Giving As Faithfulness

Giving as a part of a balanced redemptive lifestyle

There are many actions we can do, that if we do them right, we are displaying our faith in God. We can pray, and as long as we are doing it for God, not other people, then God recognizes it as an act of faith. We can get baptized, and as long as it is not an empty social ritual, God recognizes it as an act of faith in Jesus. But one of the most significant acts we can do to show that our faith is real is by giving. In James, giving to a brother in need is used as an example of faith (James 2:15-17). In I John, giving to a brother in need is used to show our love of God (I John 3:16-17). But even giving is only potentially an act of faith. It isn’t necessarily. We can give to others through empty motives, or we can give for the sake of God, wishing him alone to reward us.

How to give without faithfulness to God

Giving as a ritual
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were ultimately a gift to God, in hopes that he would listen to the needs of the giver. God often accepted the sacrifice, but if a person was just shallowly obeying a ritual, without any desire for God or his salvation, then God refused to accept the sacrifice (Isaiah 1:11-15). And most often, God was unhappy with sacrifices because the people were giving to God, but refusing to give justice to the poor and needy (Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 58; Matthew 12:7). Also if the people offered sacrifice without love of God, he would refuse it (Hosea 6:6). God desires giving to assist the needy—not to just increase a church’s coffers. And he desires people to give out of a desire for him—not just because they are “supposed to.”

Giving just for personal gain
Some people give because they know they can receive from others in the long run. If we give parties and do favors for the wealthy and important, then later we can ask them for favors. Perhaps they will treat us kindly and give us gifts. The thinking, says Jesus, is not wrong, but our only patron should be God alone. If we want to gain good gifts, we should give to God alone. And who does God want us to give to? The needy. So Jesus tells us to gain God’s favor, we should shower parties and gifts on the needy and do favors for them—and then God, the greatest benefactor, will do us mighty favors. (Luke 14:12-14; Luke 16:9)

Giving to impress others
Some people give in order to gain praise and recognition from others. Some of the most famous philanthropists give huge amounts of money so that they will gain recognition as philanthropists—and their every gift is advertised. Others are interested in recognition only by the IRS, in order to gain a tax deduction. Or some want their name on a plaque, or even a newsletter, gaining recognition of their gifts. However, Jesus told us to give in secret in order to give in a way that only God sees. (Matthew 6:1-4) If we are only trying to impress God, then we will gain God’s reward. But if we are trying to impress other people, then God will not give us any reward—no matter how good we think we are. Remember, God doesn’t care about how “good” our reputation is, only how faithful we are before Him.

How to show your faithfulness to God through giving

1. To give sacrificially is to impress God
Jesus saw many people giving to God. Many people gave many huge gifts. But the only gift that impressed him—the only one that caused him to take notice was the small, sacrificial gift. God doesn’t care how large our gift is. It could be millions or dollars, or it might be just a few dollars. But our love to God is shown when we give all that we have to God. And God does not reward a large pocket, but a large heart. (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 7:47)

2. To give willingly is to show pure motivation
Many people give, but they feel that it is a terrible trial, an overwhelming burden. And often they let everyone know about it. But the Lord is looking for those who give to him and to his people willingly—those who give happily to those who need it. These people who give with open hearts show the purity of their love for God, for they give out of joy, not because they feel forced by God. (II Corinthians 9:7)

3. We give in love, for to love is to fulfill the word of God
It is easy to give without a desire to benefit another. We can sacrifice everything we have, and only do it because we are forced to. We can give because of social pressure. We can give because we want something out of God or out of someone else. But Paul warns us that even if we give everything we have, if we do not give out of a concern to benefit others, then our giving was pointless (I Corinthians 13:3). To love is to fulfill God’s word, and to do God’s word is life, both now and eternally (Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 7:21). To love is to do all that God requires of us, and we will gain our reward from Him.

4. To give to the needy is to represent God’s interest
When God told us to give, he did not tell us to build buildings or to create statues. There is nothing wrong with these things as gifts of love to God, but they are not God’s heart. God’s heart is with the needy, those who cry out to him day and night for justice. God hears the people who have no one else to turn to, no one else to save them. They are God’s true heart, and God wants us to give to them. To give to a church is not necessarily to give to God. Rather, to give to the poor—that is storing treasure in heaven. (Luke 12:33; Mark 10:21; Exodus 22:22-27; James 1:27)

5. To give to the representatives of Jesus is to give to Jesus
If we give to those who love God, then we are giving to God, and showing our love of God as well. The world can know how much we love God by how much we love those who love God. The world can know that we belong to Jesus if we love those who love Jesus. And the world can see that we love Jesus if we give to other’s who come in Jesus’ name. On the last day, our love of Jesus will be measured—not by our prayers to God or by our faithfulness in evangelism—our love will be measured by how much we showed our love to Jesus’ people. (Luke 16:9; Matthew 10:40-42; John 13:35; Matthew 25:31-46)

6. If we give for the next age, we are increasing our reward from God
All that Jesus said about giving could be summarized in this way: don’t make investments for this age—this age is falling apart. This age will soon be destroyed. Rather, give so that you can gain great benefits in the next age, where the only rewards are handed out by God. If we want to impress someone with our giving—impress God. If we want to gain something from our giving—let’s get something from God. If we want to make investments for the future—let’s invest in God’s future. When you compare a finite present to an eternal future, eternity is all that counts. (Matthew 6:19-24)

What Does God Want Me To Do With My Money?

Often, this is the last question we want to ask. Our money is ours! We should be able to do with it what we want. This is what our society teaches us and how everyone acts—whether Christian or not.

Some Basic Principles
Money is serious business
However, whether we have a whole lot of money, or whether we have a little, how we use our money will determine how God will use us. (Luke 16:10-12) And if we use our money without regard to God’s desire, then we will certainly not receive God’s salvation, no matter how holy we are in other areas (Matthew 6:24; Mark 10:17-21; Luke 12:33-34). How we use our money indicates whether we really have faith in God or not.

We do not need money, we need God
Money will not meet our needs. We can’t eat or drink money. Money will not shelter us from rain. Money will not give us pleasure. Money is just a means to an end. We need food and drink. We need a roof over our heads. We need companionship and security. Money can be used to give us some of these things, but we don’t really need it. All good things come from God, and so he is the one we should seek. (James 1:17) Do not focus on money—focus on God (Luke 16:13). He is the one who will meet our needs, and he is the one who teaches us what to do with what we have (Matthew 6:25-33).

Our Money is not ours
The first thing we need to realize is that our money is not actually ours. Perhaps we have worked for it, or it was given to us, but nothing we have is actually ours. It is all God’s. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Psalm 24:1. We do not own anything—rather, we care for it for God’s sake. God has placed things in our care, and we are to use all these things in accordance with God’s instruction, for it is all His.

We are to use money to build God’s kingdom
If we are committed to Jesus, then we have surrendered everything we have to his use—our relationships, our possessions, our labor, and our money (Luke 14:25-33). They no longer belong to us, but to Jesus. And Jesus tells us that to use our resources in his way is to build up God’s kingdom and to increase our righteousness in God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Nothing else should be so important. And whatever is important to us is what we will use all of our resources on (Luke 12:34).
We are not to think that paying for an elaborate building or establishing things in the here-and-now will build up God’s kingdom. Tangible things and buildings and collections of books or CDs or videos will not build God’s kingdom. Rather, it is people that will survive to be in God’s kingdom. Political entities and nice cars will all be destroyed. God’s kingdom is built by giving to people and their needs (Luke 12:33-34; Luke 16:9; Acts 4:34-35).

What Not To Do With Money

Do not increase your debt
Even if you are looking to meet your needs, do not increase your debt. Try to rely on God’s people, not on those who will charge you interest and cause you difficulties. (Romans 13:8)

Do not build up your life on earth
It is pointless to increase our possessions or our life on earth. All of these things will be destroyed and are of no use in the kingdom of God. Rather, we are to focus on the things of God. ( Matthew 6:19;II Peter 3:10-12)

Do not pursue your own desires, comforts or entertainments
If we use our money to meet our whims or comforts, then we are in danger of gaining nothing when the Lord returns. Again, the Lord insists that we use our resources for his sake, not for our own comforts. (Luke 6:24-25; I Timothy 6:6-10)

Do not give to teachers insisting on your money
There are many teachers today who say to receive God’s blessing you should give to them, their ministry or their church. However, the scripture is clear that teachers who insist on their own gain are false teachers, and not deserving of our money. We are not to give any kind of help to false teachers—not even to welcome them into our house. Do not throw your money away by giving money to false teachers who oppose Jesus’ words—“Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8; II John 9-10; I Timothy 6:5)

Tithing To Our Churches
Tithing (giving 10% of) our money and giving it to our churches is a good idea, but how it is accomplished today isn’t found in the Bible. The ancient Hebrews had three annual taxes of 10 percent each and another tax of 10 percent taken every third year—equaling to 33 1/3% of their income every year going to things. Jesus isn’t requiring such a tax to meet the needs of his churches. Rather, he is advocating that everyone grant him all of their resources, and that they redistribute their income according to the following guidelines:

Jesus’ plan: What To Do With Money
1. Care for your own needs
We are all responsible to meet our own needs and not to depend on the church or their family to provide for us, if we can do anything about it. (II Thessalonians 3:6-10) This does not mean that we must all have a “job,” but we must work to meet our own needs. Thus, if we have money, then we should use that money to provide for our own needs.

