Money Matters: Where Your Treasure Is

by Marilynn Chadwick

Luke’s Gospel emphasizes society’s outcasts—those lacking in power, prestige, and money. He tells stories of Jesus’s kindness toward women, the weak, and the powerless. But he gives an especially prominent place to the poor. Luke flips society’s “script” about who has value and who does not, a motif sometimes called the “divine reversal.”

The proper attitude toward possessions is also a major theme in Luke. He shines a glaring light on the use and abuse of money. This theme repeats itself again and again as Jesus contrasts the dangers of wealth with the virtues of generosity—and more specifically, the gifts of the rich compared to the gift of the poor widow (Luke 21:1-4).

Money, for Jesus, appears to be a litmus test for one’s spiritual condition. Luke presents us with several snapshots of Jesus’s teaching on money. Earlier, Jesus had warned his disciples to watch out for the “leaven,” or teaching, of the hypocritical Pharisees (Luke 12:1). He challenged his followers on the upside-down nature of heaven’s value system, warning them not to trust in riches. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” he encouraged them. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33,34 NIV).

It’s no secret where the Pharisees’ treasure resided. Luke tells us plainly they were philargyros, or “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14). Money was at the core of their corruption.

Jesus warns that those who have not been “faithful with dishonest wealth” cannot be trusted with true [eternal] riches (Luke 16:11). He warns that no one can serve both God and wealth (16:13). Other versions translate mamonas, or “wealth,” as “mammon,” personifying the deity-like quality of money (KJV). In short, these religious leaders worshiped money.

The worship of money was a stumbling block for the rich young ruler who asked Jesus for the way to “inherit eternal life.” Jesus answered him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:22,23 ESV).

In contrast, Zacchaeus was a despised tax collector and known as a great “sinner.” But his heartfelt response to Jesus upon receiving salvation was to cry out, “Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount [double what the law required]” (Luke 19:8 NIV).

Luke shows how true repentance dramatically impacted Zacchaeus’s relationship with money. When we truly encounter Jesus, it naturally follows that we loosen our grip on this world. Think about the words of this beautiful old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Money Matters: The Divine Reversal

by Marilynn Chadwick

Most of us know Luke as the physician, but did you know he’s also widely regarded as a respected historian? According to Luke’s opening verses, the author himself refers to his work as an “orderly account” rather than a Gospel (Luke 1:3).

The story of the poor widow’s sacrificial gift (Luke 21:1-4) is one of Luke’s most well-known stories about Jesus and money. It takes place near the end of Jesus’s earthly ministry.

Luke devotes much of his narrative to the journey of Jesus and his disciples (Luke 9-19). The action now moves quickly as Jesus approaches the cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem, weeps over the city, cleanses the temple, and responds to a series of heated arguments with the religious leaders. He condemns the scribes (Luke 20:45-47); honors the poor widow for her gift; and turns the tables on the rich (Luke 21:1-4).

Jesus’s confrontation with these corrupt leaders has been a continual theme throughout much of the Gospel of Luke. Luke shows us how Jesus used surprising examples for the religious leaders. His listeners would have been shocked and offended at the heroes of his stories. Some call this Luke’s “divine reversal.”

For example, children in that day were completely powerless. “People were bringing even the infants to Jesus.” (Luke 18:15 NIV). And even the disciples rebuked them. Yet, Jesus responded, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16). The word, brephos, is used for infants and children—born and unborn. Luke uses the same word to describe John the Baptist who “leaped” in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).

Women were also considered as second class citizens. Yet Jesus, in another example of “divine reversal,” included women in his community of followers. He even entrusted the first news of his resurrection to a woman, Mary Magdalene (Luke 24:10).

Finally, there’s the example of Zacchaeus. Tax collectors were despised as traitors, working for the Roman Empire, not for their Jewish community. They were known to be corrupt. Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus’s dramatic heart change. He gave back all he had stolen and even restored twice what was required.

Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is always “flipping the script,” bringing surprising heroes to his stories. Perhaps this should give us hope for our stories as well.

Money Matters: True Generosity

by Marilynn Chadwick

Money was Jesus’s most talked-about topic. He addressed money matters in nearly a third of his parables and often referred to money in his teachings about the condition of a person's heart.

Did you know the Bible mentions money, possessions, and wealth over 2,000 times? Jesus even referred to money as a rival god. “No servant can serve two masters,” he warned, “for 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 God and money” (Luke 16:13 ESV).

Jesus’s attitude about money is clearly captured through the eyes of Luke in his Gospel account. He mentions money more than any of the Gospels and gives us a compelling picture of Jesus’s warnings about the dangers of wealth and riches.

The Gospel of Luke is widely regarded as some of the most beautiful writing from its era, noted for its polished literary style. Luke was a well-educated Greek physician. Even outside of religious circles, Luke's Gospel was referred to by a 19th-century French scholar as "the most beautiful book ever written.”

Throughout much of Luke, we see Jesus embroiled in a running conflict with corrupt religious leaders over their love of power, prestige, and money. These religious leaders, who were part of the Temple system, somehow found ways to defraud the poor while appearing pious to the community. Jesus publicly rebukes them for their mistreatment of the community’s most vulnerable citizens—poor widows. “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely” (Luke 20:46, 47 NIV).

Jesus observed the offerings which were presented publicly at the Temple. He watched the rich putting their gifts into the Temple Treasury. Then, he noticed a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said. “This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4).

In one sweeping sentence, Jesus condemned the hypocritical religious leaders and honored the poor widow’s generosity. Jesus challenged them and us, not with the size of our gift, but with how much it truly costs us. Her gift cost her everything.