The gospels are full of encounters with people where Jesus addressed money issues. It seems money was a problem then as it is now. Think back on these familiar passages.
The rich young man in Matthew 19 asked Jesus what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. After a short discussion, with this man affirming that he's kept all the commandments, Jesus concludes, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." After this, scripture records, "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-30.
Consider also the widow's offering in Mark 12. What's interesting is what Jesus is doing. "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts, but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny." Mark 12:41, 42.
Jesus responds to this by saying, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." Mark 12:43, 44. These are hard sayings! The rich man had much to give but couldn't part with it, yet the poor widow gave it all. Jesus directs us back to the heart issues.
Luke 16 begins with Jesus telling the parable of the shrewd manager to a group of Pharisees. Verse 14 says, "The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus." Jesus responds, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight." Luke 16:15.
In one of the seven "woes" of Matthew 23 Jesus says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness." Verse 23. Do we do what is "required" but forget the suffering world? Jesus said the Pharisees were "full of greed and self-indulgence." Matthew 23:25. This sounds like an average American. (Myself included.)
In Luke 12 Jesus says, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Then he goes on to tell the parable of the rich man with no place to store all his crops. So the man decides to build bigger barns. The man says to himself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." But God said, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Jesus concludes the story by saying, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:13-21.
In Luke 19 Jesus meets Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector. We all remember Zacchaeus as the "wee little man" who climbs the tree to see Jesus pass by. But do we remember his attitude? "Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount!" Luke 19:1-10. As the crowds are listening to this, Jesus goes into the parable of the ten talents about the two men who invest their master's money and the one who hoards it.
So "name it and claim it"? It just doesn't fit. Yes, Jesus does say in Matthew 7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you...if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Verses 7-12. But the Word also says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him." I John 5:14. "According to his will" is key here. What is his will for us when it comes to wealth? Our heavenly Father is extravagant and generous, showering us with gifts we never deserve. But we also need to be mindful that as any good parent, God gives us what is good for us and sometimes says no.
As for the pastor who says it is unbiblical not to own land? Jesus says, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Luke 9:58. Do we deserve better than Jesus?
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