AN INTRODUCTION continued
The second practical warning of Jesus, once again contained in round a quarter of the parables, is a warning against the love of money and accumulating riches.
I can see the hairs rising on the back of your head!
Alternatively, you may be thinking 'I don't love money', as you sit back relaxing in your armchair watching the news about the Haiti earthquake on your 100 inch screen, surround sound, blu-ray, home theatre system thinking, I am so blessed that I don't live there!
The reality is, in the natural, we all like money, whether we admit it or not! If we don't have it, we want it, if we do have it, we want more. That simply is human nature.
Of course, Jesus understood this reality and spent a great deal of time talking about money and warning us of the dangers involved.
But even before Jesus came, the Old Testament books of wisdom contained similar warnings.
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? 12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. 13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. 15 Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. (Ecclesiastes 5:11-15)
Jesus was straight up about it.
24 “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)
The Pharisees were quoted as a worldly example.
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.
How about going on a ministry trip this way?
8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. (Mark 6:8)
Leave your VISA card at home, would seem to be the advice here!
I will leave you today with some inspired wisdom from Timothy.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
(Continued next week)
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