That Dang Mammon (Part 2)

[And he speaks again]

So, I was thinking about “mammon”.  A weird word . . . not a typical occupant of our everyday vocabulary; but such a great word . . . foreign, exotic, mysterious.

“Mammon” is Aramaic in origin (actually, it has an uncertain Semitic root, meaning “wealth, property or profit”.)  We know it only in the New Testament, in the words of Jesus. Obviously His hearers knew it well enough because He did not have to explain it to them.

To us, however, the term sounds a mysterious, even sinister, note—I mean, remember when your mother would inveigh against “the evils of mammon”. (No? Well, maybe she should have.)

Anyway, the very fact that this word is remote and impersonal renders it safe and non-threatening; i.e., the absence of familiarity allows us to treat it as something to which we need give little attention.

The fact of the matter is, however, the business of “mammon” happens to be pretty serious stuff. Jesus drew a very stark line: “Either God or mammon. One or the other. You can’t serve both.” In this text, Mt. 6:24, money is personified as an object of worship.  “Wealth in itself is not bad—but if you serve it as a slave serves his master, then your professed loyalty to God is a sham and you are fooling only yourself.”

Jesus used “mammon” in the cryptic story of the dishonest manager. Now, this guy was not held up as an icon of virtue, but he did reveal that he was teachable. He took quick action with the mammon at his disposal to cut some deals and prepare for the crisis that lay ahead of him.

You see, the sneaky, conniving steward eventually realized that he was going to have to face his Master. In the end, what he did with the money (which, admittedly, was less than stellar) showed that he understood the power and authority of the Master and the scary fact that a personal accounting would be required of him. The Master was impressed that the steward wised up and took care of business before it was too late (Lk. 16:1-8).

In the first part of this three-part series, we explored briefly the relationship between our central theological touchstone, the resurrection of Jesus, and the practice of “taking up an offering” (Paul made the connection first!)

In this second part, we want to press a little further into the utterly radical nature of Jesus’ view of money. His teachings on the subject are hard precisely because they run against everything we have been taught about growing wealth, being successful, preparing for the future, etc.  

Indeed, Jesus’ portentous take on “mammon” grabs us by the nape of the neck and gives us a good shake. He was not kidding around. Though He did not apparently advocate vows of poverty for everyone, He did promote eternal Kingdom values that simply don’t allow much room for building earthly empires.

(Parenthetical interjection: This discussion is not really about spending and saving and debt and credit and insurance and preparing for retirement and all that. I gladly leave this financial stuff to Dave Ramsey . . . who does a very good job with these important issues.

This is also not about whether Jesus was for or against capitalism or socialism. In spite of the claims of some, His ministry was not about setting up any sort of economic system.)

Jesus hit the money issue hard. He knew full well how easily it takes His place in our hearts. He knew how easily swayed we can be by the allure of wealth and all it promises. He knew that the condition of our heart and the status of our faith are revealed in the way we handle money.

He knew the lies that human society perpetuates; i.e., namely, that money brings power, promises security, and buys prestige—chimerical temptresses that lead to destruction.

The quintessential countercultural radical, Jesus simply did not share the priorities of the world He came to save (imagine that.) He came to seek and to save the lost, not save for a rainy day. He came to make disciples, not make wealth. He came to establish a Kingdom beyond this world, not build an empire.

Here are a few more crazy things He said . . . .

“Money won’t buy you everlasting comfort . . .” The “I Got Mine and I’m Good” outlook just doesn’t work very well (Lk. 16:19-26).

“A great retirement plan will not get you into heaven . . .” Actuarial tables do not account for eternity. The “Bigger Barn Retirement Plan” won’t get you there (Lk. 12:16-21).

“Invest your treasure in things that last . . .” Saving and spending wisely are good practices, but at some point you’ve got to put your money where your faith is (Mt. 6:19-21).

“Manage your money wisely—then God will know He can trust you really valuable things . . .” (Lk. 16:9-13).

“Stop worrying so much. Do you really think it all depends on you?” Really, where is your faith?   (Mt. 6:25-34)

“Trying to be good is ok, but it is pointless if you’ve made your stuff your god.” (Lk. 18:18-25)

“I want your offerings, but I want more than that.  I want everything you’ve got.” I want you, and your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I want your trust, your commitment, your loyalty, and your love . . . everything (Lk. 21:1-4).

“There is one thing that is more valuable than anything you can imagine” (Mt. 13:31-32; 44-46). Not one of us will find greater worth in God’s eyes because we had a lot of money or cool gadgets or the admiration of others. He will know His people by the fact that they seek His Kingdom above everything else.

But, of course, all of this is so strange, foreign, exotic, and unreasonable. Could it be that Jesus simply did not understand the economic exigencies of we face today?

What do you think? Was He simply out of tune with the realities of our world? I mean, He was on earth only a few years. He did not have a family, career, debts, and other responsibilities . . . and He lived a long time ago. Don’t you suppose He would change His advice if He were here now?

It comes down to a simple choice: either we take seriously what He said and figure out how to apply His teachings to our lives . . . or we carefully excise those parts of the Bible and dismiss them as archaic and irrelevant.

My sense is that He is hoping that we will wise up before it is too late.

Drawn by the ideals of the Savior—yet still a struggling captive of a broken world, I am, as always,

Yours,

PC

That Dang Mammon (Part 1)

[The second author speaks! What follows is a letter from Chuck to his church.]

