbs 11:25
“…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the
measure you use it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38
…whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully. – 2 Corinthians 9:6
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and
ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good
foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is
truly life. – 1 Timothy 6:18-19
In giving we are living out what we believe. We are depending
less on this world and more on God. God’s vision for his children
is a life of faith where we walk by the Spirit and depend on him.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
– Psalm 23:1 –
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11. MARY AND JUDAS
The Contrast of Two Witnesses
Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure
nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas
Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,
“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given
to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but
because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used
to help himself to what was put into it. – John 12:3-6
One of two possibilities will be true in your life: Jesus will be your
great treasure or something else will. The Bible seems
determined to drive this home. Jesus will reign in your life and
money will lose its power, or something else, like money, will be
in control.
In John 12, we see this in the event that takes place after Jesus
raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus’ resurrection was a pivotal,
public event, and there were many who believed in Jesus as a
result. This was not a small, private miracle that could be
explained away. If you were one of the disciples, this resurrection
confirmed the identity of Jesus, and it vindicated those who were
loyal to him.
For some, however, nothing can bring Jesus to the forefront
because their spiritual eyes are diseased (Mat. 6:22-23). No
matter how convincing and real God’s glory is, they remain blind.
The great contrast in this story is between Mary and her
complete devotion to Jesus, and Judas and his inability to see
Jesus for who he is. For Mary, there was no distraction, and Jesus
was her singular focus. He gave purpose to her life. For Judas, life
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was about himself and money and being captured by the things
of this world. He would hang with Jesus until a better offer came
along.
Even though it’s impossible – you cannot serve both God and
money – I’m guessing Judas would have advocated the balanced-
life approach where there’s room for everything as long as you
don’t get carried away with any one thing.
When Judas saw Mary anointing Jesus with perfume that would
have cost the average person a year’s income, he was appalled.
This was an unthinkable waste of money and a missed
opportunity to profit. He had no idea what Mary was doing and
he couldn’t relate to how she actually felt about Jesus.
The problem with a balanced approach to life is that it’s not
balanced at all. In the end, there is still a core priority that creates
one’s loyalties and joy, and determines one’s actions. Since
money was Judas’ treasure, we can understand his actions. And
since Jesus was Mary’s treasure, her love-at-all-cost action is also
understandable.
Two thoughts here:
• The Gospel should result in everything we have being
available to King Jesus. It should create a longing to
embrace Jesus as our supreme treasure – like Mary.
• We can be very close to the truth and not get it. We can
see evidence of the Gospel in the lives of those around
us, and we can talk in a Christian way, and we can live in
the context of the church while being ruled by worldly
enticements – like Judas.
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While it’s simplistic to say that worship is love, it’s a fact
that what we love most will determine what we
genuinely worship
– Bob Kauflin –
12. JESUS
Rejecting Earthly Wealth for Eternal Gain
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the
world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this
authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it
to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your
God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” – Luke 4:5-8
Jesus was not immune to the temptation of wealth and power.
After fasting for forty days and being weak and hungry, Jesus
faced the devil and his three temptations. These temptations
were undoubtedly the devil’s best shot a defeating Jesus in his
vulnerable condition. One of these temptations promised all the
kingdoms of the world.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. The devil promised
abundant earthly wealth and power without the need to face the
horrific pain and humiliation and judgment that was coming in
his crucifixion. Thankfully Jesus stood firm and trusted his father
to be faithful in all he had promised. He was steadfast in his
commitment to walk the difficult path that would bring God
glory, bring him joy, and give us eternal life.
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We too face a test of faith. As we receive the gospel and admit
that we’ve been worshiping the wrong god, we confess our sin
and helplessness and, like Jesus, acknowledge the One who is
worthy of all worship. In essence, we agree that embracing this
world and its priorities leads to death, and embracing Jesus and
all he accomplished on the cross, leads to life.
With this belief comes the challenge of living lives of worship. It’s
very important that God is truly our God. And this will surely have
a profound impact on the way we think about and handle money.
Just as Jesus’ mission was accomplished because he had faith in
his father’s promises, we too are called to joyfully focus on the
promises of God in Jesus as we live our lives for the glory of God.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man
found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field. – Matthew 13:44
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world
– the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life
– is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing
away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides
forever. – 1 John 2:15-17
So, take heart, our call is to follow Jesus and focus is on the
Kingdom while he takes care of us.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
– Matthew 6:33 –
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i Giving is not limited to money from those who are wealthy. Everyone gives. We give of what God has given us (1 Peter 4:10-12).
ii David Mathis, Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines (Crossway: Wheaton, Illinois, 2016), 209.