The Dark Side of Money

by Richard J. Foster

Storing Eternal Treasure
This is the second article in a series on generosity, one of Vineyard Boise's seven core values.

 

Martin Luther astutely observed, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.” Of these three, it may well be that we moderns find the conversion of the purse the most difficult. It is hard for us even to talk about money.

And yet Jesus spoke about money more frequently than any other subject except the kingdom of God. He gave an unusual amount of time and energy to the money question. In the moving story about the “Widow’s mite,” we are told that Jesus intentionally sat in front of the treasury and watched people putting in their offerings (Mark 12:41). By design, he saw what they gave and discerned the spirit in which they gave. For Jesus, giving was not a private matter. He did not – as we so often do today – glance away embarrassed at prying into someone’s personal business. No, Jesus considered it public business and used the occasion to teach about sacrificial giving.

Jesus’ careful attention to the money question is one of the truly amazing things about the Gospel narratives. The range of his concern is startling: from the parable of the sower to the parable of the rich farmer, from the encounter with the rich young ruler to the encounter with Zacchaeus, from teachings on trust in Matthew 6 to teachings on the dangers of wealth in Luke 6.

The Dark Side

The first stream of teaching we find is what I have chosen to call the dark side of money. I am referring both to the way in which money can be a threat to our relationship with God and to the radical criticism of wealth that we find so much of in Jesus’ words. The warnings and exhortations are repetitious, almost monotonous:

And, of course, many more statements could be added to this sample listing.

The point is that the teaching is very clear and very severe. Right at this juncture we face a real temptation to tone down the criticism immediately, or at least to try to balance it with more positive biblical statements. But this is the very thing we must not do, at least not yet. First we are obliged to allow Scripture to speak to us on this issue. We must not take the sting out of the teaching too quickly. Before we try to explain why it cannot apply to our day, before we insert a dozen qualifications, before we try to interpret or explain or resolve the problem in any way, we simply need to hear the word of Scripture.

The truth is that it is not really difficult to discover what the Bible teaches about money. If we will simply read it through with honest hearts, we can come to a rather clear sense of the direction of Scripture on this subject. The Bible is much more clear and straightforward about money than it is about many other issues. Our difficulty is not in understanding the teaching; our problem lies in another direction. The most difficult thing we have to deal with when we begin to look at the dark side of money is fear. If we have any sense at all, these words of Jesus really do frighten us. They frighten me. And we will not be able to hear the Scripture on this issue until we come to terms with our fear.

There is good reason for fear. These statements of Jesus fly in the face of virtually everything we have been taught about what constitutes an abundant life. Their implications are staggering for us, for the Church and for the wider world of economics and politics. They challenge our privileged status in the world and call us to vigorous sacrificial action. There is indeed good reason for fear.

But the reason for fear is more complicated. We may fear being without money because our parents were without money. We may fear failure. We may fear success. Our parents may have had anxieties about money that we have made our own. We may have fears that stem from watching the absurdities to which some people have taken the teachings of Jesus.

The Light Side

If we focused our attention exclusively on the warnings, we would have a distorted picture of the New Testament teaching. There is another stream of teaching that stresses what I have chosen to call the light side of money. I am referring to the way in which money can be used to enhance our relationship with God and bless humankind:

The teaching on the light side goes further still. At times there seems to be a carefree, almost nonchalant attitude toward wealth. Jesus allowed well-do-do women to support his ministry (Luke 8:1-3). He ate with the rich and the privileged (Luke 11:37; 14:11). He joined in the lavish wedding feast of Cana (John 2:1). And this, of course, is only a sample of the teaching.

Next week – resolving the conflicts between the light and dark side of money.