Money

The scriptures referred to are Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23, Psalm 49:1-12, Colossians 3:1-11 and Luke 12:13-21.

Before the invention of money, if you, say, needed a new wheel for your oxcart, you would go to Willie the wheelwright and offer to trade him a pig for it. But if he had more than enough pigs and really needed a new chisel from Tommy the toolmaker, you would have to see if Tommy needed a pig and if he would trade you a chisel for it and then see if you could trade Willie the chisel for a wheel. If Tommy neither needed nor wanted a pig, you would have to work something else out. Money, a medium of exchange which was fungible, was so much better. But whereas someone may not have wanted to have an unlimited number of pigs, no one seems to think they can have too much money. Money can buy a lot of things and it can also buy people's favor. So money has power and it bestows power on the person who has it. Money went from something useful for buying other things to something desired for itself. It became the object of greed.

We have pointed out before that the Bible does not say “money is the root of all evil.” What Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:10 is that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils,” as most modern translations correctly render the Greek. There are evils other than greed but here Paul is speaking of those whose main goal in life is pursuing wealth. He continues, “Some people, reaching for it [money], have been seduced away from the faith and have skewered themselves with many painful sorrows.” [my translation]

Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13) Both are powerful but people are attracted to money because its impact can be more immediate. Why pray for something when you can pay for it? The difference is that when you pray for something, you are asking your loving heavenly Father for it and in his wisdom his answer to your prayer may be “Yes,” or it could be “No,” or “Not yet,” or even, “I have something else in mind for you.” The reason is just because you want something doesn't mean you should have it or that it is good for you. There's a reason why someone coined the term “buyer's remorse.” Money can get you things or into things you'll live to regret. Like an addiction. Or a “get rich quick” scheme that turns out to be a pyramid scam. On a lesser scale, I bet all of us have stuff at home we bought and never use because it turned out not to do for us what we thought it would. Like make us cool. Or sexy. Or happy.

Of course, the real problem is, as Jesus points out, that money, which was invented as a tool to serve our needs, can easily become our master instead, the thing we serve. In the HBO documentary Fake Famous director Nick Bilton found 3 people who only had a thousand followers each on social media but who wanted to be major influencers. And he helped them become that. He showed them how you can fake being at a resort by renting a fancy house for a weekend and have people photograph you seemingly enjoying luxury and being handed what looks like champagne as you relax in the pool. He showed how to use a toilet seat held up in front of a photo of the clouds to look like you are gazing out of the window of your private jet. He showed them how to buy bots to make others think you are so popular that they should be following you as well. Those things also attract companies who might send you free products to hawk on your posts and photos. But all 3 of the would-be influencers found feeding the media monster exhausting. They were slaves to their pursuit of power and influence and the good things in life. However, they were only “living the good life” online and they were not allowed to be who they really were. They realized they had sold their souls in the process. 2 dropped out and decided to do something with their lives that really mattered and actually helped others. One wants to become a therapist.

As our passages from Ecclesiastes, the psalms, and today's gospel point out, the power of wealth is only temporary. As the saying goes, you can't take it with you. Someone else will get your money and your things one day. And you will probably not be thinking about how many “Likes” you got or how many cars, houses, or boats you accumulated when you are on your deathbed. Those things aren't going to hold your hand or kiss you on the head as you leave this world. Nor will they greet you in the next.

Actually power and wealth can be even briefer than life is. We have seen many people lose their positions of power long before they were dead. Actors, comedians, politicians, CEOs, clergy, scientists and others have lost honor, power, money and followers when they finally got their comeuppance for being bullies and predators and hypocrites. Still others have lost their money or property through financial or natural disasters, or disease, or disability. Putting too much trust in the things of this world is not wise.

You could say that making money—or any earthly thing, however powerful—your top priority is a disorder. That is, you are getting it out of its proper order. It's not that money isn't important; it's just not the most important thing in life. God is. And in second place is people. That's why Jesus said the 2 greatest commandments were to love God and to love people. Those are our top priorities. Money should only come into the picture in so far as it allows us to serve God, especially through serving people. And because Jesus said we are to pray for our daily bread, that also includes taking care of our needs.

