The Wealth Test

Why is money such a common topic in Jesus’ preaching? Could it be that our wealth is a test? Could the way we handle money reveal whether we choose heaven or hell for all eternity? Let’s discuss this and the Great Reversal in Luke 16:19-31.

Rich

Luke 16:19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.”

God hates covetousness (Exodus 18:21), high taxes (1 Samuel 8:10-18), robbing others’ inheritance (Micah 2:1-5), coveting what others stole from us (Luke 12:13-21), selfish accumulation (Luke 16:19-31), and swindling (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Covetousness causes conflict (James 4:1-4) and false religion (2 Peter 2).

A social gospel is misunderstood. The Gospel story of a selfish rich man who was hard-hearted towards poor Lazarus is an example. This passage does not require good works before salvation, but social responsibility towards others ought to be clearly evident among those who believe, in how we treat others.

Poor

Luke 16:20-21 “At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.”

Folklore names the rich man Dives. But in reality, the destitute beggar has a name but not the rich man. Is this how God looks at the world? Do the homeless who believe have a name in heaven, but do selfish and uncaring materialists have no name and no fame?

Bullies seem to be in every walk of life. They serve self, not the self-sacrificial leadership we find in Jesus. This bully, even in hell continued to bark orders. Another lesson for us is that if we do not have compassion on the weak, we are no better than bullies.

A so-called success, was a great failure in care of the less fortunate. A selfish salvation, not saving others is an oxymoron. Salvation is something that a person shares, both physical salvation for this life and eternal salvation for the next. Lacking compassion, is one of life’s greatest ethical failures.

Death

Luke 16:22-23 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.”

For soul-sleepers, those believing the soul sleeps between death and the resurrection, this story is difficult to explain away. Other difficult passages for soul-sleepers are Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-24; and Revelation 6:9-11. The theory of soul sleep pretends these passages are mere metaphors.

Jesus used ancient Greek mythology of Hades to explain an aspect of the afterlife. Is it a sin to be rich? No. But, wealth and luxury deceive us into thinking that we have no responsibility towards those around us who are suffering. Building walls around us cannot remove our guilt.

Many theologians will tell us that we must be humble and admit that many questions about details of hell remain unanswered. Certainly, heaven is good and hell is bad. Hell is painfully bad. There will be horrible suffering of some kind there. Heaven is wonderfully good. So, let's choose heaven!

Ed Hill gave 3 reasons he didn’t want hell. 1) He didn’t like pain. Hell includes suffering. 2) He didn’t like bad company. Hell is full of people who cause misery. 3) He wants to be with the One who loves us more than anyone else in the world, God.

Hell

Luke 16:24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’”

There are many questions about hell (Mark 9:43-45; Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:10-15). Is it literal, symbolic, eternal suffering, sadistic, loving, a choice, or predestination? Theologians have a wide variety of theories, but one area of agreement. All descriptions of hell are negative. Don’t choose hell.

Life after death is sometimes called the Great Reversal. Heaven’s opinion is very different than high society. Possessions and status symbols are unimportant. What was the rich man’s problem? It was not his wealth, but what he had allowed his wealth to do to him, neglected his obligation to Lazarus.

Great Chasm

Luke 16:25-26 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’”

This reminds the wealthy of social responsibilities, and the poor that they count for a great deal in heaven. Wealth and power are not tools for self-indulgence, but obligations to be used wisely in service to others. Jesus joins the street beggar to care for him and relieve his suffering.

Being rich is not a problem. Being hard-hearted is. How do we overcome such a hard heart? Not by throwing crumbs at the poor and beating a hasty retreat. The Good Samaritan got involved. God is seeking compassionate people to get involved in relieving the suffering of the poor.

Blaming the poor for their poverty is ignorance of the facts. Many poor are unable to rise above their circumstances. In the parable Lazarus was dumped at the rich man’s gate to beg indicating an inability to walk there on his own. His only physical salvation was in compassion from others.

There is a divide in education, recreation and business. Many wealthy support and enforce separation. God gives us freedom to decide, but our decisions in this life determine our eternity. After they died, the gulf between Lazarus and the rich man continued. But this time, their individual situations were reversed.

Persuasion

Luke 16:27-31 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the Rich Man supports what the Old Testament taught, an obligation to the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; Isaiah 3:14-15; Jeremiah 5:26-28; Ezekiel 18:12-18; Amos 2:6-8; Zechariah 7:9-10). God demands that we do not oppress the widow, fatherless, foreigner or the poor.

Does God exist? Evidence is ubiquitous, yet many disbelieve. Faith determines whether evidence is accepted or not. The rich man suggested that if someone from the dead warned his brothers, they would repent. Abraham said that they would not. More evidence will not convince a hard-hearted person against their will.

