Discipleship Series: Financial Discipleship

FINANCIAL DISCIPLESHIP:

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE FOLLOWER OF JESUS

 

Managing our money is challenging these days. Post-Covid, prices have risen on groceries and fuel, going out to a restaurant is not as fun as it used to be with smaller portions and higher prices, and then there’s high interest rates. Young adults find it particularly challenging to get ahead. Consciously or subconsciously, money is always on our minds. We need money to live; we can’t deny it.

            I witnessed an odd scene in downtown Chicago a few years ago. A man, whom I could only assume was homeless if not jobless, was begging money from passersby. One fellow took offense at being asked for money and shouted, “I have no money. I work a steady job and I’m broke. Why don’t you get a job?” To which the homeless man shouted back, “If I got a job, I would be broke like you, so what’s the point?” 

            For the follower of Jesus, money matters. It is as much a part of our discipleship as any other aspect of following Jesus. Money is such a major part of our lives we cannot ignore the need for financial discipleship. What is financial discipleship?

            Financial discipleship highlights the management of money and wealth as taught by Jesus and the Bible. Money is a tool of incredible usefulness in building the kingdom of God. But we know it can also be a real danger and distraction to being a committed follower of Jesus. Money is a great revealer of the condition of a person’s heart. How you use your money says a lot about where your commitments rest. 

            Financial discipleship means that we are willing to make God primary in managing our money. It involves surrendering ownership to God and welcoming him into each decision concerning our properties and wealth. It means taking God at his word and trusting him to provide while living according to his truth. 

            Let’s look at one teaching of Jesus regarding money.

What Do You Value? (19-21)

 

The Bible mentions money over two thousand times. Often it comes with a warning. Jesus addressed it several times as a potential hindrance to discipleship. When the Pharisees heard Jesus talk about these dangers they sneered because even though they appeared to pious, they secretly loved money.

            In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took on the matter of money directly and pulled no punches. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…”(19). A literal translation is, “Stop storing up treasures…” 

            The reason is quickly evident why Jesus downplays earthly treasure: moth, rust, and thieves. Clothes were considered valuable commodities and signs of one’s station. But clothes wear out and moths love to leave holes. A person’s wealth could also be measured in how much grain he had stored away. Rust (lit. “eating away”) was not the effects of salt on the undercarriage of your Ford, but the eating away of your profits by worms, rats, mice, and other vermin. And in the absence of banks in those days, a person hid their money and valuables in their home. Houses were made of baked clay, and so a thief had simply to dig through the wall and steal. 

These ancient images translate easily to our present time: our cool things have a shelf-life; our toys grow old, our cars break down, and our mutual funds fluctuate. Jesus implies that if we highly value the things of this present life, they will disappoint.

Jesus reorients our priorities of what we should pursue and possess. He says, “…but lay for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (20-21). 

            What is a treasure in heaven? It’s a euphemism that means “to seek your treasure in God.” It means to rethink what is valuable and worth pursuing. It means to pursue the things of God and desire those things more than anything else. Paul built on this theme when writing to Timothy and charging Timothy to instruct the wealthy, “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 Tim. 6:18-19). 

            What is real life? Is it the pursuit of wealth and what money can buy? These valuables are temporary according to Jesus. What lasts is what we do for others in the name of Jesus. That’s what Timothy was told to convey to the wealthy: good works, generosity, willingness to share – this is the treasure. I want to clarify that doing good does not act like a points system with God, but it is acting like God that brings delight to God. So, the treasure is God’s favor and pleasure that you are sharing “his gifts” with others. 

            I was convicted by this text this week. I love Amazon, I confess. And I was receiving lots of packages at the mail when I suddenly realized how selfish I was acting, spending on myself. It stopped me in my tracks. I have to look beyond myself, I thought, and share with those in need. Because, I mused, where is my heart? That’s where your real treasure is found. And I want it to be found in Jesus.

 

How is Your Vision? (22-23)

 

This next verse appears to be a diversion from the theme of money. It’s not. It asks you to evaluate how you see life and what you prioritize, what you pursue.

            Jesus makes it a word-picture, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (22-23). 

            The imagery of the eye as a lamp speaks a little more to the reorienting of our priorities. It’s a bit confusing what is meant by the lamp and eye connection. Jesus seems to be saying that the function of the eye is to provide light which shows the body which way to go. If your eye is healthy, you will see the path ahead and make good choices. If you have cataracts or are nearsighted (like me), the world is blurry and full of unseen obstacles. 

            The point is obvious: with the corrective lenses of Christ, we see our world differently than when we see life through pleasure seeking or pursuing our own goals. 

