Ruth-Angela

Lord,As we look at your teachings about money in the Gospel of Luke today, I ask that you would help us to see and hear your words in The Word in fresh ways, and to hear your voice in it all. Give us the humility to approach your words rightly, rather than putting words into your mouth.In Jesus’ name,Amen Luke 7:41-43 Sin = debt. Money in this passage is a sign of bondage, and the debt is a metaphor for sins that without the mercy of God, could never be repaid by either man. The forgiveness that the banker shows here is emblematic of God’s mercy and grace for us in always forgiving us when we stumble. So, then, like these men, who were forgiven insurmountable debts, we should always be thankful for forgiveness from our Father, though it is a gift. Luke 12:6-7 What is Jesus saying about money, here? I feel him asking us to think about what really matters. Does money really matter? No. Your soul is the truly valuable thing, He sees us, not as dollar signs (particularly not that), but as bearers of His image, and when we are too concerned with money or the things of this world that image gets tarnished. This is not to say that He does not care about the things that affect our lives here, but because our souls are important, He will care for the rest on our behalf. Luke 12:29-34 We all need to get this straight, get it into our very cores that worry does nothing. So, why worry? God always provides for us, just as He does for the birds and the flowers in the fields. This verse is not saying that we should never try to plan ahead, but that worry about future provision need not consume us, as it does the people who do not know the Lord. In fact, he tells us to *gulp* trust him enough that we sell all we have and give that money to the poor. This action will build up our accounts in heaven, where we will never lose those resources, and it will cause our focus to shift from earthly matters of physical needs and situations to the concerns of the Kingdom, which is ours as we seek it. Luke 12:41-44 It is not about the size of a gift that we give to the King, but the spirit in which it is given. This widow had nothing else left to live on, yet she loved the Lord enough that she gave her last freely, even though in the natural, that would seem to have doomed her to starvation. The truth about that, though, is that those two small coppers wouldn’t have bought much anyway, they were likely worth a penny or two, so they wouldn’t have donw her any good had she held onto them anyway. Luke 16:1-13 This world is not ours, we have been entrusted with it as a way to prove that we are worthy of the Kingdom. This life is a test. So, the ways in which we handle situations weigh against us in the end. Use this life to make friends and bring them into the Kingdom, as the implication is that salvation may not be assured for those who do not manage this life appropriately. After all, if all we run after and focus on is the acquisition or lack of money in this life, we are not worshipping God, but Money and the sprits and systems behind it. Choose to use it, rather than be used by it. Bless others with it, rather than hoarding it. Luke 16:19ff What is Jesus saying about money, here? The rich man went to hell because he prioritized having money over caring for those around him, namely, Lazarus. He enjoyed his life, made lots of money, and ignored the sick, poor man at his own gates, not even giving him scraps. When they both died, the rich man went to hell, not because he was rich, but because he ignored Lazarus rather than helping him. This was emblematic of his life, not merely a situational issue, so he wound up in hell when he died, burning and having his memory cursed by those still alive, because he was a stingy man, living with closed fists instead of open hands. Money is not the problem, but his attitude toward it and others was. Takeaways:1) Sin creates debt in our lives, debt that we can never repay, so we need forgiveness and need to be thankful for that forgiveness. 2) Our souls matter, not money. Therefore we need to have faith and depend on God to take care of us, rather than allowing earthly concerns and worries to tarnish our souls. 3) Our relationship with money is the important thing: if we make it our object in life (its acquisition and maintenance) to the exclusion of caring for others, it becomes a problem.

Today, we are going to look at Jesus’ thoughts on money from the book of Mark. The passages used are 7:9-14; 10:17-23 and 12:13-17, all from The Passion Translation, as usual. Lord,As we look through your words about money in the Gospel of Mark, I invite you to come and show us these passages afresh. Holy Spirit, open our minds and hearts to receive what you have to say to us about money today. Help us to take what we each need from it. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Below are my reflections on the above passages, then the takeaways, and a closing thought. 7:9-14Here, we see Jesus speaking on what is a corect use for money, to honor and provide for elderly or disabled family members, but specifically parents. He took issue with the way the leaders of the day gave the people a way out of one of the 10 commandments. That is what religion does, though… rules upon rules, laws upon laws, then creates loopholes for some but not all. However, this was not the spirit of the law in question. Jesus set them straight. 10:17-23This is almost a beat for beat copy of the story in Matthew 19. There are a few more details, but the story is the same. This is about moving one’s locus of affection (focal point of love and attention) from things of this earth to things of heaven. The rich man couldn’t have truly heard and received that which Jesus was teaching. He was too hung up on what he had, maintaining, and growing it. His heart was stuck here, and not ready to truly commit to Jesus’ teachings. He loved this world too much to be fully with Jesus. So here is what I hear Jesus saying about money in this passage: that which you value will consume your time and energy, so if it be money or things here on earth, you will not have space for the Kingdom within you, as you are full of earthly concerns that you cannot bear anything more weighty. 12:13-17What about taxes? Who minted the coins? Whose face is on them? Since God is Spirit, it is not God’s face. It is the face of the heads of state (in our case, dead presidents and statesmen, for the most part), and they do not pay taxes (much) when they are in office or even after. Yet, they force us to slave for them to support their system, the same as it has been since the first kingdom and empire was founded in accordance with the demonic/ Babylonian concepts that continue to hold such sway over our world. Nonetheless, Jesus tells us to give them the unreal things that they created, but to save ourselves and our souls for him (these are the only things that truly matter, that really have value). Takeaways:1) Honoring your parents when they are elderly, according to Torah is an appropriate use for money. Not doing that is sin, no matter how you slice it, no matter how selfish religious leaders try to tell you it isn’t. 2) Attachment to material riches or things keeps us from embracing that which truly matters, the Kingdom. Do not be like this young man who missed literally walking with Jesus because he couldn’t let go of worldly wealth. (there is nothing inherently wrong with money, just clinging to it for dear life). 3) Honor the laws of the country where you live. If there are taxes, pay them. As an anon-adjacent person, I struggle to write these words, as I fully believe that most of our current system is a fraud, that the IRS and tax code are and always were unconstitutional. The bottom line is, God doesn’t want or need your money, but He does desire YOU. Your time, your effort, your focus. So, give to Uncle Sam what is his, but give God His due even moreso.