There are two kinds of people in the world, givers and takers. Hard-hearted selfishness is the road to hell. Jesus teaches us to be givers. The Holy Spirit leads us to be givers, and that is what is practiced by those bound for heaven.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tainted Tithes

Should we boycott corporations with dirty money, or is all money filthy lucre, somehow tainted? Is our contaminated money usable for heavenly purposes? Let’s learn that our tainted tithes can be used for heaven. Let’s discuss a shrewd business manager and his wise use of filthy money in Luke 16:1-13.

People versus Profits

Luke 16:1-4 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ 3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

An absentee landowner buys land cheaply from debt-burdened farmers. The farmers now work as hired hands. The manager has great latitude. Was he more generous than the owner wanted? Did he mismanage the boss’s money? The manager’s next scheme has selfish motives. His other options were manual labor and begging.

Forgiving Debts

Luke 16:5-7 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ 7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

The manager forgave his boss’s debtors. He had the authority. Was it dishonest? Did the owner cheat the people in the first place? Yet, the boss commends his manager for shrewdness. The manager now has grateful friends. Was he unjust? What were his motives? Debt forgiveness is a great blessing.

Righteous Purposes for Money

Luke 16:8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.

Is Jesus praising misuse of money? Ought Christians use even the corrupt resources of this world for any possible good they can do? Are all of this world’s teachings about money evil? Is Jesus saying to use money in manners similar to dishonest rascals, but for eternal and godly purposes?

Dirty Money

Luke 16:9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

Parables leave room for hearty conversation, deep thought and different opinions. Jesus challenges us to think about the wise use of money to benefit others. But, is not money is corrupted in some way? Jesus’ instructions were quite the opposite. He said to use unrighteous mammon to make eternal friends.

Faithful with Little

Luke 16:10-12 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

Many people misuse money. All money is on loan from God. Even a trillionaire on earth has little compared to owning the whole Universe. Can God trust us with money? God loaned us just a little temporarily. How faithful to God are we with what little He has given us?

Serving Two Masters

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Does money master us or do we master money? In ancient Israel the wealth was spread equally in a planned system to minimize poverty, using a seven and fifty year redistribution. The jubilee system prevented some abuses of wealth. We can master money and bring small jubilees to the poor.

Wealth is dangerous and deceptive. Are we honest and fair? What is a righteous price? What is a righteous day’s pay? Wealth blinds us to the suffering of others. Wealth deceives us. Ownership is fiction. We borrow from God what others will possess one day. We can avoid the danger and deception of wealth by using it for eternal purposes.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lectionary Readings

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Jeremiah weeps for the impending pain and destruction of Jerusalem. Last week we heard a prophecy of creation returning to tohu-va-bohu unless there was repentance. The prophecies were ignored. This week, we hear the pain in Jeremiah’s voice and in the Psalm. The people have lost their country. They know that their religious and political leaders deceived them.

Jeremiah grieves. He wants relief, "Is there a balm in Gilead?" We confess that "we have not loved our neighbors and we have not heard the cry of the needy" (UMH 8). Today is an opportunity to hear the cry of the needy.

Psalm 79:1-9 This is a strong response to passages like Jeremiah’s. John Wesley censored strong passages from his 30 day reading lectionary, but we should not censor God’s Word. We should pray this passage! What “cries of the needy” do we hear around us? What cries of the needy you we not hear, but should? Who are the needy or wounded around us? Have we heard their cries? Where are shining examples of those hearing the cries of the needy? How do we connect with the cries of the needy? What input do others have for service to the cries of the needy around us?

1 Timothy 2:1-7 Paul provides direction for what should be included in the “prayers of the people” and in what order. Our ministry of prayer joins Jesus as mediator. God’s mercy flows through our lives for the sake of the world. Congregational intercession or “the prayers of the people” involves holding the whole world before God’s just, loving, redeeming, and transforming gaze.

Justin Martyr suggested that early Christian congregational praying was comprehensive and an active exercise by the whole people involving movement, song, dance, set prayers and spontaneity. Paul’s prayer list here is comprehensive.

Such praying is not possible without the Holy Spirit. "We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs and groans too deep for words." Full participation in these prayers appears to have been limited to the baptized. Why? Because the baptized receive the Holy Spirit to enable their prayers.

God does hear the prayers of the unbaptized even though they have not yet received all the gifts needed in the church’s priestly ministry of intercession.

God's Lost Valuables

How valuable are non-Christians to God? Let’s see just how valuable they are. Let’s discuss a lost sheep and a lost coin from Luke 15:1-10.

Luke 15:1-2 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

Luke 15:3-7 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Jesus described sinners as like lost sheep (Psalm 119:176). Jeremiah 50:6 blames the shepherds, Israel’s political and religious leaders. Ezekiel 34:8 warns gluttonous national leaders who feed themselves and let the people starve. God gets angry with shepherds who do not fulfill their responsibilities (Zechariah 10:2-3).

Market prices of sheep may be $130-500 each. Leaving 99, vulnerable to predators, gives the shepherd a risk to reward ratio of 99:1, a huge gamble. Yet, Jesus risked far more for us. Do we appreciate how much God is willing to risk to save each one of us?

