A danger to health
“Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money…”(The Message, 1 Tim 6.17-18)
Luke 16.1-18
The story of the dishonest manager is arguably the most perplexing of Jesus’ parables - “an exegetical hornets’ nest” (Craig L. Blomberg, “Neither Poverty Nor Riches”, Apollos, Leicester, 1999). But we can safely assume that the two central characters placed great value on financial riches. In this they were much like those Pharisees who “loved money” (verse 14) and who, as a result, couldn’t abide Jesus’ astonishing teaching about money and wealth.
It’s hard to exaggerate how radical Jesus’ teaching was, so radical that we are tempted to either ignore it or explain it away. Few of us feel comfortable under its glare. Whereas we might be inclined to consider money a blessing from God, Jesus insists that Money seeks to divorce us from God, and enslave us. Money will try to persuade us that this is not so. Jesus urges us to choose between God and Money, Money will say we don’t have to. Jesus urges us to use money to help others, Money urges us to spoil ourselves.
If all Christians fully accepted Jesus’ teaching about money, and strived in all honesty to live accordingly, the beneficial impact for poor communities would be phenomenal. For a start, poverty within the worldwide community of the Church would be eradicated. Well over 200 million Christians would be liberated from the daily struggle to survive. Moreover, the Church’s capacity to respond to the needs of the poor outside the Church would be multiplied beyond recognition, and for countless millions the gospel message of God’s love would be powerfully demonstrated. Only God’s Spirit can produce such a reformation.
Lord help me to put my trust in you rather than money, and empower me to be extravagantly generous in responding to the needs of others.-Steve Bradbury.
Luke 16.1-18
The story of the dishonest manager is arguably the most perplexing of Jesus’ parables - “an exegetical hornets’ nest” (Craig L. Blomberg, “Neither Poverty Nor Riches”, Apollos, Leicester, 1999). But we can safely assume that the two central characters placed great value on financial riches. In this they were much like those Pharisees who “loved money” (verse 14) and who, as a result, couldn’t abide Jesus’ astonishing teaching about money and wealth.
It’s hard to exaggerate how radical Jesus’ teaching was, so radical that we are tempted to either ignore it or explain it away. Few of us feel comfortable under its glare. Whereas we might be inclined to consider money a blessing from God, Jesus insists that Money seeks to divorce us from God, and enslave us. Money will try to persuade us that this is not so. Jesus urges us to choose between God and Money, Money will say we don’t have to. Jesus urges us to use money to help others, Money urges us to spoil ourselves.
If all Christians fully accepted Jesus’ teaching about money, and strived in all honesty to live accordingly, the beneficial impact for poor communities would be phenomenal. For a start, poverty within the worldwide community of the Church would be eradicated. Well over 200 million Christians would be liberated from the daily struggle to survive. Moreover, the Church’s capacity to respond to the needs of the poor outside the Church would be multiplied beyond recognition, and for countless millions the gospel message of God’s love would be powerfully demonstrated. Only God’s Spirit can produce such a reformation.
Lord help me to put my trust in you rather than money, and empower me to be extravagantly generous in responding to the needs of others.-Steve Bradbury.
posted by Mim @ 7:58 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home