Where In The World Is God? When Only Money Counts?

WHEN ONLY MONEY COUNTS?

(Mat 26:15 NIV) and (Judas) asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.

Dear Children of God in the world, but not of the world.

            Today we enter another Lenten season that unfolds to us the very heart of our God. It also challenges our own heart and relationship to our Savior Jesus. “Money Talks,” it has been said. Money is powerful or at least those who hold money believe they are more powerful than others. Have you ever heard that money cries? Could penny pinchers hold it so tight that it would cry out? We all know money is neither righteous nor unrighteous in itself, no different than a rock on the ground. But it is how people use, misuse or abuse money that it crosses over into our relationship with the Lord God almighty. Have you been the victim of the money loving world? Have you been robbed from, identity theft, of a corporate world that cares only about financial numbers and not what is right and fair? Greedy stockholders who only are looking at their dividend without a care about anyone else?   Have you had people work for you only to see how to take advantage of you and your business? Where is justice? Does the Lord have anything to say to all these? 

What difference can Jesus make in a money grubbing, money loving world? Where in the World is God when only money counts? Where should we look, but into the heart of an individual?

            For thirty pieces of silver Jesus was betrayed and handed over. For thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, Jesus was betrayed. As we look at this pitiful exchange we realize are drawn into the very hearts of people. There are three aspects: the world that offers thirty pieces of silver, the one who takes the offer and Jesus the victim.   This is our world. This will have an impact on us. Do we see the devils hand at work? Where is God at work?

            We enter the temple, the church at that time. This was to be God’s house. Earlier Jesus had tried to cleanse the temple. (Mat 21:13 NIV) "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" It was full of thieves, rather than a house of prayer. Here are church officials misusing their position and power. They could find within their hearts to offer 30 pieces of silver which would become blood money. Where is their conscience? What is right and wrong even in the church? Can God be missing even in the hearts of those in the church?

            Then there is Judas, the treasurer of the disciples, the keeper of the money who comes wanting even more. What are you willing to give me? The negotiations began. Did he accept the first offer, did he barter for more? What was going on in heart?

            When Jesus taught his disciples including Judas, they heard (Mat 6:24 NIV) “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.   What is going on in the heart? Where is God? Where is the love of God? Paul had to write to the young pastor Timothy: (1 Tim 6:10 NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (Heb 13:5 NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."   I believe the words of Solomon of old would describe Judas and the problems he faced: (Eccl 5:10 NIV) Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

            What is shocking about the Lenten story is the whole impact in the temple and the disciples. We are dealing with God’s house, with followers of Jesus. Where was God in their hearts? What had pushed God out of their hearts? I believe there is a warning for all of us in the church today. Our District President laments that we have lost clergy who have helped themselves to offerings. On the other hand how much of the Lord’s work has suffered in the world, because people have loved their money rather than the Lord. They stole also from the Lord by refusing to give it to the Lord in the first place.   Could disciples of Jesus today sell him out for less than 30 pieces of silver? Are people today hearing to the words of Jesus, “You cannot serve both God and Money” but not apply it to their own hearts?

            Another area where money can take the place of God in our hearts is the worry about the future. Fear of the lack of money rather than trust in the Lord fills heart and mind causing sleepless, tossing and turning nights.   At the same time our hearts and lives can struggle with discontent, because we are never satisfied with what we have and want more and more things, things only money can buy. When we have them, we still are not satisfied. 

Where does God want to be in our lives? How does the Lord want to fit into our decision making? How can the Lord make a difference in this world? Here is where Ash Wednesday and Lent focuses us on the real meaning of life and salvation. Ash Wednesday is a time for personal reflection of our misguided love.   This is a time of repentance, of contrition and returning to the Lord.   How misguided our love has been, how selfish and self centered we have been.

It is also a time of profound time of really calculating the cost, the real cost of our redemption. To be redeemed, means “buy back,” Peter describes it this way: (1 Pet 1:18 NIV) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, In a money world, where the debt of sin is not often calculated, I would like to share a thought I am borrowing from Rev. Mark Jeske of Time of Grace. How many of you have mortgages that you have to make payments? If I told you, they are all paid in full, it would mean nothing, because you do not owe the payments to me. When Jesus told a man, his sins were forgiven, people where shocked, because Jesus was claiming that individual had a debt to him. So it is just awesome, I can say to you, because Jesus told me to, because of his paying the price, your debt of sin is covered, it is paid in full. The Lord gave us a beautiful picture in money terms: (Isa 52:3 NIV) For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed." Rather than counting out thirty pieces of silver, one, two, three, maybe we should be counting out the drops of blood, one, two three. 

This is where Ash Wednesday begins.

But we still have to leave church into this world. But Jesus wants us to take him home in our hearts. Knowing what he would do for our salvation, he also wants us to know he is with us all the time in this world. Earlier I had read half a verse to you, I want to read the whole verse now: (Heb 13:5 NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."   Go with Jesus’ promise in your hearts and be at peace. Amen.