Luke 15:8-10 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

The world’s most valuable coin may be a silver 1795 flowing hair dollar worth almost $8 million. What would we do if we lost such a coin? We’d sweep and scour every nook and cranny. When we found the coin worth millions, we’d feel like throwing a party. That’s how the angels rejoice when even just one sinner repents.

Lost and found is a story of repentance. So, who did the finding? These two parables were a response to criticism of Jesus being with sinners. He is the shepherd looking for the lost. Rather than avoiding sinners like some Christians do, should we follow Jesus’ example and get involved?

A parable is a story aiding a truth. A sinner is like something valuable that is lost. This seems to include all humanity. The moral of the story is that Jesus is actively seeking a way to bring the lost home. Prophetically, all heaven rejoices when one lost sinner repents.

Many proverbs warn against bad company. Tax collectors and sinners were Jesus’ occasional company. His reply to His critics was explained in three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. When so many sinners avoid the average Christian, what was it about Jesus that attracted them?

Aren’t we all sinners? In Luke’s Jewish cultural context, sinners are those rejected by broader society as undesirables. As we think of those who are out of favor with the majority, is Jesus reminding us that those are exactly the kind of people he would consider to be lost sheep?

Will we find the lost if we don’t act? The shepherd left the comfort of the flock to search places where sheep get lost, perhaps among rocky crags or thorn bushes. The woman turned her house upside down looking in all those unlikely places. What are we willing to do?

Some try to equate either socialism or capitalism with Christianity. Both miss important godly principles. Jesus teaches that the stronger, the shepherd, risks everything for the weaker, the lost sheep. Jesus sacrificed everything for us. Predators are driven by self-interest and unwilling to sacrifice. Christians are called to be different.

Let’s take a brief look at this week’s other lectionary texts:

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 is a country song, a lament about a nation breaking their covenant with God. The creation story is reversed, leaving everything without form and void. God will destroy a nation for hard-heartedness, uncircumcised hearts, evil deeds, foolishness, stupidity, and evil. Yet still, God seeks his sheep.

Psalm 14 is also a country song about a fool, a stubborn and willfully ignorant fool. They say, “Your God is nothing” and act vile. They destroy the dreams of the poor, but God is on the side of the poor. God’s correction is so that his sheep will repent.

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Paul shows that God in Christ wants to save sinners. Because he once opposed Christ, Paul sees himself as the worst of sinners, yet forgiven. The gospel reveals God giving mercy where we might not, to lost sheep who turn to him asking for it.

God wants us to understand how valued those are who are not in the church and how important to Him the task of seeking the lost is. How many lost people do we know? What is our responsibility towards them? How happy will we be for the lost to come to Christ?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Total Commitment

How committed are we to Jesus? Are we willing to carry our cross? Have we counted the cost of discipleship? Are we willing to make the sacrifice? Let’s examine our cross, our cost and our sacrifice as disciples in Luke 14:25-33.

Our Cross

Luke 14:25-27 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Hate is a strong word. Love for human family and even self ought to seem like hate compared with our love for God. No earthly love can be allowed to become an idol replacing God. Discipleship is open to those willing to bear their cross, focusing on self-sacrifice, not possessions.

Did Jesus contradict his command to love our neighbor as ourselves, even family? Is allegiance to him above that of family and self? In context, the word “hate” expresses our moral obligation to Jesus above all others, even self. Jesus redirects loyalties to what is eternal above what is temporal.

Our Cost

Luke 14:28-30 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

Observation towers in vineyards still exist. Ancient city walls also contained watch towers. If thinking of becoming a Christian, then counting the cost beforehand is important. What will we do if family or personal desires pressure us to be lukewarm or even quit? Will we be faithful to the end?

The tower analogy is building a disciple’s life. Jesus wants us to seriously consider the cost. Morally, discipleship includes willingness to give some things up, the opposite of materialistic false gospels. Symbolically, family resources and our own strength cannot finish the job. We must rely on heaven to help us.

Our Sacrifice

Luke 14:31-33 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

In man-to-man combat, those willing to die are more likely to succeed and live. Wartime leaders take counsel from a wide variety of advisors. Good disciples surround themselves with formal and informal mentors with experience and wisdom. Fidelity to Christ means being always ready to place everything else behind us.

Those early disciples did literally abandon family and businesses to follow Jesus. By analogy, we are at war against evil and must be committed to Jesus above material distractions. Morally, being overwhelmed with materialism blinds us to the spiritual battle for our souls. Prophetically, the kingdom belongs to the faithful.

Are we willing to be clay in the potter's hand? (Jeremiah 18:1-11) God knows us inside and out and wants to bless us more than we imagine. (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18) Paul prodded Philemon to emancipate his slave. Are we called to emancipate the whole world? (Philemon 1:1-21)

Are we willing to carry our cross? Are we willing to pay the cost of discipleship? Are we willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus? Christianity is nothing without carrying our cross, counting the cost and total commitment.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.