The Use And Abuse Of Money

Luke 16:1-15 The Use and Abuse of Money

Friends in Christ,

We want our faith to be strong, certain, clear, constant. It is our prayer and fondest wish. But, sadly, faith sometimes seems weak, uncertain, cloudy, and intermittent. Why? In his Gospel, St. Luke writes in chapter 15 about two lost sons, both of whom were desirous of their father’s farm and money. Then, St. Luke adds in chapter 16 the determined words of Jesus, “You cannot serve both God and money.” And, if that were not enough, St. Luke continues by telling us about a very rich man who ignored a very poor man named Lazarus, who asked for the meagerest provisions that were table scraps of food given to the man’s dog.

As we read through these passages in Luke’s Gospel, we can feel your muscles tightening in response. Biblical discussions about money can feel judgmental, accusatory, pointed, personal, painful. Yet, Jesus raised the issue of money and stewardship with His disciples, while also well within the hearing of the Pharisees, whom St. Luke described as ‘lovers of money’. And, by extension, Jesus’ words are addressed to us, as well.

To help with the context of Jesus’ words, let me ask you to join me in answering two questions?

1. What is the best use for money? (pause to allow some to answer) On the website, “30-0 The Best Use of Money,” the author declares that there are essentially three ‘best uses for our money. 1. once a month pamper yourself; 2. once a year do something to create a lasting memory; and 3.be generous and give to a worthwhile cause. (As a disappointing aside, allow me to add that virtually no writers suggested giving to the work of a religious organization.)

2. What is the worst abuse of money? (pause to allow some to answer) Allen Nelson, in ‘3 Ways to Misuse Money’, asserts that the single worst misuse of money is to hoard it for yourself; second on his list is to use your money to harm other people; and, third, is to become self-important because you have money. Others have added that people – perhaps you, me – waste money on unused gym memberships, supporting bad health habits, too much fast food, purchases made on a whim, and lottery tickets. And, I want to personally add: tickets for the Cleveland sports teams who never seem to win championships …

(1) These accounts about the use and misuse of money are in the Bible because Jesus wants us to see the situation for what it is. Jesus declared, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

In the simplest sense, the misuse of money is a first commandment issue – “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Perhaps this will help. A man – a parishioner of Pastor Robert Hall, a popular, well known British preacher in the early 1800’s, to complain about Pastor Hall’s sermon about the use and misuse of money. To help the man see the situation – the sin - Pastor Hall opened his Bible, found a passage with the name of God in it, pointed to the printed word ‘God’, and asked the man, “Can you see ‘God’?” "Certainly,” the man replied with a measure of irritation, “I can see ‘God’." Pastor Hall paused to gain the man’s full attention, and then laid a shiny silver coin on top of the word. "Can you see ‘God’ now?" he asked. The man looked blankly into Pastor Hall’s face, said nothing, and then dropped his head in surrender. Indeed, the misplaced love of money hides God and His grace and goodness from us, leaving us poorer by far.

(2) Make no mistake, money, by itself, is not the issue. We need money to buy food, have medical care, send our children to school, purchase clothing, maintain safe, comfortable homes and more. To help his readers, St. Paul corrected that misguided thought by writing, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Or, think of it this way: A prize was once offered by a local newspaper for the best definition of the word ‘money’ that readers would submit. The winning definition was judged to be this: 'Money is a very useful commodity, and can purchase everything but happiness. It is a passport everywhere but to heaven.'

(3) Why did Jesus tell the story about the dishonest manager? Why did He tell about the younger son who took his father’s money and left him? Why did He tell about a very wealthy man who would not help a very poor, hungry man? Not because He wanted to judge the disciples, the Pharisees, or us – judging us, condemning us is never His goal – but to warn us about the grave danger we face in distancing ourselves from Him and His love.