So, the grim, incessant economic forecasts grind on: the “financial cliff”, sequestration, lagging economy, sagging job market, rising prices—and the utter inability of politicians to agree on an economic policy that is truly good for the country. (Will Rogers used to say that we’d be better off if we bundled up all the politicians and sent them to Washington where they couldn’t do any harm. Wonder what he’d say about their seeming inability to do anything once they get there—but I am off point.)

Everybody is talking about money and what to do with it. The foreboding financial horizon is enough to convince us that money really is the root of all evil. (I know that’s not what the text says, but it works here. Truer words ne’er spoken: “Among the things that money can’t buy is what it used to.”)

At the beginning of this year, we suggested that one of our goals in the coming months should be to develop good stewardship practices. Someone asked me if that meant there would be more sermons on giving money. My response: “No more than usual.” Honestly, as you know, I don’t do too many sermons on money. I figure that if faithful Christians don’t know by now that we ought to give regularly, freely, and generously from a heart of gratitude, then another sermonic harangue will not likely make much difference.

But one question, one with a sharper edge, has surfaced several times in recent conversations: “Why should I give to the church at all?” Now that is a legitimate query that deserves a sincere response (if for no other reason than, according to Barna and Gallup, giving to churches is at an all-time low across the nation).

The way I see it, there may be numerous reasons for the question at hand: (1) “The economy” (that’s all you have to say); (2) The bunker mentality engendered by “the economy”; i.e., hunker down, conserve, spend only what is essential—and church is a non-essential. (You heard about the husband who said to his wife as they planned their budget: “Let’s start with the basic necessities—food, clothing, and shelter. We have a choice of any two.”); (3) The dramatic rise in appeals for contributions from many other good causes (I get at least two letters every day soliciting donations and three or four calls a day from fundraising organizations; some Christian organizations are working to convince me that “the church” is passé and that they are the new, cool cause to support); and (4) “giving to the church” just doesn’t have the cachet it once possessed; the idea seems so old-fashioned in these modern times in which there are many other tantalizing places to spend our cash.

I suspect there may be other, more basic reasons; e.g., if the church is incidental in a person’s life, then giving to it will be low priority as well. And possibly there is a paucity of clarity on what we find in the Bible about giving.

So, can we talk?  The topic of giving is touchy for some: we don’t want to be made to feel guilty and we don’t want to be told what to do! I get that. Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the fact that the business of giving is a substantive issue in Scripture: giving of one’s personal resources is an ancient practice of God’s people found in the Law, in the Temple and sacrificial system, and in the early church. Jesus spoke more about money (and what it says about one’s spiritual state) than almost any other topic. Paul seemed to be convinced that generous giving is an action that reveals the heart of authentic, Christian faith.

To simplify the matter just a bit, let’s start with one very familiar passage: I Corinthians 15:1-16:1. This text contains a most fascinating juxtaposition of two concepts: a soaring treatment of the resurrection and a pragmatic instruction regarding taking an offering. Imagine that.

God raised Jesus from the dead!
Paul does not spare words to declare the impact of this single event. It changed history. It changes you and me, forever. It shapes how we live, the way we see each other, and what we think is most important. It is our hope, our rescue from the final enemy . . . and God did it because He loves us.

Now, concerning the collection . . . .

In his next (written) breath, Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians that they need to be giving regularly and generously, setting aside (their gifts) “on the first day of the week”.

A remarkable connection between theology and practice! How did he bridge these disparate topics so easily? Giving, it appears, is a natural response to God’s free gift of grace. The degree to which one easily turns loose of one’s highly valued yet so very temporal stuff is a measure of the degree to which one has grasped the implications of eternal life.

So, the issue is one of allegiance, devotion, and gratitude—not “owing God” or “grudging obligation” or “giving so that you get something.” Giving is not a quid pro quo arrangement. God does not bribe you with a promise of a return on your investment nor does He does He threaten you with holy extortion (i.e., “If you don’t give, He will take it from you.” Ever heard that preached?)

Rather, you give freely because you have received freely. You give gladly because in so doing you show that your highest allegiance is to Him, to things above, and not to “mammon” and things below. You give to His Church because in so doing you give Her life, you broaden Her reach, you participate directly in the work of infinite God in finite world.

God forbid that our church should ever become so “money oriented” that the topic consumes our conversation. God equally forbid that we neglect to proclaim that our giving is a genuine act of worship, a holy sacrifice, a divine liturgy, a profound, public means of proclaiming the goodness of God, and an affirmation that there is a direct connection between how we live our future hope and what we do with our present stuff.

I picked up the following from some ancient source . . .

Do you faithe this life from death?
May your heart then take and seal it . . .

Do you take this Christ as Lord?
May your life henceforth reveal it . . .

Do you see this Church—His Bride?

May your hands be op’n to heal it.

There is much more that should be said on this subject. We will pick up next time with an overview of what the Bible says about giving.

In the meantime, on this lovely, almost-but-not-quite spring day, I am overwhelmingly delighted to be on the great adventure with you. Eager to give freely in accord with what I have freely received, I am, as always,

Yours,

PC

Old man to beautiful, young trophy wife: “Would you still love me if my money was all gone?”

Beautiful, young wife: “Of course, I would still love you. Don’t be silly. And I would miss you, too.”