2. Care for your family’s needs
If we have family that is dependant on us for sustenance, then we are responsible to care for them (Mark 7:10-13; I Timothy 5:8). This could mean children in our care, or aging parents that can no longer care for themselves, or someone who through injury or illness is unable to care for their own needs. By whatever means we care for our own needs, we must care for our family.

3. Pay your taxes
The government we live under now requires money. The scripture says that we must be faithful to give them what they ask, whether we agree with their policies or not. It is a part of the honor we are responsible to give them. (Romans 13:7)

4. Give to those who sacrifice themselves to build you up in the Lord
If our needs are met and our family’s needs are met—not everything they desire, but just their basic needs—then we are responsible to care for others as well. The first ones we are responsible to care for are those who have sacrificed their own well-being in order to bring us closer to the Lord. This could be teachers or healers that travel from town to town, or people who regularly teach us God’s word in our congregation—but the Scripture is clear that we are responsible to make sure that their needs are met, as well as those of their family. (Luke 10:5-9; Matthew 10:40-42; Galatians 6:6;I Timothy 5:17-18)

5. The Key: Give to the needy
If we are able to care for our basic needs, and our family’s and our minister’s, then we are also responsible to meet the needs of others, especially those who are following the Lord. If we see someone in need, and we do not respond with what we have, then we are not responding with the Lord’s love. To give to the needy is showing our faith in the Lord. If we fail to give to those who follow Jesus in need, then we will rejected by the Lord on the final day. (Luke 12:33; I John 3:17; Galatians 6:10; Matthew 25:31-46;

Planning and Giving
To redistribute our income in the above way is difficult and, in some ways, painful. In order to demonstrate our faith in giving to the needy, often we will have to sacrifice our desires and some of our needs so that others may be helped. Sometimes the Lord calls us to put other’s concerns and needs before our own. But if we are going to do that, we have to plan. It is so easy to overspend in our society, with commercials telling us every minute the newest thing we “need.” But the Lord says that what we need to do is to give to the needy. That is a part of our salvation—not a kitchen gadget or a better car or the food we always wanted to try. It isn’t easy to follow Jesus’ plan on redistributing our money, but if we pray to the Lord and seek the counsel and assistance of his Spirit, we can make the first steps.

If you have not been faithful to God in the use of worldly money,
how can God entrust true riches to you?
-Jesus Luke 16:11

How Do We Give?

1. Leaving one’s wealth
Mark 1-2—Disciples left their occupations and families
Mark 10—The disciples told that they will gain eternal life and more for leaving all they had.
John 1—Disciples told to leave their occupations and families

2. Selling one’s wealth and giving to the poor
Luke 12:33—Sell your possessions and give to the poor
Mark 10:21—Sell your possessions and give to the poor
Acts 4:32-37—Many in the church selling what they had, which was then distributed to the poor

3. Becoming a patron of the poor—keeping a certain amount of wealth for the well-being of the righteous poor
Luke 8:2-3—Women who followed Jesus provided for his needs and the needs of the disciples.
Romans 16:2—Phoebe was a patroness of Paul.
II Kings 4:8-11—Elisha had a patron who provided room and board when he was in town

4. Living a life of hospitality to the poor
Luke 16:9—Give unrighteous mammon to those who will welcome you into eternal dwellings
Luke 14:12-14—Invite the poor to your festivals and parties.
Acts 28:7—Pubius welcomed Paul and his companions to stay with him for three days.
Rom 16:3-5; I Cor 16:19—Prisca and Aquilla allowed churches to meet in their homes.
II Tim 1:16—Onesiphorus gave hospitality to Paul
Philemon 1-7—Philemon provided hospitality to Paul and many others.
3 John 5-6—Send brothers on their way in a manner worthy of God.
Matthew 25:31-46—To assist the poor brothers and sisters in Christ is assisting Christ himself.
Matthew 10:40-42—The one who does the smallest act of hospitality in the name of a disciple will not lose his reward.
I John 3:17—Those who do not provide for brothers or sisters in need , yet have the resources, do not know of God’s love.

A Private Discussion About Giving To The Poor

After more conversation about the New Testament and wealth, Rosette focuses on a particular point.

Rosette: I do have a question. I know that you said you wanted to speak for a bit, but it seems like it is appropriate to ask this question here.

Francis: (Shrugs nonchalantly) Go ahead.

Rosette: Well, I just wanted to know why you emphasize giving to the poor so much. I mean, we want to give to those in need, don’t get me wrong, but don’t we want to be building the kingdom with what resources we have? I mean, we want to do everything we can to help the church, don’t we? And isn’t that more important than helping those in need?

Francis: Why do you think that?

Rosette: Well, the spiritual is more important than the worldly, isn’t it? Doesn’t Paul say, “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy” ? And doesn’t Jesus say that God will take care of our food and clothing, but we need to “seek the kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you as well.”

Francis: Good, very good. However, what both Paul and Jesus are speaking about is not looking to meet our own needs, but providing for others. When Jesus is speaking about seeking the kingdom and not clothing in Luke 12, he is saying that seeking the kingdom is selling your possessions and giving to the poor. That is his definition of it. That is why he tells us not to worry about food and clothing, because we’ve given away all of our extra to provide for the poor! And Paul is speaking of a circumstance where people are causing others to sin for the sake of having particular food or drink. And Paul is emphasizing that it isn’t the freedom to have food or drink or fasting from it that the kingdom of God emphasizes, but to love others in righteousness. So Paul is recommending that if eating something causes someone to sin, it is better not to eat.

Rosette: But still, isn’t it better to focus on people’s spiritual needs first, and then their physical needs.

Francis: I understand what you are saying—that the spiritual needs of people are greater than their physical ones. And I think I understand what you are implying—that we should be giving to those who give the gospel, not to those who offer benevolence to the poor.

Rosette: Well, I’m not saying we shouldn’t give to those who help the poor at all. But I think the emphasis should be on those who give the gospel.

Francis: I would agree, but I might apply it in a different way than you would think. If you look on my sheet, you can see that I say that we need to give to the poor. That means, we need to give to those people who are in need. If they don’t need something, we don’t need to give.

James: What kind of needs?

Francis: Paul talks about food and clothing. I think warmth beyond clothing is necessary, some kind of shelter. Also we need to provide people with what they need in order to be righteous. Sometimes we need to provide work, sometimes we need to provide Bibles, sometimes we need to provide time and energy to disciple someone. Whatever will help someone understand and live out the gospel.

James: Okay.

Rosette: That’s fine, but building the kingdom of God requires more than just the basic necessities for individuals. There are youth programs, Sunday school materials, buildings, videos, books, study materials and more.

Francis: This is what I wondered about. When you say, “building the kingdom of God,” you really mean building the church, right?

Rosette: I don’t know what you mean…

Francis: Well, Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God. And he said to give to those who would welcome you into heavenly dwellings. But he didn’t say to create the kingdom of God on earth. God will do that. Anything that we do here, any building or material, will burn. This is not to say that making materials or whatever is wrong. But if we are to seek God’s kingdom, we need to focus on the people who are a part of God’s kingdom, not the material things that seem to be God’s kingdom. A building is just a building. And a church doesn’t need to meet in a million-dollar sanctuary. The early church met in homes. Many churches today meet in businesses or schools. In Mexico, our village has a small church building, but the real ministry takes place in many different homes. So, what I’m saying is that Jesus emphasized giving to people in need, not to programs, buildings or the care and feeding of a non-profit organization.

Rosette: Are you saying that we shouldn’t give to organizations?

Francis: No, because some—relatively a few—organizations make it easier for those who are in need to have their needs met. But we shouldn’t give to organizations that exist for the development of the organization. Rather, we should give to organizations that exist for helping those in need. Or we can give directly to those in need. Most of the time, that’s better.

Rosette: Why is that better?

Francis: Because the money goes directly to those who need it and there’s no chance of it getting caught up in a bureaucracy. Also, there’s no chance of it getting given to those who use the gospel as a means of personal wealth or gain.

Rosette: What do you mean by that?

