Money is actually a form of test God gives us. Money reveals the status of our heart. It bares what occupies our heart. In his time, Jesus saw how people mocked the value of their life because of the money they possessed. It kept the lowly low. Similarly, in the present, the wealthy have lost the capacity for a meaningful life.
Jesus deeply believed in the value and dignity of human life. His actions showed how he wanted to restore people to the status wherein they could regain their dignity which society stole from them. He sought to create solidarity and save the lowly. He demanded that his disciples live the kind of heroic life in the service of God’s Kingdom. He challenged them to lose their lives, because for Jesus, losing their lives was much more than losing money. Losing their lives required surrendering their life for the service of God.
The prophets in the Old Testament supported Jesus’ view on the dangers of loving money. They condemned injustice and extortionate money-making schemes even more fervently than Jesus did. For one, Paul stressed, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10 NRSV). The danger of loving money is very real. It can cost you your own life, not just your physical life, but also your eternal life.
In the modern world, people are not very vigilant about the dangers of wealth and falling into the trap of loving it. They are encouraged to love money, to desire for material wealth, and to live for it alone. The extreme legalism that Christians suffered in the past has been replaced by extreme liberalism, which does not set boundaries for how far they can push themselves to the point of completely turning away from Jesus.
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What does your perspective of money reveal about you?