The Inextricable Link Between Faith and Money
Excerpted from The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
- Matthew 13:44
Some believe this passage speaks of people finding the treasure of Christ. Many believe it speaks of Jesus giving His life to obtain the treasure of the people and kingdom He rules. In either case, it certainly portrays the joy of finding eternal treasure with value that far surpasses the costs to obtain it.
The parable of hidden treasure is one of many references Jesus made to money and possessions. In fact, 15 percent of everything Christ said relates to this topic—more than His teachings on Heaven and Hell combined.
Why did Jesus put such an emphasis on money and possessions?
Because there's a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money. We may try to divorce our faith and finances, but God sees them as inseparable.
I came to this realization years ago while reading Luke 3 on an airplane. Among the crowds that gathered to hear John the Baptist preach, three different groups asked him how they should prove their repentance. John gave three answers:
Everyone should share clothes and food with the poor (v. 11).
Tax collectors shouldn't pocket extra money (v. 13).
Soldiers should be content with their wages and not extort money (v. 14).
No one had asked John about finances! They wanted to know how to demonstrate spiritual transformation. So why did John's response center almost exclusively on money and possessions?
Sitting on that plane, I realized something John wanted his audience to know: Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives.
Soon that truth jumped out at me in other passages. Zacchaeus said to Jesus, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated any-body out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount" (Luke 19:8).
Jesus responded, "Today salvation has come to this house" (v. 9). Zacchaeus's new approach to money proved his heart had been transformed.
Acts tells of Jerusalem converts who eagerly sold their possessions to give to the needy (2:45; 4:32-35). Ephesian occultists proved the authenticity of their conversion when they burned their magic books, worth millions of dollars in today's currency (19:19).
The poor widow steps off the pages of Scripture by giving two small coins. Jesus praised her: "She out of her poverty has put in everything she had" (Mark 12:44).
In stark contrast, Jesus spoke of a rich man who spent all his wealth on himself. He planned to store up for early retirement and easy living.
But God called the man a fool (Luke 12:20). The greatest indictment against him—and the proof of his spiritual condition—is that he was rich toward himself but not rich toward God.
When a rich young man pressed Jesus about how to gain eternal life, Jesus told him, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21). Jesus knew the man couldn't serve God until he dethroned his money idol.
But the seeker considered the price too great. Sadly, he chose lesser and fading treasures, walking away from greater and lasting ones.
Smart Or Stupid?
The rich young man wasn't willing to give up everything for a greater treasure, but our traveler in the field was. Why? Because the traveler understood what he would gain.
Do you feel sorry for the traveler? After all, his discovery cost him everything. No, we aren't to pity this man; we're to envy him! His sacrifice pales in comparison to his reward. The cost-benefit ratio is compelling!
The traveler made short-term sacrifices to obtain a long-term reward. "It cost him everything he owned," you might lament. Yes, but he gained far more than he lost.
If we miss the phrase "in his joy," we miss everything. The man wasn't exchanging lesser treasures for greater treasures out of dutiful drudgery but out of joyful exhilaration.
In this parable Jesus is appealing to what we do value—temporary earthly treasure—in order to make an analogy about what we should value: eternal, heavenly treasure. We should think of the treasure hidden in the field in Matthew 13 as representing the true and lasting treasures we find in Jesus, the gospel, and God's eternal kingdom. Any earthly treasure we part with to obtain that far greater treasure is well worth the exchange!
Faith & Finance Perspective
by Peter Burgo
The first-century Christians were confronted with some pretty hard truths. To live out the teachings of their Lord, they had to lift their eyes beyond the immediate to the yet-to-come; beyond the perishable to what rust and moth cannot destroy.
Isn’t it interesting that the recurring theme Jesus used to drive these truths home was money? He knew that people’s relationship with money and possessions could make or break their peaceful existence on earth and, more importantly, their eternal destiny. It must have seemed countercultural to these early believers as they were emerging from a culture where wealth and religious position were nearly synonymous.
In reality, we are no different. We are equally focused on the here and now, seeking comfort and security in our earthly possessions, and resistant to the notion of surrendering control of our finances. Generous widows, treasure seekers, rich young rulers, and modern-day Pharisees continue to walk among us, modeling both the pitfalls of building worldly wealth and the rewards of investing in the eternal.
No matter where you may find yourself in this continuum, remember that you are not trapped in an inescapable pattern of belief or behavior. As author Leighton Ford reminds us, “God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way.” He longs to work in us to change our hearts and through us to change the world.
As we journey into this new year, not every resolution needs to be about diet and exercise. Let’s resolve to invite (and allow) God to do the sanctifying work only He can do to bring about the Christlikeness our souls long for and our world so desperately needs.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18