Francis: I would hope that would be obvious. How many people live lives of wealth and pleasure off of preaching the gospel? Jim Bakker and other television preachers are the most notorious examples. But there are also people who are at the head of non-profit organizations who are supposed to be teaching the gospel to the poor who are living in wealth. And there are how many pastors who go from church to church based on an income/benefits package, without determining whether God has called them to a church or not. I have also heard of a travelling evangelist who agreed to teach the gospel at a particular church in Southern California only if the church agreed to send him and his family to Disneyland. Scripture has some harsh things to say about such people. I Timothy 6 says, “If there is anyone who advocates a different teaching from that of Jesus which is for godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing…but thinks that godliness is a means to great gain.” Such people will be punished. 2 Peter 3 says, “False prophets in their greed will exploit you with false words. And if God did not spare angels when they sinned, or Sodom and Gomorrah when they sinned, then the Lord will keep these ungodly people under judgment.” Even so, those who preach the gospel, demanding wealth and pleasure as their “just income” will reap the benefits on the final day.

Rosette: Does that mean it is wrong to give a person a decent salary for preaching the gospel?

Francis: No, of course not. Paul said that an elder who works hard in preaching and teaching is worthy to have a good income. To have his needs met, at least. However, if a church decides to give a person an income that exceeds his needs and he does not give to the poor, I would question that person’s ability to preach the gospel.

Rosette: Why is that?

Francis: Because he is not living the gospel. Again, the gospel says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” and, “Do not treasure up treasure for yourself on earth.” A teacher of the gospel who disobeys the gospel will be judged—will receive a harsher judgment than those who just listen to it. Those who are unrepentant of their sins against the law of Christ do not make good teachers of that gospel. Well, Rosette, did I answer your question?

Rosette: I’m not sure. What was my question?

Francis: (Laughing) You don’t know?

Rosette: (Thinking) Oh, yes. I wanted to know why you say we should only give to the poor.

Francis: And my answer is that Jesus only commanded us to give to the poor. We should, the Bible says, focus on giving to believers in need or on those who preach the gospel in need, but we should give to those in need.

Maria: Now, wait. I have a question now.

Francis: (Under his breath) Oh oh.

Maria: Why do you focus on giving to those who are believers? Why those who give the gospel? Shouldn’t everyone who is in need be treated equally?

Francis: Well, yes and no.

Maria: Huh? What does that mean?

Francis: We are to help everyone in need, if we can. However, we all have limited resources. And Scripture makes it clear that we are to prioritize those who follow Jesus and are faithful to him, rather than focusing on everyone.

Maria: (Disbelieving) Where does it say that?

Francis: There are two places where it is clear. Paul says in Galatians 6:10—“Do good to all people, especially to those of the household of faith.” And then there is the passage in Luke 16, which I’ve quoted already: “Make friends for yourselves using the wealth of unrighteousness who will welcome you into heavenly dwellings.” Paul is emphasizing giving to everyone, but prioritizing people of faith in Jesus. Jesus is saying to give to the poor who especially will be there in the kingdom to welcome you. At another place, Jesus emphasizes giving to those who preach the gospel.

Maria: But doesn’t Jesus say, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”? Doesn’t he say, “Give to those who ask of you” ? Doesn’t he say, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” in general, without emphasizing those who are righteous? Doesn’t he say, “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink…”?

Francis: Yes, yes, and no. Yes, Jesus certainly taught that we are to help the poor in general, without necessarily emphasizing that they be believers or even righteous. Jesus also says to do good to everyone and give money, “and your reward will be great. You will be sons of the Most High, for He himself is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

James: Wait, are you saying we should give to people who are evil?

Francis: I’m getting it on all sides. Yes, James, I am. First, let me answer Maria’s question and then I’ll get to yours okay? (Takes a breath.) Okay. So, Maria, Jesus does say that we are to help everyone, according to their need and not by their righteousness. However, there is a priority. Let me clarify my position by looking at the paper I handed out, okay?
(Referring to “To Whom Should We Give?”)
Francis: On the sheet that says, “To whom shall we give?” There is a list of priorities. First of all, we are to give to anyone who is in need, without regard to their righteousness, without regard to what they have done to you. If they have sinned, give to them anyway.

James: I still have a question about that.

Francis: And we will get to that in a minute or so. However, Maria, we do prioritize some people for help above others. Those who are obeying the gospel have a priority on our resources above those who are unbelievers. And those who have sacrificed their regular income to preach the gospel have a priority over those who do not.

Maria: But why? Doesn’t everyone have these needs equally?

Francis: Perhaps so. This is how I understand it. To help the poor in general and to help those who do evil against you—that is obedience to the teaching of Jesus and it is a good thing and you will enter into the kingdom for doing it. However, to help someone who is representing Jesus is an additional act of faith, and you will gain greater reward for helping him. It isn’t that you wouldn’t gain reward for helping the poor, but if you help a believer, you are helping the representative of Jesus—and if you are helping a teacher of the gospel of Jesus, then it is even more so. In that way, you are helping the righteous of Jesus, the brothers of Jesus.

Maria: No, I thought the poor are the brothers of Jesus.

Francis: Many people think that. Let’s look at the passage, because it is very important to understand here. Matthew 25, beginning at verse 31. (Francis looks up the passage and begins to read)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all of the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before him (to be judged)
As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
The sheep will be put on the right and the goats on the left.
And the King will say to those on his right:
‘Come, inherit the kingdom, you who are blessed of my Father
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink;
I was naked and you gave me clothes;
I was a stranger and you invited me in;
I was sick and you came to me;
I was in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him:
‘When did we do these things?’
And the King will answer them,
‘Amen, I say to you, in as much as you have done it to one of these brothers of Mine, even to the least of them, you have done it to Me.’ “
And the passage goes on with the unrighteous who had not done all these things to the King, and they ask “why?” and the King replies, “Because you have not done it to the least of these, you have not done it to me.” And the passage ends with, “And these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Pretty familiar, I hope?

Maria: Of course

(Rosette and James nod their heads.)

Francis: There are a couple things I want to emphasize. First of all, this passage supports again the rest of Jesus’ teachings which say what we do with our resources determines what we will receive on judgment day.

James: I have heard that this isn’t a description of our judgment, but someone else’s.

Francis: It is the judgment of the “nations” or the “gentiles”. We are gentiles, I think? And it makes sense that we would be judged like this because Jesus made it clear that those who enter the kingdom would give their resources to the poor, especially to believers.

Maria: But the sheep are giving to the poor, right? Any poor, right?

Francis: Not any poor. The poor who could be called Jesus’ brothers. And who are the brothers of Jesus? In Matthew, the only place where this parable is given, there are only two other places where Jesus talks about “my brothers.” In Matthew 28, Jesus speaks about the disciples as his brothers. And in Matthew 12:50, Jesus speaks about the disciples, those who “hear the word of God and do it” as his brothers. Not the poor in general. So, on judgment day, what is most significant? Faithfulness to the King who is currently absent, by providing help to those who represent him, those who are in need and are doing the will of God. Jesus supports this idea in Matthew 10. Jesus is sending out his disciples on a mission and he says, “He who receives you receives me.” And Jesus had already said that those who receive the disciples are those who listen to them and provide them food and boarding during their stay in the town they are ministering in. And Jesus told them, “The worker is worthy of his hire.” Which means that the one who works for the gospel is allowed to have his needs met by the work he does, namely gospel teaching.

Maria: So, what does this mean in reality? If you have two people in front of you and one is a Christian and one is not, then you tell the non-Christian to go away?

Francis: Of course not.

Rosette: Does it mean that if you have limited resources, you should focus the resources on the believer instead of the unbeliever?

Francis: If you can’t help both. Also, Scripture has some people fully provided for by the church, or by certain believers. But the only ones who are helped in this way are people who teach the gospel, or those unable to work, like widows, who have no other means of support, who also have a ministry of helping those in need. So, let me summarize. On the sheet here, you can see, that we are to help everyone in need. But we are to prioritize those who are followers of Jesus. Of the followers of Jesus, we are to prioritize those who preach the gospel. And of those who preach the gospel, we are to prioritize those who are persecuted and who help the poor. That’s talked about in Hebrews 13.

James: I have to say, I like that line of thinking better than what I thought you were saying.

Francis: What did you think I was saying?

James: That we should just be helping everybody, no matter what they do.

Francis: Well, I am not advocating that, but given the right context, I might agree with that statement, too.

James: You seem to be speaking out of both sides of your mouth.

Francis: Then I will try to speak more clearly. Scripture says that if a believer is in a lifestyle of sin, then we should not help them. I think the passage, “If anyone does not work, he will not eat” should sound familiar?

Chuck: (Grunts affirmation.)

James: Yes. I must say, Frank, I have been concerned about your ministry to the homeless at times because I felt that it was encouraging people to live without jobs. And, of course, since Scripture says if you don’t work, you won’t eat, then if you were feeding people who didn’t have jobs, weren’t you going against what Scripture says?

