All Good Gifts

BY AMANDA BERGER

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8 (NIV)

To make it less uncomfortable and support preaching about finances, it is often stated that Jesus talked about money more than any other topic. This is both true and untrue. Jesus did talk about money in many of his parables, but he’s not really talking about money in the way you might think. Jesus uses money as an illustration—just like any of his other parable illustrations—because it was something people understood. People understand money. Even if you don’t have a lot of it, you can make sense of what money is and is for. Jesus most often uses his money parables to illustrate our relationship to giving, not the money itself. And Jesus most often points out that giving is about two things: our attachment to worldly stuff and as an example of God’s lavishness.

Jesus told parables about those who gave up worldly possessions for something more precious—a hidden treasure, a pearl of great price. These parables are about attachment or our belief that our value and God’s love can be measured by something earthly, like our stuff. Jesus was speaking against the prevailing notion that our worldly goods somehow make us more worthy—better, if you will—when instead the best, most wonderful thing, God’s love and grace, don’t cost a single thing. His other illustrations are similar—an employer who pays the same regardless of work done; a father whose unconditional love isn’t given measure for measure in accordance with our good behavior. These parables aren’t about money; they are about God’s kingdom.

In Jesus’ time, blessing and wealth were equated with favor from God—if you were wealthy, you were clearly getting life right and so God was blessing you. Jesus’ teachings demonstrate the deceptiveness of that belief. Instead, all are God’s beloved and our material worth is not a measure of our worthiness.

How we use our money tells a lot about who we are and what we believe about the future. Our world sells us on the idea of scarcity. Jesus preaches God’s abundance. The place where our faith in God’s promises and our beliefs about money intersect is where we find joy in giving.

Money, how we manage it and how we give, is important because of how we use it as a tool to bring the kingdom of God into our midst. How are you called to use your gifts in service of the mission and ministry of God’s kingdom?