Money Talks
Luke 19:1-10
November 12, 2006
There are certain matters for each of us that we don’t want to talk about.
Certain topics, issues, concerns that when brought up cause us anxiety, fear, anger, or even to shut down.
When a spouse
A neighbor
A child begins to steer a conversation toward one of these areas we lash out.
"Don’t go there"
Or
"You’re messing with fire"
For some of you that "don’t go" topic is politics right now. Your person or your initiative lost this week.
For others of you, "you’re messing with fire" issue is sports related. Your team lost yesterday, the team they lost to, has a fan who is your close friend, and made sure to call you after the game was over.
But the issue could be nearly anything and when it is raised, you want to be as close to it as you would a porcupine
So it is in the spirit that I want to pick up where Lois Ann and the Meyers left off last Sunday. I want to; I need to talk with you about $. Yes money. But also about more than that, stewardship. Being wise and responsible with all that God has entrusted to us.
Now I realize some of you have literally left a church because of this issue.
I realize that what I say could give you an impression of me and our church that I don’t want, nor believe that we truly have.
And I realize that this is the one place you want to escape this topic that is so pervasive and consuming. Tim - why? Couldn’t you pick another topic? Why spend these nest 3 weeks on this? Money can be a push back kind of topic. A "you’re messing with the fire" kind of subject. But hear me out.
I feel that I must address this issue and risk your response because as a pastor/your pastor you want me/ask me/ and have called me to preach and teach the Bible. To do so is to recognize that stewardship in being responsible for your time, talents, and money is the single most dominant theme of the Scriptures.
It is mentioned over 2300 times more than the themes of faith, heaven or hell. So to not speak about this would be to cut out, remove significant portions of our text. But we will not do that. God knew and knows that you and I, our ancestors and our descendants have, are and will be caught up in it, be at times consumed by it and are responsible for all that which has been entrusted to us.
Not only must we address this issue because the Bible tells me so but I also want to address this issue because Deb and I have witnessed that God’s way, his plan, his purposes for us in this area as best we understand them have enabled us
to become more faithful and dependant on him
to participate in the very work of God in our community
to witness the truth of scripture - that we are blessed more when we give than when we receive.
Deb and I could honestly say that our lives have been abundantly blessed because we have sought to understand and apply God’s desires for us regarding our time, talents and money. Unless I say otherwise in these coming weeks, I give you my word, Deb and I are doing, have tried or are seeking to learn the matters on which I will speak. I want you to know this, because I am not asking you to do something we are not doing as a family in our own home.
I want to begin these 3 weeks with the man we read about a few minutes ago - the man Zacchaeus. In him, from him - quite surprisingly we see in part what a responsible and even a generous steward is. And we see God’s response to one who does stewardship well.
Luke tells us that Jesus was passing through Zacchaeus, hometown of Jericho. The text told us that Zacchaeus occupation was a chief tax collector and also mentioned one of the benefits of such a job. He was "wealthy." (v. 2)
Verse 3 tells us that Zacchaeus "wanted to see who Jesus was." This short wealthy man had a desire to see Jesus.
to catch a glimpse of him.
But so did many others. Jesus’ reputation was spreading rapidly and the word on the street was you’ve got to see this guy, hear him talk, or better yet be healed by him. And because there were so many gathering around Jesus as he walked into Jericho, Zacchaeus, our quick thinking vertically challenged man ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree in order that he might see the Son of God. In Him and this action we identify that he is curious in Jesus but also willing to do something about this curiosity.
Where has your curiosity led you?
"When Jesus reached the spot," (verse 5) Luke writes, "he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaues come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
I don’t want to linger here, but notice, Jesus responds, recognizes and stops his journey when he sees the curiosity, interest and effort of one interested in Him. When Jesus reached the spot, Luke writes, he stopped and paid attention. What are your sots, those places where Jesus can find you striving, searching, and seeking for him? When you have them, he’ll meet up with you. As we draw near to God Jesus’ brother James writes in James 4:8, "Our God will draw close to us." And that’s immediately what Jesus did. Zacchaeus pursuit for Jesus, resulted in Jesus demanding that he must stay at his house today.
Jesus had been intending to pass through Jericho, verse 1 told us - but now those plans, that trip ____ was thrown out the window. When Jesus saw how this one made the effort to see him - to draw near to him, Jesus made the effort to draw close to him.
To spend time with this seeker.
To be with him in his home.
And how did the crowd respond to this?
"OH they were so happy that now Jesus would fix this short little rich man and make him more like them."
No not at all, v. 7, All the people saw this and began to mutter. He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner." Th crowd got their jabs in, "He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner."
You see
To open one’s house to another.
To share a meal with another.
To spend time with another person in their home environment was an act of
friendship, an act of love, a behavior reserved for friends.
It’s what Jesus would do on the night he was betrayed. When Jesus only invited and arranged for space only for 12, the 12 closest to him. Though there were others, even crowds interested in Jesus, the table, the meal, was often reserved for those closest to you.
So when the crowd overhears that Jesus is going, has chosen to, pursued a meal with the no good money grabbing, tax asking, greedy little miser named Zacchaeus. They are in disbelief. He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner.
Friends, this is our God. The God who across the boundaries that we have set up to pursue one that everyone else was repelled by.