Francis: Two things I need to say to that. And I am only going to clarify what this Scripture says, not defend my church among the homeless. First of all, Paul does not say, “If anyone doesn’t have a job, they won’t eat.” It says, “If anyone doesn’t work, they won’t eat.” Working means doing what you can to make a living. If that living is going around at 5 in the morning for four hours a day collecting cans to live off of the deposit, that is working. If it is doing yard work for whatever you can make, that is working. If it is volunteering at a soup kitchen or a benevolence ministry so you can have food that day, that is working. Paul didn’t speak of a “job” as we understand it in modern-day United States.

James: Well, if you don’t have a job, you can’t make a living, I don’t think.

Francis: Most people in the world would disagree with you. It may not be much of a living by the standards most Americans uphold, but it allows for one to have food and warmth. That’s good enough. My second point on the passage in II Thessalonians 3 is that those whom Paul was speaking to were clearly believers. He mentions it a few times in the passage: “keep away from every brother”; “some among you are living an undisciplined life”; “do not treat them as an enemy but admonish them as a brother”. Why does he emphasize this so much? Because he makes a clear distinction between disciplining or judging those of the world and those of the church. Let’s look at I Corinthians 5.

Rosette: Well, we shouldn’t judge anyone. Jesus said, “Judge not lest you be judged.”

Francis: Yes, Jesus did say that, but he also said that those in the church needed to be disciplined in sin. And this is the context that Paul is speaking about. Starting at verse 9, Paul says, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous…” and here he goes through a list of sins. So he makes it clear here that judging—or discipline— should not be done against someone who is outside the church. And what does he say is the kind of judging or discipline we should be giving to believers who have a sinful lifestyle? We should “not even to eat with such a one.” This is pretty much what he said in I Thessalonians 3. If a person won’t work, if they are living a lifestyle of idleness, then they won’t eat—with who? With the church, which is where they are getting their food. That’s the discipline the Lord gives him. Then Paul continues, “ For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” Again, Paul makes a distinction between the believer who will not receive benevolence from the church—literally food—because they are living an unrighteous lifestyle, and an unbeliever who might gain some food from believers, even if he is unrighteous. I think Paul makes that distinction because Jesus makes that distinction.

James: What if someone has been irresponsible and so gotten into poverty that way?

Francis: To be honest, James, most people who are poor are that way. At least they might be unwise. Or they might be mentally ill in some way. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t help them. Jesus’ command is still firm. We need to give to those in need. If a follower of Jesus was irresponsible and they got in a bad situation that way, then you can help them if they are repentant. If they are not, then the believer needs to be confronted on their sin. But if an unbeliever was irresponsible in their actions and so ended up in a bad situation, you might want to talk to them about their responsibility, but you can’t expect them to change without Christ. I always speak to people about their sins that cause their problems and I speak about the solution, Jesus. And I help them, if I can. I still follow my priorities—believers who are faithful to Jesus come first, but I help unbelievers if I can.

No Middle Way

"Either therefore you must so far renounce your Christianity as to say that you need never perform any of these good works of Charity, or you must own that you are to perform them all your life in as high a degree as possible. There is no middle way to be taken..."
-William Law, A Serious Call To A Devout and Holy Life

Love of Money

"If a man does not refrain from love of money, he will be contaminated by idolatry and will be judged as though he were one of the Gentiles who know not the judgment of the Lord."
-Polycarp to the Phillipians 11:2

Abraham, Job, Zaccheus

How to be righteous, though rich:

Exaltation of the poor
The poor are exalted by God. I Samuel 2:4-8; Luke 1:52-53.
The poor of Jesus’ disciples will inherit the kingdom. Luke 6:20-23; Matthew 5:3-6, 10-12.
Lazarus, a poor man, is lifted up to Abraham’s bosom. Luke 16:20-22.
The poor are to boast in their exalted position. James 1:9.
The poor are those who will inherit God’s kingdom. James 2:5.
Those who are humble in this life will be exalted by God. Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14.
The meek shall inherit the earth. Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5.

The rich person who is generous is righteous before God
Abraham being hospitable to strangers. Genesis 18:1-8
Job speaking of his defending the poor. Job 29:12-16
Zaccheus giving half of his income to the poor, and so called a son of Abraham. Luke 19:1-9
Barnabas praised for selling his land and giving to the apostles to distribute to the needy. Acts 4:32-37
Cornelius given reward for his alms and prayers. Acts 10:1-6
Tabitha praised because of her work among the poor. Acts 9:36-41

Generosity to the poor
Jesus told his disciples to give their wealth to the poor. Luke 12:33; Luke 16:9; Matthew 19:21.
The one who is generous to the poor will be blessed by God. Deuteronomy 15:10-11
The righteous man gives freely to the poor. Psalm 112:9
Blessed is he who is generous to the poor. Proverbs 14:21; 22:9.
God is honored through him who gives to the needy. Proverbs 14:31
The Lord will repay he who lends to the poor. Proverbs 19:17
The one who is generous to the poor will receive the wealth of the oppressors. Proverbs 22:8
The one who gives to the poor will never have a need. Proverbs 28:27
The one who helps the poor and oppressed will be listened to by God. Isaiah 58:1-12.
Invite the poor to your parties. Luke 14:13-14
Jesus calls Zaccheus a son of Abraham for giving to the poor and repenting. Luke 19:1-10
The church in Jerusalem asks all the churches to give to the poor, which Paul was eager to do. Galatians 2:10.

The Lord condemns the one who has resources but does not help the poor
If you are hostile to the poor, and do not give, it will be a sin against you. Deuteronomy 15:9
He who mocks the poor will be punished. Proverbs 17:5
Whoever does not hear the cry of the poor will also not be heard in their need. Proverbs 21:13
The one who shuts his eyes to the poor will always be in need. Proverbs 28:27
Sodom was condemned because she was rich and did not help the poor. Ezekiel 16:49.
Sodom was condemned for doing evil to the stranger in their midst. Genesis 19.
God punishes the one who keeps his wealth from the poor. Ezekiel 18:17.
The rich man is punished in Hades for not giving to a poor man. Luke 16:19-25
The one who does not give to his needy brother or sister does not have living faith. James 2:15-17
The one who does not give to his needy brother or sister does not love God. I John 3:17-18

To Whom Do We Give? A Scriptural Guide

1. Give to those who are in need—the poor.
Luke 12:33—Sell your possessions and give to the poor
Hebrews 13:2—Provide hospitality to strangers
Acts 4—Apostles redistributed money to the poor.
Note: No one has to give to anyone not in need

a. Give to those who ask
Matthew 5/Luke 6—Give to those who ask of you
Luke 11—If anyone asks, then they will receive

b. Do not exclude people because they have been evil to you
Luke 6:27-36--Love your enemies... lend and do not expect in return
Romans 12:20-- If your enemy is hungry, feed him
Matthew 5:38-48

c. Do not exclude people because they are unrighteous
Luke 6:35-- The Lord is kind to ungrateful and unrighteous men

d. Give to those who are in need in front of you
Luke 10:30-37- The one who did mercy to the one in front of him in need loved his neighbor
I John 3:17—If you have resources, you must help the brother or sister right in front of you with a need
James 2—The one who has faith is the one who helps another believer in need who comes to them

2. Among those in need, prioritize giving to those who are believers.
Luke 16:9—Use money to make friends with those who will welcome you into the kingdom
Galatians 6:10—Do good to everyone, especially those of the household of faith
I Thess 5:15—Always seek doing good to one another and to all people.
II Corinthians 8-9—Paul and others collecting for believers in need
a. Do not provide for believers who are living in sin.
II Thess. 3:6-12—If a brother does not work, neither let him eat
I Corinthians 5:9-13—Don’t judge the world, but if a brother is in continuous sin, do not even eat with such a one.

3. Among believers, prioritize giving to those who give the gospel to others
Luke 9; Matt 10—The workman (of God) is worthy of his hire
Matthew 10:40-48—The one who gives to these who Jesus sends to do mission work will not lose their reward
I Timothy 5:17-18—Elders who work hard, especially at teaching are worthy of their wages

a. Give to those who give the gospel from a simple lifestyle
Matt 10:9-10; Mark 6:8-9; Luke 9:3; Luke 10:4—Those whom Jesus sends out, he sends telling them to bring nothing except the clothes on their backs.

b. Do not give to those who teach something opposed to the teaching of Jesus.
2 John 1:9-11—Do not greet a person who teaches that which is opposed to Jesus

c. Do not give to those who use the gospel for their own greed.
I Timothy 6:3-11—The false prophet advocates greed.
II Peter 2—The false prophet advocates greed and will be punished eternally
Jude 1:16—False prophets are concerned with their own desires.

d. Do not give to those who sell the gospel
Matthew 10/Luke 9—Freely you have received, freely give.
I Corinthians 9:18—Paul’s reward is to give the gospel free of charge.