The problem is that we often confuse our needs with our desires. You need a home; you desire a mansion on the beach. You need clothes; you desire the latest fashions. You may need a car; you desire the coolest, most expensive one you've seen. There was a TV evangelist who said he needed a 4th private jet, costing $54 million! Apparently he forgot that he was following a Messiah who walked everywhere and managed to spread God's word just fine. He also forgot that Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle—that's what the Greek says—than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God. Yes, Jesus was teaching here that we all, rich or poor, need God's grace to be saved. As he said, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” (Mark 10:23-27) But then why did he single out the rich?

Because they are more likely to make money their god. Greed is idolatry, says our passage from Colossians. When things get bad, the rich are more likely to put their trust in their money to get them through. And from what I saw, when their money can't help them out, they despair. When I was doing private duty nursing in my hometown, I was often assigned to take care of rich men because only they could afford round-the-clock private nurses. The businesses they had built up were well-known to me. But now they were faced with something that they couldn't buy out or bribe or intimidate or out-compete. None of their business skills or their hustle or their high standing in the community could defeat their diseases. These powerful men were powerless against sickness and age. And so, instead of fighting to get better, they gave up. I never saw them pray. Their god, Mammon, the almighty dollar, had failed them.

The Bible is not against people getting rich—provided it is achieved through honest work and often hard work and it is used to help the poor and needy. The rich man in Jesus' parable is thinking only of his own wellbeing. Similarly, the rich man in another parable comes to his fiery fate in the afterlife because he didn't help poor, sick Lazarus sitting at his gate. (Luke 16:19-31) In that parable the man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. Abraham replies that they have the law and the prophets. And, sure enough, in the Law, the Torah, it says, “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted towards your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.” It goes on to say that if you have ill will towards the poor and give them nothing, that you will be found guilty of sin. “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) This is not optional; it's God's command.

The prophets frequently accuse the people of Israel and Judah of breaking the two great commandments. First, the people are either worshiping other gods or not sincerely worshiping the Lord. And secondly, they are mistreating the poor, especially the widows, the fatherless and the resident immigrant. In Isaiah God rebukes his people for going through the motions on religious fasts while engaging in “arguments, brawls and fistfights.” He says, “I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!” (Isaiah 58:7) In Zechariah we read, “The Lord who rules over all said, 'Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot against his fellow human being.'” (Zechariah 7:9-10) And Jesus said that whatever we do to the needy and sick, we do to him. (Matthew 25:31-46) Serving God means helping those made in his image.

There is another reason besides greed that keeps people from being generous; it is fear—fear that we won't have enough for ourselves if we give as generously as we know we ought to. Such fear is a lack of faith in God, who is gracious and generous. As it says in Proverbs, “The one who has compassion on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay what he has given.” (Proverbs 19:17) We must trust God to provide for us as we help others. It is interesting that poor churches give proportionately more to the needy than wealthy ones. Perhaps because they know what it is like to be in need. And perhaps it is gratitude to God for giving them what they have.

Because ultimately what we have does come from God. Successful people think they accomplished what they did on their own. But they usually had advantages. Where did their good health, that allowed them to work long and hard, come from? Or the talents they employed? And let's not forget any help they got from family, friends, the schools they attended, the socioeconomic class they were born into, any lucky breaks they received or even their good looks. I was watching the HBO documentary on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Everyone, including Paul, admitted that his wife was the better actor. Yes, he did work hard at his acting but, let's face it, if he lacked his looks and those blue eyes would he have gone so far? Would Elon Musk have been one of the first centibillionaires if his family hadn't been wealthy? Did Warren Buffet have an advantage in his father being a 4-term member of Congress? Would Bill Gates have been able to drop out of Harvard to start his computer company had his parents not been wealthy? The myth of the self-made man is just that. No one really starts with nothing. Those who make it to the very top usually had a heck of a big head start on the rest of us.

Since in the final analysis all we have comes from God, and since our lives on earth are transitory, it makes sense to see it all as on loan from God and to see our role as that of stewards of his gifts. When at dinner your host passes you bowls and platters of food, you aren't supposed to keep them for yourself. You take some and pass it on, so everyone can eat. If there is a small child or a disabled person at the table, you fill their plate for them. If there isn't enough left by the time it gets to the person at the end, you give them some of yours. It's the decent thing to do.

As Jesus said, our life doesn't consist of having lots of possessions. They can end up possessing you. We are not to worship money or hoard it or hold back from helping others with it. We must guard ourselves from greed and not give in to fear. All good things come from God. (James 1:17) We are to be grateful for them and generous with them.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation in the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)