Every so often as I research and read in preparation for one topic, I stumble across a line, thought or quote that inspires me to write a new sermon – or in this case a blog post. As I was reading Scot McKnight’s Kingdom Conspiracy (great book – please read it!), I found this quote on the topic of how citizens of the Kingdom of God (Christians) should consider handling finances, money, and possessions.

[Jesus] is neither a champion nor an opponent of laissez faire; he neither forbids trade unions, strikes, and lockouts, nor advises them; he was neither socialist nor individualist. Jesus was fined neither of the working nor [of] the rich man as such. He dealt with persons, nor economic classes. The question he would put to a man is not “Are you rich?” “Are you poor?” but “Have you done the will of my Father and loved all men?”

 The quote is from Shailer Mathews, a prominent theologian from the early 20th century, and the quote addresses one of the most complicated, under-discussed, and controversial aspects of Jesus: money. Don’t mis-read me, though; I am not saying that money is not talked about at all. Our culture has money on the brain. We watch stocks, bank accounts, and investments with Superman-laser-eye-like intensity. Bills constantly remind us of money. We have TV channels dedicated to money. Political debates and disagreements often revolve around money like planets around a star. We think about, talk about, complain about, dream about, and maybe even obsess about money. We “keep our mind on our money and our money on our mind.” But not in the context of Jesus and his Kingdom. That’s complicated and uncomfortable. Many don’t know what Jesus taught about money, and many think they do. You might have heard that Jesus only loves the poor and has no tolerance for the rich and wealthy. Or maybe you heard that Jesus was hypocritical by condemning the wealthy while benefiting from their contributions. So let’s clear some things up, and here is where the above quote is so valuable.

Jesus spent time ministering to/with, loving, and living with both the wealthy and the poor. Jesus’ ministry was funded by some wealthy women (Luke 8:1-3). Jesus ate with both wealthy tax collectors and the poor. Most importantly Jesus died for all, the wealthy and the poor. As such he seems to be neither for or against poverty or wealth; Jesus is for doing the will of God and loving others. I’ll take my cue from Scot McKnight here and offer two contrasting stories to make this point; the first is Luke 18:18-23.

A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich.

Too many times this story has been read with the wrong focus: wealth. Jesus concern here isn’t the man’s wealth as much as it is greed. The man is not spiritually lacking because he is rich, but because of his greed, his love for his money and things. After all, notice what Jesus asked the man to do. He was not asked to cease being wealthy, but he was asked to be willing to part with his wealth. Jesus doesn’t challenge the man’s wealth, but his attachment to his wealth. Simultaneously, Jesus is also challenging the man to use his wealth for the benefit of others. This is not necessarily a call to socialism (see the quote above). This is a call for compassion, love, and sacrifice for others, and the man’s greed – not his wealth – prevents him from wanting to love God and love others. In contrast, consider the story of Zacchaeus just a few verses later in Luke 19:1-10.

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

 Zacchaeus is given the same opportunity as the wealthy man in Luke 18, but Zacchaeus responds differently. When facing his own greed and consequent guilt from defrauding and stealing from others, Zacchaeus chose to make right his wrongs by giving half of his possessions to the poor and using the rest to pay back those he stole from at the astounding interest rate of 400%! This is not because Jesus loves the poor more than the wealthy, but because following Jesus requires governing our finances with the principles of love for God, love for neighbor, and sacrifice. In this way, Jesus is not for or against either the poor or the wealthy, but was for all people. For the poor, Jesus recognized needs that could be met. For the wealthy, Jesus recognized means that could meet needs. For both he wanted love. For the sake of both he taught against greed. For the sake of both he taught compassion. For all, wealthy and rich alike, Jesus desired lives of faith, love of God, and love of others. So I think I agree with Shailer Mathews, and I’ll leave you with this thought from the Apostle John:

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? – 1 John 3:16-18