4. Among those who give the gospel, prioritize those who minister to the poor and who are being persecuted.
I Tim 5:9-10—Give to widows who are not given to pleasure, but to hospitality and helping the needy.
Hebrews 13:3—Remember the prisoners as if you were with them.

The Recyclable And The Trash: A Translation of Matthew 25:31-46

When the Emperor of God descends from heaven displaying his power, having all the angels of heaven surrounding him, then he will rule from his throne and every person on earth will be collected and will stand before His throne. He will judge them all and will divide them up as a rag picker will separate the useful from the trash. And the recyclable he will stand at his right, and the trash he will stand at his left.

The King will proclaim to the right, “I welcome you, those whom my Father speaks well of. You may now possess the Kingdom—my Kingdom—which has been made ready for you, the righteous of humanity, from the creation of the world. You are worthy of this, because of your assistance to me. I was hungry in your neighborhood, and you gave me food. I was parched, passing by your dwelling, and you offered me some water. I was an immigrant and outcast and you let me in your house for the night. I was walking around freezing, and you give me your coat. I was sick and you nursed me to health. I was in prison and you came and met my needs. You listened to me when I was lonely. You kept me safe when I was fearful. You gave me work when I was in need and paid me at the end of the day.”

These righteous will answer the Emperor thus, “Our Lord, we thank you. But are you sure you are speaking of us? Did we really see you hungry and feed you? Did we see you needing a drink and gave you something? When did we see you—you of all people-- an outcast and bring you into our house? When were you freezing and we gave you clothes or a blanket? And when, my Lord, when were you in prison and we had opportunity to visit you?”

And the Emperor will answer them, “Listen carefully—whatever you did it to these disciples of mine—even these lowly ones— you did the same to me.”

Then the Emperor will turn to his other side. “You will leave me, you whom the Father curses with his every breath. You will be cast into the punishment which was created for Satan and his messengers. Because I came to your town, hungry, and you told me to get a job. I came to your street, parched with thirst, and you wouldn’t talk to me. I was an immigrant, a homeless person, a mentally ill person on the street, a traveler and you refused me entrance at your doorstep. I was shivering in the cold and you passed by me, although you had closets full of coats, shelves full of extra blankets you weren’t using. I became bed-ridden and disabled and you were too busy with your own life to assist me, or even check in on me. I was in prison, through no fault of my own, and in a locked mental health facility and in the state hospital and you didn’t even write to me, let alone visit me. You cannot live with me in my kingdom, since you did not share your life with me when I was with you.”

They will respond, “But Great Lord, I’m sure you weren’t hungry or thirsty! And you couldn’t have been an outcast or freezing. You were never in our neighborhood—I would remember! And you, being sick—I don’t think so. And you would never have been in prison or a mental health hospital. And if you were, we would have been there for you, serving you, Lord!”

The Emperor answers, “Listen carefully, inasmuch as you did not serve these lowly ones, you did not serve me. I was there, through my disciples, as crazy as they seemed, as insignificant as they seemed, and you didn’t let them in your life. Even so, I don’t want you in mine.”

And they will leave the Lord and go to eternal punishment. But those who acted with justice lived with the Lord eternally.

Faithfulness To The Absent King

Matthew 25:31-46 and Giving

Although often called, “The parable of the sheep and the goats”, it is really a straightforward description of judgment day which initiates the kingdom of God, being neither a parable nor is the phrase “sheep and the goats” anything more than a passing simile.

“My Brothers”
There have been various interpretations of the phrase, “my brothers”, which proves to be the crux of the text. Some have interpreted this phrase to mean the Jews, some to be the poor of the world, and more. However, this phrase is repeated two other times in Matthew, in chapter 12:50—“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” And in 28:10 where Jesus is sending a message to “my brothers” to meet him in Galilee. Both of these specifically designates his disciples. “The will of my Father” has already been associated earlier in Matthew as the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 7:21-24). Thus, these “brothers” of Jesus are those who live out the teaching of Jesus, become his disciples and so suffer loss because of it. This completely parallels the beatitudes, which speak of the persecuted and poor of those who are righteous inheriting the kingdom. Here in Matthew 25, we see this promise fulfilled—the brothers of Jesus and those who assisted them receiving the kingdom of God enter into the kingdom of the one finally coming to rule. It is also interesting to note that the beatitudes mark the first pericope of the first body of teaching in Matthew, while the description of the coming of the Son of Man is the final pericope of the final body of teaching in Matthew. The other phrase to indicate the identity of these brothers is the phrase “the least of these”. Although many translations put the word “even” in the English, the Greek has no equivalent. It is better seen as Jesus’ personal title for the disciples, “the little ones”, or “the least”, as seen in Matthew 10:42; 18:6, 10, 14, as “the little ones”. While specifically a different Greek word, the concept remains close, (see Luke 16:9—“He who is faithful to The Least, will be faithful in much…”)

Judgment in Matthew
There are many other passages in Matthew that deal with the righteous receiving the kingdom, and the unrighteous being punished:
• Matthew 7:21-27—Description of punishment of those who say “Lord” but do not obey Jesus; parable of the two houses.
• Matthew 8:11-12—Statement of judgment of those who apparently will receive the kingdom.
• Matthew 10:14, 40-42—Promise of reward for those who assist the righteous and the prophets.
• Matthew 11:20-24—Prophecy of judgment of the cities who rejected Jesus although works of power were done there
• Matthew 12:36-37—Prophecy that on the day of judgment individuals will be judged on the basis of their careless words.
• Matthew 12:39-41—This generation will be condemned by Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba because they listened to their prophets and one greater than those prophets has come to them.
• Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43—Parable of the wheat and tares
• Matthew 13:47-50—Parable of the fish in the net
• Matthew 16:27—Son of man will come to repay everyone according to what he has done
• Matthew 18:23-35—Parable of the unforgiving servant
• Matthew 21:28-32—Parable of the two sons; Sinners entering kingdom before the Pharisees
• Matthew 21:33-41—Parable of the tenants in the vineyard
• Matthew 22:2-14—Parable of the wedding banquet
• Matthew 24:44-25:13—Warning to be ready; parable of the 10 virgins.
• Matthew 25:14-30—Parable of the talents

Hospitality and Judgment
Out of these passages, Matthew 10:40-42 is most significant in comparison with the description in Matthew 25:31-46. Both in that passage and in this one, it is the one who offers hospitality or mercy to those who are righteous that are focused on, rather than the righteous themselves. The ones who “welcome” the righteous are said to gain the reward of the righteous. The term “welcome” is already used in 10:14, speaking of the hospitality the apostles should receive. If they should not receive this hospitality, Jesus says, then “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment.”

Genesis 18 and 19 offer a significant paradigm in relation to Matthew 10 and 25. Yahweh and two others appeared to Abraham, and Abraham bowed before them, begging them to accept his humble hospitality. After they accepted, he proceeded to offer them a great feast. There is no indication that Abraham understood his visitors to be powers of heaven, but simply to be strangers passing by. In opposition to this example is the reaction of Sodom to two of the same strangers. They enter the town, and the one righteous person in the town offer them hospitality—but it turns out he does so primarily out of fear of what the rest of the town would do. For even as Abraham went out of his way to offer hospitality to the strangers, so did Sodom go out of their way to do evil to the same strangers, threatening them with perverse acts of sex. This type of treatment of strangers is cause enough to destroy the town and the outlying areas. Jesus compares the towns who refuse to offer hospitality to the apostles with Sodom, but he claims that the punishment will be worse for those who reject the apostles than it was for Sodom.

All of this emphasized the place of those who may not be a prophet or an apostle themselves, but who come in contact with them. The prophet, righteous one or apostle of Jesus (in 25:31-46 called “my brothers”) becomes the point of reward or punishment, depending on how one responds to them. Should one respond with hospitality and kindness (as the teaching of Jesus commands—Matthew 7:12; 9:13; 12:7), then that one will be rewarded in the final judgment. Should one not offer hospitality or kindness to the righteous one, then he will be punished on the final day. This is the paradigm of Genesis 18 and 19, Matthew 10 and Matthew 25.

Faithfulness to the Absent King
There is one other significant point of Matthew 25:31-46. The act on which punishment or reward rests is not primarily an act of kindness, although it reflects a heart of mercy. If it was simply kindness Jesus was looking for, then to act this way to any stranger or poor person would do. However, Jesus emphasizes that it is “my brothers” who are the key point—the righteous ones who follow Jesus. In Matthew 10:42, the focus in on giving hospitality “in the name of a disciple”—“disciple” being a distinctive term of a follower of Jesus. Thus, the reward is not just given to those who are kind to those who are righteous in general, but specifically those who offer hospitality to those who are followers of Jesus. The emphasis is not mercy in general, but a display of faithfulness to Jesus by enacting his command of mercy to those who come in his name.

