City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 

Luke 16:10-13

Reflection

The casino culture in Las Vegas has always fascinated me, specifically how casinos deal with money. For example, they make you bet with chips, not cash. Then they refer to five-dollar chips as “nickels,” ten-dollar chips as “dimes,” and twenty-five-dollar chips as “quarters.” All this is designed to denigrate the value of money so the player will risk more at the tables.

In the scripture above, Jesus is doing something similar. He’s denigrating money and then contrasting it with something more valuable to place money in its proper perspective. Jesus characterizes worldly wealth as a “very little” thing.  Money is not the means of our salvation or ultimate security, though the world would tell us it is. Money is temporal. It can be lost or stolen. It is inferior to other, more important things. 

Jesus also uses the phrase “unrighteous wealth.” Some versions say “unrighteousness mammon,” or “worldly wealth.”  While money is not immoral per se, it’s intricately connected with, and the creation of, a corrupt and fallen world. Money makes trade easier than bartering, but it’s only necessary because we live in a post-Fall world of scarcity and selfishness. Money is a means for quantifying value in a world where generosity and abundance is lacking. I suspect there is no money in heaven because in heaven there is neither scarcity nor a lack of abundance.

Lastly, Jesus refers to money as something belonging to someone else. Everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). Therefore, this thing so many spend so much time pursuing, will never fully be their own, even when they obtain it. It’s like striving your whole life to obtain the right to wear someone else’s jewelry.

Application

In the grand scheme of things, worldly wealth is a very little thing. It’s temporal, can be lost or stolen, and is an unreliable source of happiness. Jesus contrasts worldly wealth with the things that truly matter: a relationship with God, spiritual authority in God’s kingdom, responsibility for the souls of others, eternal life with Jesus, and the eternal rewards we will truly call our own.

When we understand Jesus’ teaching about worldly wealth, we should be more willing to wager our money on the needs of others and the advancement of the kingdom of God. After all, it’s just “quarters,” “dimes,” and “nickels.” 

Prayer

Lord, help me always to remember that worldly wealth is temporal, can be lost, and was never mine in the first place. Amen.