MANNA, MONEY, AND THE MESSIAH

Dr. Richard J. Henderson November 4, 2007

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Luke 12:13-21
Exodus 16:2-5, 13-21

Introduction

Most people think the Bible says, "Money is the root of all evil." That's not what it says. Does anyone know what it says? "The love of money is the root of all evil." There is a difference.

Christians have always had a difficult time dealing with the ethics of money. Part of that is because Christians get such mixed messages. It's easy to be confused. I Timothy says, "Love of money is the root of all evil," yet you have hugely successful pastors preaching the "Gospel of Prosperity;" saying that God wants you to be rich, God wants you to make more money. Joel Osteen packs in tens of thousands of people every weekend to hear that God wants you to get that promotion, God wants you to have lots of money.

Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Go and give all that you have to the poor and come follow me."

I get lots of catalogues for Christian books (I don't know why that is!) One had two full pages of books with titles like "God's Way of Handling Money," "King Solomon's Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness," and my favorite, "Becoming a millionaire God's Way." The gist of most of them was how to get rich the way God wants you to. As I looked at those two pages of books, I wondered if any of them even mentioned Jesus words, "Go and give all that you have to the poor and come follow me."

There is lots of confusion about Christians and wealth. Some people think that having lots of money is God's way of blessing us. It's not an easy issue to understand.

I

If we have money it is a gift. Some people are given the gift of musical talent, some have intellectual gifts, and others have a particular skill like carpentry, art or design. Some people work very well with children. All of the gifts that we are given are to be used for the glory of God by helping other people. If we have musical skill, we are to sing or compose or lead music. If we relate well with children, we are to help them grow in their faith. If we have more than adequate money, we are to use that gift to help others. Remember Jesus said, "Those to whom much is given, much is required."

Almost all of us in this country are among those with more than adequate money. It's easy to forget that on this planet we call home, 32,000 people die of starvation every day.

II

When Moses was leading his people out of slavery and through the wilderness, the people continually complained to him. They were afraid again and again, and they bent Moses' ear every time they got upset. It was hot in the desert, they came to the Red Sea and couldn't imagine how they would get across, they didn't have food, or they didn't have enough water. They were often afraid and they continually complained to Moses. Several times they said things like, "Did you bring us out here in the desert to die?" They kept clamoring to go back to slavery in Egypt.

When they were complaining about not having food to eat, Moses took their concern to God, and God provided manna for them every morning. Manna was a light, fluffy bread-like food. So the people had food to eat, but there was a catch: they could only take enough for one day. If they tried to store some away for the next day, it went bad. If they tried to hoard it, it spoiled. God gave them enough for that day. They had to trust God for the next day, and the day after that.

This is a theme throughout the Bible: it's wrong to hoard. Accumulating more and more for yourself - without sharing with other people - is wrong.

The whole point of Jesus' parable of the barn builder is that that stockpiling of an overabundance in the presence of people in need is offensive. The man has so much that he has to figure out how and where to store it all, while it never occurs to him to share it with people who are really hurting.

III

Contrast that man with the widow who gave her last two coins. Remember how Jesus and his disciples stood by the temple and watched as a widow put her last two coins in the charity box for the poor.

One person has way more than he needs and he is building a new, bigger place to store it. On the other hand a widow has such compassion that she gives her last two coins to help those who are in need.

In a similar way, if a billionaire gives $100,000 to a charity that is a little sacrifice compared to the person who makes $30,000, and gives $1000 for others. Percentage wise the $30,000 person gave more than 300 times as much of his income. Plus, when the billionaire has made his gift, he still has $999,900,000 left to play with.

Someone has said, "The rich man never really gives anything; he only distributes part of the surplus. It is the person of moderate means who really gives." The person who said that was George Eastman, of Eastman Kodak fame, and he knew what he was talking about. He had a fortune, and in his lifetime he gave away $75 million (which was a lot more money back then).

Conclusion

If we have more than enough money, I believe we are to look at it as a gift from God. We use the gifts that we have been given for the glory of God. Contrary to those two full pages of books on "God and finances" in the catalogue, God does not want us to hoard it away.

There is a very good reason why Jesus worded the Lord's Prayer the way he did: "Give us this day our daily bread..."

So if we have more money than we need, we say to ourselves, "I have been blessed with this gift. How does God want me to use it? "

Most likely God wants us to use it for God's glory by helping others in need.

If we have been entrusted with money, we have an opportunity to serve God in a unique way.

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2007