This fits the paradigm of a king returning to his people after an absence, as the context of 25:31-46 seems to indicate. The parable of the talents (25:14-30) immediately precedes it, describing the judgment of a property owner over his slaves about their work during an absence. The slaves were rewarded or punished in accordance with the instructions of the property owner. The parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13) describes the judgment of the virgins’ actions (or inactions) while awaiting the coming of the bridegroom. The virgins were included or excluded depending on their state of readiness when the bridegroom came. Before that (24:45-51) is the analogy of a slave who needs to be working for when his master arrives. If the slave is not working, he will be punished, but if he is faithful to the master by working when he is absent, then the master will reward him.

All of these parables speak of faithfulness to an absent master through actions. A slave is faithful to his master in his absence by working hard. A virgin is faithful to her coming bridegroom by being prepared in her responsibility. A steward is faithful to his master by increasing his money while he is absent. Even so, while the king is absent, faithfulness is given to him in his absence by caring for his appointed servants—those who obey Jesus’ commands and who suffer loss and persecution for it. On this is the day of judgment based.

Summary
Thus, the teaching of Matthew 25:31-46 can be summarized: While awaiting the coming of the Son of Man, those faithful to Jesus will be characterized by offering hospitality and mercy to those who suffer due to being obedient to Jesus. On the day of judgment, those who offered such mercy will be included in the kingdom, while those who refused will be excluded and punished eternally.

And To Save The Economy, of course

 

Vanity

"To use wealth on vanity, even if it be the smallest amount, is to steal from the poor."

Eat The Rich

Many people despise wealth, but few know how to give it away.
-FRANCOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD

The More You Give, The More You Get

 

An example of God's economy.

Greed And The Ideal Society

Giving and the Needy in Luke and Acts

A. John’s Teaching of Repentance
So John began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?" And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise." And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what you have been ordered to." Luke 3:7-13

John the Baptist preached repentance in a similar way that Jesus did (e.g. Luke 13:1-5). Both John and Jesus—especially in Luke—had an ethical message tied with one’s dependence on God. And they both had an ethical message concerning wealth, which Luke highlights. John’s message on repentance is related to God’s coming new rule—that everyone needed to prepare themselves for God’s coming, and those who are ethically unprepared will be punished. The punishment John speaks of is no longer being considered a child of Abraham—or of receiving Abraham’s blessing.

When dealing with specific ethical issues, John was direct. If you have two of something and someone has need, give your extra to them. John emphasizes the willingness, rather than a socialized government, because repentance is an individual decision to follow God rather than the way one used to live. For those who are tax collectors, John commands them to not cheat, but to just accept the wages they are offered—he gives a similar command to soldiers (the local police). It must be noted, here, that compassion and integrity in the use of one’s wealth and resources are a minimum standard for those who wish to enter God’s kingdom.

B. The Sermon on the Plain
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 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 Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. Luke 6:32-38

The Sermon on the Plain is the foundational teaching of Jesus in the book of Luke. In the center of it, associated with his teaching on loving one’s enemies, Jesus speaks about giving. Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemies is not just about those who do things hateful toward one, but about treating everyone with equal love, even as God treats everyone with equal love in giving and providing needs. Jesus did not say that one needed to like everyone equally, but to provide for their needs equally—no matter what they have done to you. And if one would treat an enemy this way, then certainly one would treat a stranger who has done one no harm the same way.

Jesus specifically speaks about lending to people. This could be lending money or other resources. Deuteronomy 15 also speaks of lending, commanding the Israelites to lend to those in need, even if it looks as if you might not receive it back (Deut. 15:7-10). Jesus is affirming this, and broadening it to those who might be disobedient to God as well. Then Jesus mentions that those who give in this way—without exclusion, to meet needs, even if the debt is unreturned—would be rewarded by God even more than one gave.

C. Jesus’ Simple Command
Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Fill your wallet with benefits that will never run out. You will have an account in heaven that will provide all you need, where no one can steal it and nothing can destroy it. For where your resources are, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:33-34)

Jesus makes it clear—we are to give our resources to the needy. This is a command to all the disciples, not just a few (Luke 12:22). He made this statement after a long speech about the danger of accumulating wealth and the need to trust in God for one’s needs (Luke 12:13-31). Just after this statement, Jesus speaks about the coming kingdom which will overtake the earth, where the “master” will destroy the “slave” who does not take his master’s possessions and provide for other servants from it (Luke 12:35-48).

In this passage, Jesus is giving a command. It is not just a “good idea,” as if Jesus’ ethical commands are something that a good Christian can just ignore or accept, depending on how they feel that day. Obeying Jesus’ commands are a requirement for entering the kingdom of God (Luke 6:46-49). Nor is this statement an opportunity for rewards. The statement “having treasure in heaven” is used to speak about gaining the kingdom of God at all (Matthew 6:19-21;Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22—in the last two, “treasure in heaven” is used to parallel “salvation” and “entering the kingdom.”).

D. The Surrendering King
Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be my disciples who does not renounce all of his possessions. Luke 14:31-33

Jesus tells a parable here about a king who is going into battle against another king. Our unfortunate king, however, has far less soldiers in his army than his opponent and will surely be destroyed on the field of battle. Thus, he must make preparations for surrender. In the ancient way of warfare, this means two things: first of all, he must agree to submit to the victorious king and become his slave, under his orders. Secondly, he must give up all of what he has in his treasury—any silver, gold or other precious items he has in savings. In this way, he is humbled, but he retains his reign and people. (I Kings 14:25-26; 15:17-19; II Kings 12:17-18; II Kings 14:13-14; II Kings 16:8-9; II Kings 18:14-15; II Kings 24:12-14).

Jesus is telling this parable in order to make a point about our relationship to God. God is the victorious king, who is coming with a great army and will defeat us, unless we repent and submit to Jesus as our Lord and King. But God demands more than our submission, Jesus says. He is also demanding all of our possessions. We need to make all of our possessions available to God, for his service.

E. The Sneaky Steward
Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.' And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Luke 16:1-13

The parable of the steward is problematic for many because of the unethical practice of the steward. However, Jesus is not advocating a lack of integrity. Rather, he is emphasizing the “shrewdness” of the steward—the fact that he is facing a difficulty, and he is willing to sacrifice his wealth to secure his future. Even so, Jesus is recommending to the “sons of light” that they sacrifice their wealth for the sake of the coming age—the kingdom of God. Jesus’ recommendation is to give wealth to the needy who will be entering God’s kingdom. In that way, he says, they will secure you a place in the kingdom. Jesus subtlely shifts the focus of leadership in God’s kingdom from the wealthy to the poor—as he does often in the gospels (e.g. Luke 6:20-26). Thus, the “faithful” use of “unrighteous” wealth is to give it to the needy who are honoring God with their lives. And, in fact, Jesus reminds us, our wealth does not belong to us at all, but God—we are but stewards. Thus, we need to ask, not “what are wise investments” but “what are God’s investments?” Jesus answers this question by saying that the investments God wants us to participate in is giving to his people who are needy. Then the two masters saying is given—and in this context it is implying, “For what use will you use your money? For the sake of creating more money and wealth—thus serving the wealth itself? Or will you use it for God and give it away to those who are in need?”

F. The Rich Man and Lazarus
Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" Luke 16:19-31

There are many issues in this parable, and many questions to be answered. But the main ethical issue is easily discovered: The rich man was tortured after death because he lived in wealth, but refused to give to the needy man right at his gate. The message of Moses and the Prophets is to give to the needy (Deuteronomy 15:4-11; Isaiah 3:14-15; Isaiah 58:5-10; Jeremiah 5:26-29; Ezekiel 16:49; Ezekiel 18:10-13; Amos 5:12-15). If wealthy men do not listen to this message, they will be judged by God.

G. Zaccheus, the Righteous Wealthy
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:1-10

Zaccheus is the converse of much which is taught in the gospels and James—a wealthy man who is a true son of Abraham. How is this? Because he was surrendering half of his possessions to the poor and is following John the Baptist’s (and Moses’) instructions on not cheating others (Luke 3:12-13; Exodus 22:1). The only two differences are his obedience to Jesus and his pronouncement of giving to the poor. This confirms what Jesus teaches in other places: the rich man is saved by giving to the poor.

H. The Devourers and the Sacrificers
Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Luke 20:46-21:4

The gospel writers (Mark 12:38-44 and Luke) place together two items about widows. In the first, Jesus describes scribes—the educated theologians of his day—as devouring widow’s houses. In the next, they give an illustration of a widow who was losing her last means of support. She was taught that she should give her last penny to the “building project” of the temple, and so she followed suit, for she felt that she needed to give such wealth in order to be obedient to God (as the scribes taught).

