A repeating theme in my life lately is that wisdom is critical.
Personally, I believe in being a Life Long Learner to help gain that wisdom, and, I believe that teaching is one of the best ways to learn. So, I wanted to exercise that and share what I learned today – that it’s a huge myth that God and Jesus wants you to be poor.
Today, in church we looked at Luke 19:1-27 NKJV. In the first part, it shows how Jesus didn’t look down on the rich tax collector; instead, he embraced him. As Dr. Tom said, “Jesus had a choice – he could have gone and hung out with the poor and have porridge (which, of course, all kidding aside, he certainly would and did), or, go hang out with Zacchaeus and have a steak.” Turned out that the tax man was an okay guy.
Next, he related a parable where basically he (Dr. Tom says the guy in the parable is Jesus) gave ten minas (about $9,000) to each of his ten servants and told them to “go on and do your business,” or, in other words, use this money and make it grow. When he came back later, only three decided to show back up with the money. You can read it below; he praised the two that grew the money and let them keep it (they grew rich). The one who thought he should just “stuff the money in his mattress?” Jesus said, “you goof ball – why didn’t you grow it? Give it to the first guy!”
A related theme today was “you grow in your blessings as you grow in Faith.” All goes hand in hand and was very impactful and meaningful to me today.
Luke 19:1-27 NKJV
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”
