by Grace Hunter
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV
Jesus’ teaching topic was money one-fifth of the time. It was obviously a high priority for him. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” Matthew 6:24 NIV.
Sometimes it is helpful to look at the parallel passages in the other gospels to get insight into the meaning of any particular verse. In Luke 16:1-15, Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd manager. This is an interesting parable in which Jesus used several examples of cheaters and those engaged in unethical business practices to make a point about money, and being shrewd with the money we have. Jesus ended it with, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” Luke 16:13 NIV. In this parable everyone was looking out for himself, was corrupt, and valued money and worldly security above all else.
Jesus is making the point in both Matthew 6:24 and in Luke 16:13, that we are to be shrewd with our money, with our talents, with our resources. The shrewd manager used the tools he had available to him to cause people to feel indebted to him, because he realized his job was gone and he was going to need help from other people in order to live. Jesus wants us to be shrewd with our resources — to use them for the Kingdom of God. He wants us to be seeking ways to make eternal investments. Perhaps the questions we need to ask ourselves are, “how can I use my money, my time, my resources to further His kingdom?” What gifts do I have that I can share with others that could influence him or her to consider their eternity? Am I using my money and resources to spread the gospel in my neighborhood, in my country and in the world at large?
The Apostle Paul tells Timothy,
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life,” I Timothy 6:17-19 NIV.
If we are looking at money as means of security and safety, we will be disappointed. Jesus wants us to trust in him for our security and use our money for eternal, kingdom values.
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