Jesus, on the one hand, is praising the widow for her complete sacrifice to God, even to the detriment of herself. Such complete surrender displays the faith in God that Jesus spoke about.

On the other hand, Jesus (and the gospel writers) was criticizing the scribes for demanding that a widow give her last cent to a building, while she herself has nothing to live on. Such a teaching, Jesus implies, is opposed to God’s requirement of mercy to the needy.

I. The Example of the Early Church
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4:33-37

The early Christian community took seriously what Jesus taught about giving. In following Jesus’ command, they took the following actions:

a. They made all of their resources available.
If there was a need, they gave up all that they had for that need. They didn’t keep for themselves property that could have been better used for the poor. They opened their homes to the needy and they provided food for those who were hungry.

b. They sold items so the money could be used.
They voluntarily gave up what they had, sometimes sacrificially, in order to provide for the needy. This didn’t mean that they got rid of everything they had—many still kept lands and homes they needed—but they sold all they could and all that God was leading them to.

c. They gave to the church, knowing that the church would give the money to the needy.
They didn’t give to the temple, where they met. Nor did they pay unnecessary religious taxes. But, instead, they gave to those whom Jesus told them to give—those in need.

In this way it could be said, “There were no needy among them.” Even so, it could be with us if we followed Jesus’ principles of giving.

Even so, when we give to God, we do not just find the nearest church and give it to them. Rather, we give to the needy. It is the needy who are especially protected by God, and it says again and again in God’s word that those who give to the needy are actually giving to God. In fact, Jesus critiqued the Jewish religious leaders who told people to give to the temple to the detriment of giving to the needy in their community . Giving to the church is good, but only if they give to the needy.

See Zaccheus-- Live In Picture!

 

A Private Discussion On Wealth In The New Testament

Francis and Maria are a missionary couple living in an impoverished area in Mexico. James and Rosette are a upper-middle class couple living in the United States. They are discussing what to do with with an inheritance they have mutually received. After some other discussion, the conversation now focuses on Mark 10, just quoted in the previous chapter..

Francis: I already read it, so we don’t need to repeat that now. First of all, the passage is not about rewards—just as the other passages weren’t about rewards. The rich man made it clear from the first statement that he was speaking about gaining eternal life. When Jesus replied, he used as an equivalent statement “entering the kingdom of God.” And the disciples replied as an equivalent statement, “being saved.” And at the end of the passage, Jesus repeats the first phrase, “eternal life.” Thus, in this passage, gaining eternal life, entering the kingdom and being saved are three ways of saying the same thing.

James: So what?

Francis: So the passage is all through it talking about eternal salvation, not about temporary or lesser rewards. It is about heaven and hell.

James: Okay. Fine.

Francis: Jesus gives his answer by repeating some of the Ten Commandments. When the young man replied that he had done all that, Jesus’ command became more severe, it seems—he is telling the rich man to sell all of his possessions and then give the proceeds to the poor. This is the part of the command that is difficult, not the following Jesus. The man was sad “because he had many possessions.” If Jesus had intended to give a gospel of grace as it is often interpreted, he could have run after the man and said, “Look, I didn’t really mean that. I just wanted you to know that it is most important to believe in me. Forget about all the commands, okay?” But that’s not what Jesus did. He let the rich man go and sadly explained about a rich man’s fate. That it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom.

James: And why would it be hard?

Francis: In the context, it is hard because they find it difficult to give up their possessions in order to follow Jesus. Like I said, Jesus is making it clear that wealth itself is an obstacle to loving God and following Jesus. This isn’t the only passage that speaks about the difficulty for those with wealth. In Luke 6, Jesus pronounces woes on those who are rich, “for you have already received your comfort.” He also said, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

Rosette: But that doesn’t mean not to have money, does it?

Francis: Not exactly. He and his disciples used money to pay for things.

Rosette: I didn’t think so. He meant that we aren’t to worship money, right? Not to hold it as an idol in our hearts.

Francis: That depends on what you mean.

Rosette: I mean, you can use money, but you have to use it rightly, according to God’s will. And money can’t be more important than God. But aside from that, money is okay.

Francis: Well, I would agree with that. The real question is: what is God’s will? What does God want us to do with our money? The thing that Jesus said is that if you do not have money or the things it can buy as an idol in your heart, then you will show it in your practice…

Rosette: Why do you keep saying, “the things money can buy”? We just shouldn’t have money as an idol right? Money is what Jesus is talking about, right?

Francis: Of course, we don’t want to have anything as an idol. It wouldn’t be good for us to be worshiping our beds, would it? Or our television?

Rosette: (Unsure of what he is saying) No, it wouldn’t.

Francis: The word “Mammon” in Aramaic means somewhat what the word “wealth” means in English. Both the money and the things it could buy. If a person is rich, it isn’t just because they have a large income. The issue of income doesn’t come up in the Bible.

James: Well, how does the Bible measure whether someone is rich or not.

Francis: By what they have. If you are a peasant, the significant thing isn’t that the lord on the hill has a large income. What burns you is that he has this huge, comfortable castle to live in and servants to care for him, with every luxury.

Maria: Or a house in the suburbs with every electronic servant you want.

James: (Clearing his throat.) So why do translations use the word “mammon” or “money” instead of “wealth” like you say?

Francis: Many translations still use the word “mammon” to give it an idol-sounding name, which is Jesus’ point. And “money” is a literal translation, even if it doesn’t give the whole sense of the word. But when Jesus spoke to the rich man about getting rid of his idol, he didn’t speak of money, but of his possessions. Even so, Jesus isn’t just speaking of paper money or gold, but of all of our material possessions as well.

Rosette: Well, didn’t Paul say that the love of money was the root of all kinds of evil? So why would possessions be such a problem?

Francis: I think that the solution to that is found in James 5. Jim, I just want to let you know, this is one of the most strongly worded passages in the New Testament. I am not trying to be pointed. I just want to understand what Scripture says about these matters.

James: Thanks for the warning. I guess.

Francis: (Looking in Bible.) Just trying to help. Okay, James 5 beginning at verse 1—“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

James: (Eyes wide) Well, you were right. That is strongly worded. That isn’t speaking to all the rich, is it?

Francis: Well, although James often speaks of the rich in general terms, he is dealing with a stereotype of the rich. There are assumptions that he makes about all rich people, that may or may not be true. The nice thing is that he puts those assumption right here in this passage. And these are the same things that are a problem with possessions in the whole of the New Testament.

James: I see that the passage speaks about oppression of workers.

Francis: That’s right. That’s one of the areas of weakness. From Leviticus on, the Bible speaks about not withholding wages from hired workers. So to be rich, James assumes, is to oppress one’s workers.
Rosette: What does that have to do with possessions?

Francis: Well, it is just the flip side of the coin. Let me explain. At the end, James condemns the rich for living lives of pleasure while it is actually the last days. There is a connection between storing up possessions and the pleasure that one has in the Bible.

Rosette: Well, I suppose if someone reveled in pleasures—if they were a glutton of pleasure— that would be a problem. But what’s wrong with a little enjoyment?

Francis: Enjoyment isn’t a problem in and of itself. Jesus had the reputation of a man who gave himself to pleasure—although that wasn’t true. The point is this: the one with many possessions makes sure that they are comfortable and have pleasure for themselves. They don’t share it with those who are needy. In Ezekiel 16, Sodom is condemned because she lived a life of pleasure and didn’t help the poor and needy. In Deuteronomy 16, the feast of weeks is to be celebrated by all Israel, and those who have resources are supposed to make sure that the poor in their midst participate. In Luke 14, Jesus was talking to those who put on parties. He didn’t tell them not to have parties, but he told them to invite the poor, rather than their well-off family members and friends.

Rosette: So we are supposed to enjoy ourselves, but with the poor?

Francis: Right! But James says something else as well. The one who uses their wealth for pleasure has an extra condemnation against them. They are hoarding up wealth in the last days.

James: What do you mean by “hoarding”?

Francis: The literal term is “treasuring up”. It basically means storing wealth against a future time of need. But to store up wealth in the last days—when all wealth is about to be destroyed and resources are going to be re-distributed—that is firmly condemned.

James: So storing up money is wrong?

Francis: Right. The money should be used for those in need. But remember, we aren’t just talking about money, but about possessions.

Rosette: So… what is wrong with possessions? In all this, I’m not sure I got an answer.

Francis: Storing up possessions for yourself is an indication of hoarding wealth for yourself that should be shared with those who are in need. John the Baptist said that the one who has an extra tunic should share with the one who has none. Jesus told us not to store up treasures on earth.

James: Well, he said to store up treasures in heaven. Do good things so you can gain rewards in heaven.