            Consider the “eyes” of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). In this parable, Jesus makes a profound statement that we should consider carefully. He says, “…one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” (15b). On the one hand, we read in this that the size of your bank statement does not make you a) happy, b) more significant in the kingdom, c) a better person than Joe. On the other hand, Jesus wants you to know that you are more than your bank statement, you are more than what you possess. You are precious to him (period). Your value is his blood, not your status or wealth. 

            The parable Jesus tells next pictures a rich man who had a great crop year. He decides to tear down the old barns and build bigger, newer barns. When that’s done, he thinks, he can retire, since he has stored up good things for many years. The only problem with this “vision” of his future is that he dies that very night. Who gets to enjoy the surplus? Not him. Jesus concludes, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God,” (21).

            A financial advisor told Sharon and I that we needed one million dollars each to retire at our current lifestyle. We both agreed that felt like an exaggeration. If like the Rich Man you take it seriously and live in fear of what retirement will look like, it will govern how you save and spend. I think what we felt is that if we live for that goal, we miss out on blessing others with our surplus. And like the Rich Man, we don’t know if we will live to spend those millions. 

Who are You Serving? (24)

 

We come to the pivotal question of this text. Who are you serving? We can argue that it’s possible to serve God and have material wealth. I wouldn’t say no to that, but I do recognize the difficulty that comes with trying to have the best in both worlds. Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money,” (24). 

            There is no wiggle room. Jesus doesn’t leave any. To be clear, this is no indictment on owning possessions or wealth, but it is an indictment on being “owned” by your wealth. Does it serve you or do you serve it?     

            A rich young ruler comes to ask Jesus a question (Matt. 19:16-22). “How does one get eternal life?” Jesus answers that the man needs to obey the commandments. Which ones? Jesus responds, “You shall not murder…commit adultery …steal … bear false witness…etc.” The young man says that he has kept all these. What else does he lack? Then Jesus drops the bomb on him, “If you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me,” (21). 

            Jesus – the greatest treasure in the universe - is standing in front of this young man, and the young man can’t decide for Jesus? You can tell by this reaction that the young man was ruled by his possessions. He’s got a lot going for him in this life, but he is not willing to let go of it all to follow Jesus. Would you? Would I, if given the choice? 

            Jesus does not condemn the wealthy. I want you to know that. Though he does say that the rich person will enter the kingdom of heaven like a camel going through the eye of a needle (19:24). But at the basis of Jesus’ teaching are three important truths:

1) All things belong to God. The Bible makes this clear. As the psalmist wrote, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him,” (Ps 24:1). He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps 50:10). God owns all things and makes us stewards of these gifts. In reality, there is nothing in this world that I can say “This is mine.” Instead, I must say, “This is God’s, and I must use it in the manner that best honors him.”

2) People are more important than things. If possessions are acquired, if money is made, if wealth is accumulated at the expense of treating people as tools or a means to an end, then all wealth is wrong. 

3) Wealth is a tool. The Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. It says that “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” (1 Tim. 610a). Money can be a person’s one desire, his security in facing life’s troubles, his only hope in battling mortality. That’s too bad. Money is not a sin, but it is a grave responsibility. If we have a lot of it, it is a matter for prayer, that we would use it as God would have us use it.    

            

Jesus does not say that wealth is the problem. The problem is your heart chasing after the good things of this life as if it were a drug to make you happy or make you forget. We need to examine our hearts and ask some questions to discern what we value, what are vision is like, and what masters us. 

            Ask yourself:

1) Am I regularly acknowledging God as owner and provider of all I have? A profession of this is a good place to start, but real worship (giving God the glory) is in giving God the first fruits of your earnings. You can call it a tithe (ten percent) but that limits you. When you have given ten percent, you may think you’re good. Because you know, Jesus gave ten percent of his blood for you, right? Just saying…Giving to others in need reveals a heart of gratitude that recognizes the true Giver.

2) Are my lifestyle choices, my house, my car, what I eat, and what I wear extravagant, just right, or less than what’s adequate for my family and me? Financial discipleship means making God primary in managing our finances. It means surrendering ownership to God and inviting him to be intimately involved in each decision. It also means taking God at his word and trusting him to provide for our needs. 

3) Would God be pleased with every spending decision if I took stock of my monthly spending? The late Larry Burkett used to say, “Show me your check book, and I’ll tell you what you care about most.” What we spend our money on is an indicator of what our hearts value in life. 

            The text following Matthew 6:19-24 is the “Do not worry” passage where Jesus tells us that God has promised to provide for all our needs in life. Can we trust that this text is true? 

            God has promised that we would have more than enough: “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty left over to share with others,” (2 Cor. 9:8 NLT). 

 

 

                                                            AMEN