Imagine what it would be like living in a society without money.
No bills, no taxes, no rent or mortgage, no petty arguments at the church AGM, no scammers. That actually sounds quite refreshing and liberating. Yet so much of life, how we live and what we do involves the use of money.
There is, indeed, so much we can do with money. But at the same time, there is also so much it can do to us. And I suspect it is far easier for us to dwell on the former than on the latter.
How we use money can be an indication of which kingdom we are serving: the kingdom of God or some other inferior kingdom. Our attitude to money can also reveal whether money has more of a grip on our hearts than we might realise.
In this article I want to give some attention to our use of money, drawing from one of the most intriguing
and difficult of Jesus’ parables: the parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16. Or is it the parable of the shrewd manager? It’s a bit hard to tell!1
Luke 16:1-15
A manager is charged with wasting a wealthy man’s possessions. The manager is called to give an account to his master. Realising he’s in trouble and that his options are very limited, the manager reduces the debts of his master’s debtors so that, once he has lost his job, he will be received into their houses. His soon-to-be ex-master, however, praises him for his smarts.
This is a tricky parable for a couple of reasons: first, Jesus employs a clearly negative example for commendation, and second, it’s not immediately clear how the dodgy manager’s action applies to believers.
Jesus’ teaching, though, untangles the knotty details. People in the world know how to use ‘the wealth of the unrighteous’2 to get in good with other people. Much more, then, should Jesus’ followers know how to use this wealth faithfully in order to be welcomed into his kingdom and entrusted with true riches.
The parable, then, contrasts two kinds of wealth; the first is earthly, temporary, and ultimately isn’t really ours, yet is still to be used well. This is what Jesus refers to as ‘unrighteous wealth’ and what we know as money, which he regards as ‘very little.’ The second kind of wealth is the permanent riches of God’s kingdom granted to us through Jesus as a gracious gift.
You’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t renounce the use of money. He doesn’t dismiss it as an inherently evil thing to be resisted and done away with. Instead, he calls his followers to use money faithfully in light of the eternal riches of his kingdom.
But what does that mean and how do we go about that?
Money doesn’t make the kingdom
First, let’s realise that money doesn’t make the kingdom. Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven, one in which he is its crucified, risen and conquering king. He is the Saviour who gave himself to reconcile repentant sinners to God through his shed blood. He is the loving Lord who reveals what is exalted and glorious in God’s sight. It is through the kingdom announcement that Jesus is the Christ that God’s kingdom is established eternally and extends in the world. Repent and believe the good news!
The kingdoms of the world, by contrast, are established by the things of this world – human power, military might, and even money. Think of the vast sums spent by political parties and candidates with each election cycle not just to get elected, but also to be re-elected and stay in power.
Jesus’ kingdom is a much better kingdom that doesn’t rely on its finances to get it going and prop it up. Jesus himself, through the word of the cross, is the power of God that makes God’s eternal kingdom what it is.3
Money’s grip
Second, realise that money can have a tighter grip on us than we might first think. I can recall a wise, godly brother in the Lord once telling me before a church AGM: “Money does strange things to people.”
Sometimes we can be so money-
conscious that we’ll get hung up about the lesser details of the church budget. And at the same time, we can be so flippant about how we use the church’s financial resources, as well as our own, that we give little or no consideration to what our Lord calls us to as the one who provides us with all that we have.
Stinginess can be a sign that we ascribe more power to money than it actually has. Waste can also be a sign that the things and experiences of this world matter more to us than the things of God. And when we allow trifling differences over money to come between us as God’s people, it may well be be-
cause money is controlling us more than grace and Christ-like love.
How do we avoid both extremes?
Kingdom priorities
The Bible’s teaching on wealth and using our material resources is extensive. But if we’re looking for a rigid set of rules telling us how much we ought to spend on this or that, we won’t find it.
Instead, we’re given a set of priorities that align with God’s kingdom. None of these priorities should be neglected, and each one ought to be accompanied by a spirit of generosity, love and gratitude to God for all he has given us, especially in his Son.