Francis: What Jesus said goes far beyond that. He said not just to store up treasures in heaven, but to not store them up on earth. This means to hold them against a future day. In fact, he said that to store up treasures in heaven is to sell your possessions and give to the poor.

James: I’ve never read that—where is that?

Francis: Luke 12:33. Let me read it. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money belts that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven where no moth comes in and no thief destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

James: Well, is he speaking to the rich ruler there?

Francis: Nope. He is speaking to all of his disciples. That passage brings up one other point about possessions. The desire of your heart will be indicated where you place your treasure. If you place your wealth and resources into helping those who preach the gospel and the poor, then you are investing your wealth into heaven. But if you place your wealth into building your own pleasure, fulfilling your own desires, then you will have nothing for the future. In the same chapter—Luke 12— Jesus tells a parable about a man who has some excess wealth and decides to invest it into a business proposal that will give him comfort and possibly an early retirement. In the parable, God condemns that man, saying that he has made all these plans, but that night he was to die and he has nothing in heaven to show for his life. Why? Because he hoarded for himself, but didn’t plan to give to those who are in need.

Chuck: (Irritated) And what is wrong with using what you have earned? If you worked hard in your life, why shouldn’t you enjoy the proceeds?

Maria: (Jumping in.) Don’t you see the injustice? If your neighbor is hungry or without shelter, and you have excess, shouldn’t you help him? Jesus spoke about a rich man who went to hell because he lived in pleasure, while there was a beggar outside of his gate, suffering. Isn’t that unjust? Shouldn’t that be punished?

Chuck: I don’t have any beggars at my door.

Maria: Do you not live here in Portland? How many times have you driven by beggars looking for money because you didn’t think they deserved it? Have you ever given money to a shelter in town? Have you ever helped the multitudes of impoverished immigrants who are moving in daily? And Mexico is not far. We live among the poor every day. We see them, we know them. It would be a simple thing to share even a small portion of your wealth with those in need there. Children who die because of inadequate medical care. Women who die in childbirth. You could help them.

Chuck: They have made their choices. I have made better ones.

Maria: (Speaking very sharply, with much heat.) They have had no choices! What options have they had? To move to Mexico City and die there because of no income? To escape to America and get shot by the border patrols? No, you are the ones with choices, with many options. Someone had enough money to give you a top education. You had the clothes, language, education and experience to begin a job that you could make a disgusting amount of money at. You are where you are because of luck and God’s grace— not choices. What you have has been given to you. Even so, Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Yet you live in luxury and pleasure. What kind of entertainment center do you have? How many videos do you have? Or is it DVDs now? How many cars do you have? One BMW could feed my entire village for a year. Do you have an extra one?

Francis: (In Spanish) He isn’t a believer, my love. He won’t appreciate what you’re saying.

Maria: (In Spanish, still angry.) Didn’t God condemn Sodom for the same sin? Didn’t Jonah preach to Nineveh and they repented? Shouldn’t we let him know that he will be condemned for his greed?

Francis: (Spanish) We don’t actually know that he is greedy. But even if he is, he can do nothing about it without Jesus to help him.

James: Um… guys. Could you please speak in English? We’re a bit in the dark here.

Francis: Sorry.

Maria: (Eyes looking down, but still burning. Speaking coldly.) I am sorry if I have offended.

Rosette: I understand Maria. It must be hard to see all the wealth here, considering where you came from.

Maria: Yes. It is.

Francis: Chuck, maybe I can answer your original question. You wondered what was wrong with using what you earn. I suppose in this life, there isn’t anything wrong with it. But if you want to be pleasing to God, to do what Jesus said, to have a place in the kingdom of heaven, then you need to surrender your wealth, to surrender your pleasures and give to those in need.

James: Whoa, there. I’m not too sure about that. You can’t be connecting what we do with our money with our salvation. Again, our salvation is by grace, not by what we do with our money.

Chuck: (Getting up) I’m going to check on our lunch. (Leaves.)

Francis: Jim, this is why I talked about faith and works before. Those who will gain a right standing before God are those who obey Jesus. Not just those who give intellectual assent to Jesus, but those who obey them.

James: I know that you believe that. But obeying Jesus is one thing—avoiding major sin like sexual immorality, homosexuality and murder. That’s fine. But you’re talking about money. Why are you saying that our use of money is that important?

Francis: Because Jesus says it is! We spoke already that to build up treasure in heaven is to get rid of your excess wealth and give it to the poor. Jesus says that to have treasure in heaven is to have eternal life!

James: No, I don’t think so.

Francis: Look, it’s in the passages I already read to you. Mark 10—The rich young ruler was asking about eternal life and Jesus responded “if you want treasure in heaven” then sell your possessions and give to the poor. Luke 12:32 and 33—Jesus speaks about the disciples gaining the kingdom and then he says that to sell your possessions and give to the poor is to gain treasure in heaven—the same as gaining the kingdom of God. To be rid of your possessions IS to have treasure in heaven IS to enter the kingdom of God IS eternal life. You can’t separate one part from another.

Jumping the Needle's Eye

Given the statements about the danger of wealth for the disciple, it is not surprising that the disciple needs to surrender his wealth before he can be included as one of the inheritors of the kingdom.

Jesus indicated that one can either store up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven, but not both (Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:21) and that to store up treasures in heaven is to inherit the kingdom of God (Luke 12:32-34).

Jesus offered as a principle that whoever gave up everything—their family and livelihood—would receive an abundance of family and livelihood in this life and will inherit the kingdom of God in the age to come.

When the disciples began to follow Jesus, they gave up their occupations and their families and their wealth (Mark 1:16-20; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-28). In fact, Jesus says, before one begins to follow Jesus, he must give up his family, and surrender his very life (Luke 14:25-27).

Right after this, he says that the one who wishes to follow him needs to give up all of his possessions (Luke 14:33). Instead, all of Jesus’ disciples needs to not worry about their future needs, but to sell their possessions and give to the poor and then they will have riches in God (Luke 12: 21-34).

As an indication of his inheritance of the kingdom of God, Zaccheus offered as proof his lack of cheating in his occupation and his surrender of half of his wealth to the poor. Jesus accepted this and called him an inheritor of the kingdom (Luke 19:1-10).

Jesus commanded the young man with many possessions to sell everything in order to follow Jesus and to inherit the kingdom (Mark 10:17-22).

Jesus also spoke two parables which indicated that if one was to gain the kingdom of God, he would have to sell everything he had to gain it (Matthew 13:44-46).

In Acts, the disciples in Jerusalem are described as having nothing of their own, but held everything in common, some of them selling their family inheritance in order to give it to the apostles, who gave the proceeds to the poor among them (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37).

When the 12 are sent out, they are to take nothing with them, but to have their needs provided for by the towns where they ministered (Matthew 10; Mark; Luke 9).
In John, the one who inherits eternal life is the disciple who loves others, and this love is shown practically through hospitality.

In I John, is shown to be those who surrender their wealth for those in need (John 13:34-35; I John 3:16-18).

Thus, in the teaching of Jesus and in the life of the disciples, the surrender of one’s wealth is a prerequisite of inheriting the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:17-31
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall 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 MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"
And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?"
Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You."
Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."

1. The basic question—How does one become an inheritor of the kingdom of God?

2. Jesus’ answer—Obey the commands of the covenant with Israel and to follow Jesus.

3. Prerequisite—Jesus said to sell possessions and give to the poor. This seems to be a prerequisite to following Jesus (i.e. Matthew 13:44-46; Luke 14:33).

4. Difficulty of prerequisite—Jesus tells his disciples how difficult, indeed impossible, it is for the wealthy to inherit the kingdom of God. Why? Because they have so many possessions, they find it difficult to get rid of them in order to follow Jesus.

5. Questions about prerequisite—The disciples had a hard time with this, on two levels. First, they wondered that if the rich had such a difficult time being saved, then perhaps it was too difficult for anyone. Jesus’ response was that it is God who saves and who makes such a prerequisite possible to endure, not man—thus it is possible. Secondly, the disciples wondered if their leaving of their families and possessions is inadequate in light of what Jesus required of the rich man.

6. Prerequisite revisited—Jesus said that anyone who left their families, occupations and wealth would gain the following benefits:

A. A greater family on earth (the community of Jesus—Matthew 12:48-50);

B. A greater wealth on earth (One’s needs met by God and the community of Jesus—Matthew 6 and Matthew 25:31-46); and

C. Eternal life, which is inheritance of the kingdom of God

However, Jesus also indicated that this new life and lifestyle would be accompanied by persecutions.

7. Final Warning: This section ends with Jesus’ common warning—“Many who are last will be first and the first last.” This could mean that if the rich man repents of hoarding his wealth, he will be in the kingdom with greater honor than the disciples.