Luke’s Gospel tells us a lot about Jesus’ teachings on money and possessions. The stories are often taught individually, but when we read them together as one teaching, God’s view of money and possessions begins to take shape and can transform our own perspective. We invite you to read, and meditate on these stories, allowing God’s Word to shape your view of money and possessions.
Luke 12
Jesus is in Jerusalem, surrounded by thousands of people, when a single man makes his way through the crowd. Rudely, he calls out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus stops. Immediately, he sets the record straight: “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” First, he didn’t come to judge matters of earthly wealth. And second, this man’s problem is not a problem of finances; it’s a heart problem.
So, Jesus tells a parable: A man who is already rich has a fantastic year. The yield on what he invested in the ground is more than he could have ever imagined. So, without thinking long, without seeking wise counsel (or any counsel, for that matter), and without any thought for anyone but himself, he says (to himself), “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? … I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”
You can see already how this is going wrong, but it gets worse: “I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” This man intends to fill the part of himself that thirsts for God with earthly drink and to rest the part of himself that can only find rest in God, instead, in merriment – trying to stuff and fill what is made for heaven with things that will render it worthless there.
In the story Jesus is telling, God comes that very night to demand the man’s soul and calls him a fool! Then he asks a question:“[Now] who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
The parable doesn’t need a lot of explanation. Jesus only adds a few words: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 18
Another man comes to Jesus desperately seeking eternal life. His story is so important that, not just Luke, but all three of the synoptic Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke) tell it. This man has everything people spend their lives striving for and most of his years still ahead of him. Yet his life is lacking, and it’s troubling him.
Luke tells us the man is a ruler, probably from the priestly aristocracy – the Sadducees. Matthew adds that he’s wealthy. Mark says he’s young. Imagine the crowd parting as this man who has everything the world chases after – youth, power, and wealth – walks through them straight to Jesus … and gets down on his knees!
He’s about Jesus’ own age. He seems to know God’s law and have some confidence he’s keeping it. Yet he also seems to understand he’s missing something important.
He asks a question no one in Israel would’ve asked – because they thought they already knew the answer – and no Sadducee would’ve considered, because they were adamant it wasn’t possible: “How do I inherit eternal life?”
The Sadducees didn’t believe in the supernatural, the resurrection, or life after death. But this doesn’t have the ring of a trick question. All three accounts of this story portray this young man as sincere, having some kind of conclusion that eternal life is possible; he just doesn’t have it.
All he’s achieved and obtained have only provided him an awareness that money, possessions, and power don’t satisfy. He’s so close.
Jesus tells him how he can get what he’s asking for: “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Don’t miss this. He’s calling him to become a disciple. The same call that was irresistible to the 12 he’d already chosen. But Jesus hadn’t called any of his disciples with a prerequisite like this – not even Matthew, the wealthy tax collector. So, why this one on this day? Maybe all that has made him rich, respected, and powerful is standing between him and what he needs, robbing him of his chance at obtaining the life that is truly life.
The source of the eternal life he came seeking is staring him right in the face and offering him exactly what he’s looking for. Jesus simply asks the young man to make a transfer of his trust, one that will accrue to the life he is longing for. And he misses it. He turns his back to Jesus and walks away sad, disoriented, and still possessing nothing in heaven.
All of the riches and treasures and mysteries of eternity, the fullness of God, and an open invitation to an adventure with the Messiah, beginning that very moment. This is what was on offer, but he forfeited them all as he pivoted and the crowd parted again to let him leave.
Luke 19
Both the man in the crowd who wanted Jesus to be the judge of his inheritance and the wealthy Sadducee looking for eternal life missed missed it. But Luke 19 tells a story of a man who understands and whose life changes in an instant. Zacchaeus becomes a disciple of Jesus and stockpiles treasure in heaven in just one day.
He was rich, and his money was dirty. Like most Jewish tax collectors of the time, he made his living overcharging people for what they owed the government. Though this was standard practice, it was both dishonorable and enslaving. He’d become trapped in the “golden handcuffs” of the wealth he gained by his service to the Roman Empire (and to mammon). His job encouraged deceit and required him to intimidate others. He was desperately corrupt, and everyone knew it.
That’s why the people of Jericho were horrified when Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house: “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner!”
Zacchaeus is up in a tree when Jesus finds him. What inspired him to climb that tree? Why does he want to see Jesus so badly that he risks his reputation (a wealthy man up in a tree)? And why does Jesus notice Zacchaeus and call out to him? The text doesn’t tell us.
Jesus had just told a story about a hypothetical humble tax collector who recognizes his sins and repents. Now, here’s a live one on a branch in front of him. By God’s graceful provision, this short swindler is about to become a child of God.
While celebrating at Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus says,“Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham,” a child of God. All Jews are descendants of Abraham. So why does Jesus make this declaration? This day, through faith, Zacchaeus has taken on the righteousness of Christ.
As a new member of God’s family, Zacchaeus goes about righting his wrongs – and blessing beyond that. He immediately commits half his possessions to those in need and promises to pay back four times what he’s extorted. Though the law doesn’t require it, Zacchaeus promises to give 50 percent of his possessions to the poor! The law requires that a man pay 120 percent to someone he’s wronged; Zacchaeus offers 400! Zacchaeus isn’t following the letter of the law – he’s exceeding it, joyfully giving.
His repentance involves giving back what he’s taken and doing so liberally. The money he acquired dishonestly reflected his old motivations. And his heart change is dramatically obvious … from the moment Jesus calls him.
Money meant power back then (as it does today). But by giving in response to what Jesus has done for him, he forces himself into a position of dependence and trust. What will he have left if he pays back more than he’s taken? How will he live? It seems the math doesn’t matter to Zacchaeus. Anyway, his future is more secure than it’s ever been.
Zacchaeus goes from extortionist to philanthropist in one day! His heart change is evident to everyone, and his radical obedience is manifested in extravagant giving. For Zacchaeus, knowing Jesus mattered more than anything he’d acquired.
This same-day transformation was available to the rich young ruler, but he turned his back on it. The deep fulfillment of radical heart change that Zacchaeus rejoiced in was the opposite of what the fool in the parable felt when he experienced a windfall and never gave any thought to sharing it with others – even though he didn’t need it, even though much of it would rot in a storehouse!
The bigger barns and rich young ruler stories are about failure. Zacchaeus’ story is about one giant success in God’s kingdom. Read together, these stories can teach us the deep value of spiritual treasure and the heartbreaking emptiness found in holding too tightly to wealth and possessions.
For us, Jesus’ teachings from Luke have eternal significance. They challenge us to take hold of this truth: The life Jesus promises us is better – and is worth immeasurably more – than anything the world could ever offer. They warn us not to wait until we have everything (and have stuffed our souls with the stuff of earth) to discover this truth.
For further study:
These three stories from Luke 12-19 aren’t the only stories about money and hearts in these eight chapters. There is so much more. Challenge yourself to read the whole selection in one sitting or one day or one week. Before reading, write down your thoughts and feelings about letting go of the things you have. Then, do the same thing after you’ve finished reading.
Tree photo: Jessica Sysengrath