This is a part of me that wished the next words would have been Jesus’. I kind of whish Jesus would have gone on a tirade against the crowd in a righteous anger. But he didn’t, instead Zacchaeus speaks, (v. 8) "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord." And as many of you learned this morning, our translation gets it wrong. The NIV adds words - Zacchaeus didn’t say, here and now and he didn’t say, I’ll pay back 4x the amount but instead the Greek in verse 8 literally reads, "Behold - half of my possessions, Lord, to the poor I give. And if from someone I defrauded of anything, I am paying back four times."
What Zacchaeus says is that he has been giving.
He has already made it his habit to.
It is his practice to give ½ of his possessions to the poor.
Zaccheaus’ lifestyle, his stewardship of his resources was something that these people in the crowd knew not of. And if they had, they would have been wise to not go on the tirade against him earlier.
Zacchaeus was quite surprisingly giving as Jesus taught us to give. "But when you give to the needy," Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:3) "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
That’s what Zacchaeus had been doing.
His accusers were wrong. They assumed something that wasn’t true. They were envious of what Zacchaeus had - when what they should have been envious of was Zacchaeus’ willingness to be a good steward.
"Behold half of my possessions, Lord, to the poor I give."
I confess that I am in that crowd. There are times, moments when I feel like we could be better stewards of our time
Our talents
Or our money.
I am surprised at how often I stab at our culture, thinking things like:
They’ve got time to go to this thing or that thing but don’t show up at small group.
They’ve got enough to shop and buy the necessities and then some and yet find it
hard to sacrifice for God.
Money - especially - the money of others, I recognize brings this out in me - but one of the things Zacchaeus teaches me is that
no one can read
no one knows
no one else is responsible except yourself for that which God has entrusted to you.
Your stewardship of our time, talents and treasure is between each of us and our God but it affects those whom you love. Those with whom you are sitting right now and those who have yet to walk in through these doors.
So the deeper question before us today is - if you had to say to God, reveal to him your life as a steward, would you silence your critics or be accurately described?
What would you be able to say to them? Or what does your giving, how you spend your time and use your talents, sentence you to. Praise from the Father or curses from the crowd?
Though our culture says I decide, I determine. I will choose what to do with
my time
my gifts, abilities or talents
my money
The Kingdom of God, we see example after example of not this
fist clenching
hand closed
me - myself and I way of thinking
but instead an open audit - Lord, I give, am giving half my possessions. Zaacchaeus’ self-audit was clear. He exceeded God’s standard and then some. He was responsible with all that god had given him. He wasn’t wealthy out of greed but blessed because he gave so generously.
We see it in the early church. "All the believers had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." (Acts 2:44-45)
Zacchaeus wasn’t boosting that day. He was simply speaking the truth to Jesus, whom he calls His "Lord." And what he revealed was that his giving patterns were indeed matched up with God’s heart and his restitution practices, overly generous, in fact over and above what the Old Testament law required. "And if from someone I defrauded anything, I am paying back 4 times." (Greek)
And it is because of this that Jesus said, (v. 9) "Today salvation has come to this house."
Why can Jesus say this? How can he say Zacchaeus has salvation, eternal life? Because money talks.
Because when Zacchaeus revealed what he did with his money, he also revealed what was in his heart.
Zacchaeus behaviors embodied the qualities of the Kingdom of God.
His quiet, beyond the public eye actions spoke of a life transformed by and trusting in God.
Zacchaeus in these verses testifies to knowing Jesus as Lord.
Zacchaeus in these verses testifies to know the law, knowing and even out doing what the law required.
So he gladly and without reservation can welcome Jesus into his home, signifying receptivity and embrace of the values and claims of the Kingdom. His money talks. It talked of a love for God’s way. A support of His teachings and a surrender to his values. Even though no one else could recognize it. But Jesus did.
And as a result, Jesus says, Salvation has come.
This is our God. This is his response to this man, who quietly, humbly but generously stewarded his resources lavishly.
As a parent to 3 children, I am most pleased in them when they don’t brag about the "star" on their schoolwork. I am not most proud when I see them playing nicely together or even when they seem to be following the rules in our home.
What make me most proud?
What brings great joy to my heart is when I hear from someone else how they helped
Did
Or gave something of themselves to help out another person without me watching over their shoulder.
That brings such joy to this father’s face.
"They’re getting it," I say.
"They’re on track," I celebrate.
Though the crowd could accuse them of oh so much stuff, they at times are living out the ways of Jesus even when their papa isn’t around. And this makes this papa proud.
I smile because in small ways their lives talk. They are talking and Jesus response is "Salvation has come to this house."
Your giving is indeed private. Only 1 person records what you give. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it will be. Though it is private it isn’t personal - for your giving is seen by our Father and from what he sees he is able to see a glimpse of your heart.
Martin Luther said there are 3 conversions.
Conversion at the head
Conversion at the heart
Conversion at the pocketbook
The crowd gathered around Jesus that day couldn’t believe that Zacchaeus had surrendered all 3 of these to his Lord.
But because he had he heard "Salvation has come to this house."
"Salvation has come to this house."
We will journey on this topic for 2 more weeks because it is
the Bible’s intention
Our God’s purpose
And my deepest desire that
the same come to your house as well.
Amen
