Jesus has allot to say about money in the book of Matthew, and here are the references I used: 6:1-4, 21, 24; 13:21-23, 44-46; 19:12-15; 25:14-30. All references are from The Passion Translation, but you’ll have to look them up for yourselves. Lord, As we begin this series on money and what You said about it, help us to be humble. Give us fresh eyes and ears to see and hear these passages in fresh ways. Help us to apply what we learn So, what are our takeaways, here? What are you telling us about money in the book of Matthew? Thank you for being with us as we open your word, and for helping us to hear it and see it in fresh ways. Amen. One: Money is a thing to be used and used well. (vs 6:1-4 & 21; 25:14-30) Two: Money is not meant to be abused by bragging about giving to particular individuals. (6:1-4) Three: Money should not be your object in life, the more you run after it, the harder it will be to get what you want. (13:22; 19:21-25) Four: Money can deceive you, if you build your life on it, you will be disappointed. (13:22) Five: Wealth should be used generously, as our Father is generous with us. (21:12-13) How is money to be used well? It is not to be hoarded or used as a weapon against the dignity of another human being. It is to be used to benefit others and to get what truly matters, eternal life and the Kingdom of God, as the men in vs 13:44-46. How are we to relate with money? It is to be viewed as a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. It should never supplant God or seeking the best for others. Do not destroy others in order to get riches, if you do that, wealth will escape you. It is to be a servant, never a master to us, as we cannot serve two masters (6:24)

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.

Jesus and Money in John Lord, As we look at your words and actions around and about money in the book of John, we invite you to open our minds and hearts to see and hear these well-known passages in fresh ways. As we look at your cleansing of the temple and the time when Mary annointed you just before Palm Sunday, be with us to understand some of the deeper levels in these texts today. In Jesus’ name, Amen. John 2:12-17 After his first miracle, Jesus, the disciples, and his family decide to travel to Jerusalem for the Passover, once there, Jesus takes exception at the state of affairs in the temple courts. He sees the merchants dishonestly inflating currency rates and prices for the sacrificial animals they were selling and loses it. The Holy Spirit moves on him to clean up shop. They could do that just about anywhere else in Jerusalem, maybe even just outside of the Temple, and it might not have had the same results. Jesus makes a whip and drives everyone out because he knows that the Temple is to be Holy, set aside for prayer and worship, not everyday business. They were profaning the place where they were supposed to meet with God by not just bringing commerce into the picture, but ripping off believers who were coming to honor God and make the sacrifices that were required for the Passover. What does this teach us? Are church bookstores and coffee shops wrong? Would Jesus be offended at us for commercializing our churches? Would he even recognize most churches as legitimate? Did the Holy Spirit lead us to start selling books, trinkets, and coffee at or in our churches? Would most of us even recognize the Holy Spirit if He chose to show up in our midst? Big questions. I do not feel called to judge, just to ask the questions now. John 12:3-8 What does it mean that Mary used that which was probably the most expensive single thing that she had, something that was meant to serve as a guarantee of her future, on the dirty, smelly feet of her rabbi? Why did Judas really balk at it? We are told here that Judas was interested in enriching himself as the treasurer of the ministry, and that Jesus knew this and it likely factored into his stern rebuke. Why would Jesus leave him in that position if he knew that Judas was stealing from the ministry? I digress. Let’s focus back in on Mary and her lavish display of love for Jesus. This is the sacrifice that we are called to as well. This doesn’t mean that you need to give all of your money to the church (unless the Holy Spirit tells you to do that), but that is a personal thing, that no pastor or so-called leader should be involved with influencing. What I feel that it does mean for us is that it is all about love. Love motivated her to potentially sacrifice her future to anoint Jesus in this way. Give what you might otherwise tithe as alms to help others, rather than just tossing it in the proverbial offering plate or donating it to some larger NGO that purports to help the needy, either in your area or somewhere else.

Jesus and Money in the Gospels Summary Lord, As we dive into this summary of your words and actions about money in the Gospels today, just come. Come be with us. Guide our hearts and minds to get out of this something that is worthy and that will stand the test of time in our lives. I repent for times when I have made money too important, when I have allowed its presence or absence to cause me undue stress. I place my times and provision in your hands. You are my provider. You are God. Money is not, and I am not. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Here are some takeaways I see in the gospels: Jesus is perfect Torah. His teachings about and actions towards money are either pure Torah or a logical outgrowth of Torah. Not Mishnah or Talmud (that is the origin of the errors that he spent most of his ministry fighting), but Torah. He shows us that our souls are far more important than money. He teaches us that money is a tool to bless others, not to self-aggrandize. He shows us that Money is an entity that should be subservient to us, not vice-versa, after all, He came to set us free in every way. He teaches us that Little, given with the right intent is more valuable to God than Much, given for dubious reasons. He shows us that God truly cares for and values us, so why should we worry about the mundanities of life? He provides for sparrows and flowers that are not even a dime a dozen… possibly not even a penny a dozen, yet He keeps track of and provides for these lesser organisms. Why would our Father not care and provide for us all the more, particularly if our priorities are right? He teaches us what money is for… caring for others, not just enriching ourselves. This korban nonsense, along with the stories of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Zacchaeus, and the Rich Man who built an extra barn to hoard even more grain, show us at least that much.