Money is deadly. I was perusing the headlines of MSNBC just today, and saw so many stories of trouble that had as their basis the issue of money. A senator indicted, a stalled economy…as we drill down we read of killings during robberies and the heartbreak of those who’ve lost great sums of money. We use money every day of our lives…do we ever stop to think about what a powerful force in this world it is? It’s pretty important that we consider it now and anon.
We’re going to read Luke 16:10-18 this Sunday, and Jesus will go from telling a parable which uses commerce as a vehicle for truth, to actually talking about money and it’s place in our lives.
V10-12 transition from the story about how to live with eternity in mind, to v13, a warning about loyalties. The over-arching idea is that of stewardship…of properly managing what God has entrusted to us…our time, talents, resources and money. When we think of someone SERVING money, what do we normally think of? Do we ever consider OURSELVES as people who serve money? If we use serving God as a template, how would we define serving money, and what ways could we recognize this behavior in our own lives?
By v14, the Pharisees are upset (again….those guys were seriously no fun to be around). Their reason for offense? Their true religion was being challenged. Jesus then launches into an expose of their fraudulent religious practices, culminating with v18. PLEASE, don’t let v18 throw you…Jesus is making a point about heart-faithfulness, NOT a commentary on intricacies of human relationships. I did a teaching in Mark 10 about Jesus’ sayings concerning the issue of divorce, I’d implore you to hear my whole argument before you make up your mind about v18.
Ok…well…we’ll see you Sunday, hopefully!
WONDERWHAT 
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