DAY 116

CAMELS, NEEDLES & MONEY

2 Samuel 23 & 24 and Luke 19:1 – 27

Today in the Old Testament we read of “David’s last words” and of an unfortunate situation, that being King David ordering a census – that universally never goes well.

My comments for today revolve around money! In the New Testament we see a man named Zacchaeus do a remarkable “about-face”, or in Biblical language “repent.”

Think about this for a moment. Zacchaeus is the “Chief Tax Collector.” That means he has tremendous influence. The text says he is rich. He is also despised. Romans would use people from the culture of the land to collect taxes from the people of that land. Said differently the occupiers used Jews to collect taxes from other Jews. To make matters worse, the Tax Collectors made their money by creatively extorting money from their fellow citizens – the Romans did not pay them.

So when we read that Zacchaeus is the “chief” and that he is “rich,” well let’s just say he is very skilled at this terrible trade. He was despised.

So what does Jesus do? Well he goes to Zacchaeus’ house of course! And then to boot Zacchaeus’ heart is changed, he not only repents, but he begins to make restitution. His restitution exceeds any of the standards of the day.

I have not spoken much about money in these blogs, but Jesus talks a lot about it. In fact this story is a not even 20 verses away from Jesus saying, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:25). It is hard and apparently the chief sinner just did it!

Ouch! That has got to really gall the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Before we judge them I think we need to ask ourselves “Who in our day and age has turned around – and do we judge them?” Celebrities, politicians, sports stars, religious leaders, corporate leaders…these are the people whose lives are under a microscope and who frequently repent.

But that is not really the main point I am driving at today. The main point is about money. As I said, Jesus talks a lot about it. John Wesley wrote that the last part of a person to be converted is their wallet.

Money gets a tight hold on us. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. It gives us a sense of security. It can even given us a sense of personal worth. Of course all of those are “false senses.” You may remember back on April 13 (I don’t remember, I had to look it up) that there was a story about man whose barns were filled, and he was going to tear them down and build even bigger ones. The man thinks with his riches “laid up” he can then kick back because he is in control. Jesus calls him a fool. And of course the “camel through the eye of the needle” comment is from the rich young man story we just read.

Just to put a point on this subject: 11 of the 39 parables of Jesus are about money. 1 out of every 7 verses in the Gospel of Luke talks about money. Jesus talks more about money then He does heaven and hell combined. Today some preachers teach a “health and wealth” or “prosperity” Gospel. They say things you never find in the Bible or on Jesus lips. Jesus is not interested in you being rich; He is interested in you following him. You may do that as a person who is rich, or poor, or in the middle – the point is not to let it have a hold on you.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus knows how strong a temptation money can be, and therefore he cautions us over and over again.

So when Zacchaeus “gets it”, all we can say is “wow” because in this case the camel has just fit through the eye of the needle. Which means this feat is hard, but not impossible when Jesus is involved.

Ponder for a moment what steps you might take to lessen money’s hold on you, and then invite God into that moment.