1. Provide for your family
God has given us the ability to work as a means of sustaining us physically in the world. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”4 According to Paul, anyone who wilfully neglects to provide for themselves and their families has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. It might sound obvious, but providing for ourselves and for our families is one way wealth is used well.
We might have times when we are without work for a season or we’re incapacitated or business is slow and costs are constant and high. In economic downturns, that is not unusual. But it’s not a sign of failure or unfaithfulness to be in need for a period of time.
At the same time, through our work we often have more than we need. While we are always prone to allowing wealth to corrupt our thinking and the desires of our heart,5 having an excess is not necessarily a sign that we are lovers of money. Rather, it is an opportunity to contribute to other kingdom priorities.
2. Sharing with others, especially the needy
A second priority for the kingdom is sharing what we have with others.
We tend to think of the rich as those who own super-yachts, develop and fly their own rocket planes to the edge of space, or charge thousands of dollars to attend their concerts and watch them perform. That is, we tend not to think of ourselves as rich.
In the ancient world, however, to be rich meant that you had money in the bank or a storeroom of grain from the previous harvest so that you didn’t have to live from day to day, hand to mouth.
God richly provides for us with everything to enjoy.6 But it is easy to look down on others while thinking highly of ourselves due to our abundance, and just as easy to envy those with an abundance. We can become too attached to what we have (or obsessed with what others have), giving us an illusory sense of security, or use what we have only for self-enjoyment.
Those with more than they need are to do good, be rich in good works, generous and ready to share.7 An open home with a welcome dinner table is just one way to use wealth well among many others. Whatever you have is received from God’s providential, Fatherly hand and is an opportunity to share with others.
3. Supporting the church and its work
Modern living is becoming more ex-pensive by the day (or so it seems), and
so is modern church ministry. Most churches have bills to pay. Many have their own buildings that require upkeep. Some need to rent a suitable premises. Ministers and their families need to eat and live.
This all means that just being a church today requires a level of financial support from its members in order to fulfil its calling. This can sometimes be a touchy and delicate topic,8 but it really doesn’t need to be.
If we keep in mind that God’s kingdom extends through the ministry of the gospel, supporting the church financially becomes an exercise in seeking God’s kingdom. It becomes a joy to give, rather than merely a reluctant obligation, when we realise that Jesus, though he was rich, for our sake became poor so that we by his poverty might receive the true riches of his kingdom.9
Freely you have received. Freely give, that Christ may be proclaimed.
4. Supporting mission
A final kingdom priority is the work of mission. What is meant by mission can include many things: overseas workers serving the cause of the gospel, raising up kingdom workers through theological study, supporting the work of the gospel on university campuses, contributing to the needs of the persecuted church, supporting the work of Bible translation, establishing Christian schools and many more.
With so many ways that our hard-earned money can be utilised in service of God’s kingdom, it may seem quite overwhelming given that our financial resources are quite limited. Remember this: money is not the saviour of the world, or the power propelling God’s kingdom.
Christ doesn’t call us to place more importance on money than he does. Instead, he calls us to be faithful with what he gives – to prioritise heavenly treasure over the earthly, to put our trust in him and not things that perish, spoil and fade, and to use the earthly in a way that reflects we love Jesus more than money and love others with a generosity that reflects his.
In this way, we’ll use wealth well.
Notes
1 The parable might well be called ‘The parable of the master who commended his unrighteous manager for his shrewdness despite his dodgy management,’ but that’s not overly pithy and is quite a mouthful!
2 This is the literal reading of the Greek, which the ESV translates as ‘unrighteous wealth’ and the NIV as ‘worldly wealth.’
3 See Rom 1:16-17 & 1 Cor 1:17-19
4 2 Thess 3:10
5 For example, by mistaking wants for needs, thinking we need more than we actually do.
6 1 Tim 6:17
7 1 Tim 6:18
8 As it was for some of the churches that Paul ministered among; see 1 Cor 9 and 2 Thess 3:6-15.
9 2 Cor 8:9
Mr Ben McDonald is the minister of the Wellington Reformed Church.
