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As Christians, our lives could be summed up by one activity: following Jesus. I’m sure the vast majority of us can put our hands on our hearts and say, “That’s me, I’m a follower”. And our lives may look like they match up to our confession on the surface. But Jesus searches deep into our hearts and sees the whole truth.
In you’re dealing with personal finance on a regular basis or your involvement in the ongoing process of creating wealth, it’s easy to get caught up in the destructive nature of the power, influence and security that money can bring.
Let’s look at two people who Jesus met on his travels in order to get a biblical perspective of what it truly means to follow Christ, and the way that money can hinder us from fully devoting ourselves to him.
THE RICH YOUNG RULER
It must have felt like all his birthdays had come at once when the rich ruler heard that Jesus was passing through town. This young man had studied the commandments of God and displayed a good example of an obedient and disciplined life. And we can tell by his physical approach to Jesus (he ran and knelt before him), recorded in Mark 10:17, that he was in awe of him. It was probably a once in a lifetime chance to meet this ‘megastar’.
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he asked, more than likely in a confident and expectant tone. Jesus replied by quoting the six of the 10 commandments that deal with external rules for living. “All these I have kept since a boy”, he enthusiastically answered.
Then Jesus hits straight at the heart of the issue. By referring to one of the four remaining commandments dealing with internal requirements, namely 'do not covet', Jesus says to this man that he can follow him if he sells all he owns and gives the money to the poor. Talk about a bombshell being dropped!
This fervent, excited man had all his illusions shattered as Jesus asked him to do, what seemed to him, the impossible. Does Jesus ask all rich people to give up all their wealth? No. But he does ask for us to acknowledge him in ‘all’ our ways.
Just ‘one thing’ you lack, Jesus told him. Out of all the many good things this man displayed in his life, this ‘one thing’ brought about four of the most devastating words recorded in the Bible: “He went away sad”. He couldn’t let go of his riches. He didn’t follow Jesus.
THE MAN WHOSE FATHER HAD JUST DIED
Here we have a very similar person, not rich or a ruler, but he was more than likely of a young age, and as we’ll see, he had an unhealthy attachment to money.
The end of chapter nine in Luke’s gospel records Jesus asking this man to follow him. The man’s response was, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." A reasonable request, you would think. But Jesus’ response to this sensitive issue was, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
On first viewing it looks like Jesus is being extremely harsh here, especially as the Jews taught that giving someone a proper burial was even more important than helping the poor. On top of that, the man actually ‘wanted’ to follow Jesus – it wasn’t as if he was saying ‘no’! He responded to Jesus in the positive, but ‘first’ wanted to sort out some family affairs. Yes, it all does sound a bit insensitive from Jesus, but, just as with the rich young ruler, Jesus knew the complete condition of this man’s heart and motives – that’s why he said the things he said.
You see, tradition tells us that when a father died and the firstborn son fulfilled his obligation to bury him, that son would receive a ‘double portion’ of the family inheritance. If he did not look after the burial then the double portion would be passed on to the next oldest son. It is very likely here that Jesus saw a ‘love of money’ inside this man's heart. Jesus wouldn’t speak so indignantly about a son’s genuine love for his dead father without good reason. And here it is: it was more important to point out that the only way to follow Jesus was wholeheartedly.
Whether this man ended up as a follower of Christ or not, we do not know. But we can safely assume that at the point at which Jesus made these remarks, he filtered back into the crowd and didn’t become one of the chosen 70 disciples that the Bible mentions in the following verses.
YOU CAN ONLY SERVE ONE MASTER
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).
Matthew 6:24 (AMP)
Both of the above examples show how the grip and love of money can keep us from truly following Christ. Both with devastating outcomes. Jesus’ standard and criteria for truly following him are high. In this day and age the bar hasn’t been lowered. But there is some good news. God doesn't set the standard high without also providing the power to reach up to it! We only need to be willing to change, with his help. However, much of our modern-day preaching focuses on a grace that saves without balancing that with a grace that enables us to overcome!
The Message Bible puts Matthew 6:21 like this: “The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”
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