Jesus Talks Money: Priorities

We know money is important, but is it valuable? When something is valuable, you’re willing to prioritize it and give up everything for it, even money! In the first week of our new series, Jesus tells stories about two individuals who give up everything they have to obtain real treasure. (Matthew 13:44-46)

Transcript

SERIES INTRODUCTION

According to a new poll from the Wall Street Journal, money is now more important to Americans than patriotism, religion, community involvement, or having kids. So, I guess it’s a good thing that we’re kicking off a new series, “Jesus Talks Money,” where we look at seven different parables which Jesus told about money. With each one, he communicates something unexpected, upending common beliefs, assumptions, or values that we might hold about money.

For this first week, we’re going to talk about PRIORITIES. And what better way to explore priorities than to talk about shopping?

THRIFT STORE DEALS

Have you ever gone shopping, found something you really wanted, but not bought it right away? Maybe you hid it on the back of the rack so you could come back later? Or have you ever moved it to a completely different part of the store?

For me, it happened about 15 years ago. We had moved into a new house, and I was setting up the ultimate game room. I had heard of this game called Boccerball because it had won a “Game of the Year” award, but I never saw it in stores.

So, I was browsing Savers one day, and I saw it. It was still priced a little high, but they were having a 50% off Labor Day sale within a few days. So, I did what every self-respecting thrifter would do. I hid it in the furniture section, behind some nasty couches and chairs. When I came back on Labor Day, it was still there. Cha-ching! I scored an awesome game for cheap, and we played for years.

THE PARABLES OF THE TREASURE AND PEARL

We all understand the value of a deal. That’s why I think Jesus used the idea of a great deal in one of his shortest and simplest set of parables.

Together, let’s read Matthew 13:44-46 out loud.

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

In a chapter full of parables about the kingdom of God, these two are probably the simplest. The kingdom of heaven is of such great value that it is worth giving up everything else in life in order to possess it.

Both stories take an unfamiliar concept—the unseen realm of God’s kingdom—and compare it to a very familiar concept—simple economics.

We all understand the value of a deal. If you see a $1,000 perfect-fit dress for $50, you buy it. If you find a rare Hot Wheels at Target for $1.30, you buy it.

We all understand the idea of spending less for something worth more. Then why is it so hard to live out this parable? Why do we so consistently strive for things that are worth less than God and his kingdom?

5 REASONS WHY WE STRUGGLE TO LIVE IT OUT

I’d like to posit five possible reasons. These are root causes that linger in our hearts and souls and drive us toward things of this world and away from the things of God. And I bet one of them describes you. Later on, I’ll tell you which one describes me.

1. We don’t understand the kingdom of God.

I don’t know Pokémon cards. I could be looking at a rare $2,000 Charizard and not even know it. I’d just flip right by it.

That’s what it’s like if you don’t understand what the kingdom of God is. It’s the jewelry merchant who doesn’t know pearls. It could be right in front of you, and you just flip right by it.

The kingdom of God is his rule and reign. The kingdom is where God’s will always happens.

The kingdom of God had begun, but it’s not complete. It’s already here, but it’s not yet here.

The kingdom is about God restoring his creation. It is where wrong things are finally made right. It’s where love, righteousness, and justice are everything, everywhere, all at once.

And it’s disastrous when we don’t see that.

Author Sky Jethani describes it like this, “Our blindness or ignorance about the kingdom of heaven prevents us from recognizing the true nature and value of what is being offered. As a result, we cling more tightly to what we have and dismiss the glories available to us through Christ.”

If you don’t understand how incredible God’s kingdom is and the immeasurable honor it is to help God usher it in right now, then you’ll never be willing to give up something else for it.

2. We don’t think the kingdom is here. It’s too far off for us to really care about.

If you think the “kingdom of heaven” is just about heaven—some distant place after we die—then you’re not likely to worry much about it here in this life.

It’s the same reason why it’s hard to convince a college student not to quit school by telling them that their earning potential is 84% higher with a college degree than without one. Or that college graduates make, on average, $1.2 million more over their lifetime.

But, if you believe that the kingdom of God is here right now, and you have a part to play in bringing more love, righteousness, and justice into this world, then God’s kingdom becomes much more valuable.

In the language of this parable, you know how valuable that treasure is, and you know the worth of that pearl.

3. We focus on what we’re giving up rather than what we’re receiving.

Maybe you hear these parables and think of the unavoidable sacrifices involved in following Christ. You have to sell off everything you have in order to gain the kingdom. Christianity is all about giving up and sacrificing.

Maybe you grew up in a church that was constantly asking you to sacrifice for the church—give for a new soundboard, attend this family’s event, or give your time for this fundraiser. When Christians focus so much on what they’ve sacrificed for Jesus, they can turn misery into a virtue.

But with these parables, the central emotion of those who acquired the kingdom is not misery, it’s joy. Their focus is on what is gained, not what is lost.

But if you reverse this and fixate on the things of this world that you’re supposed to give up, then you’ll never be able to marvel at the grandeur of what you gain, which is God himself.

4. We seek immediate comfort over infinite satisfaction.

You might think these parables are about sacrifice, but they’re not. Both the man who bought the field and the jeweler who bought the pearl were clearly motivated by self-interest when they made their purchases.

Our consumer culture tells us that we should get what we want now without waiting. We should be able to buy that pearl with one click, $0 down, 0% financing, and free 2-day shipping.

The problem isn’t having self-interested desires but how the world tells us to fulfill them.

I will eat something unhealthy for myself because I choose immediate pleasure over long-term health benefits. We make decisions like that all the time because we are told to seek immediate comfort over infinite satisfaction.

C.S. Lewis described it like this: “Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. [14] We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

There’s one more reason, and this one hurts.

5. We love our money more than God’s kingdom.

It’s quite simple. We know God’s kingdom is valuable, but we love our money more. We love the security it gives us. We love the things it can buy. We love the power it holds. And we don’t want to give up any of it.

Did you notice that both parables involved spending a lot of money to get something else? They both “sold all they had.” God was pleased, but their accountants were not. There was an economic cost for a spiritual gain.

If you look at life through financial eyes more than through kingdom eyes, this type of decision will never make sense. It will always look like you’re losing.

CONCLUSION

So, which one of these describes you? Where is your growing edge? Where is God nudging at your heart?

For me, it’s definitely that I seek immediate comfort over infinite satisfaction. I am so stuck in the present, physical world that I sometimes forget there is a bigger, more valuable spiritual world all around us. When things get difficult, I go for immediate comfort—in my eating, sleeping, hobbies, laziness. And sometimes, when the hurt gets big enough, today is the only thing that matters. Thank God I have a job that forces me to think about God’s kingdom. Otherwise, I’m not sure I’d ever do it.

How about you? Here are the five reasons you might resist Jesus’ invitation to trade something of limited value for something else of exceptional value. What’s keeping you from making God’s kingdom the priority it should be in your life?

Then, I’m going to give you a few minutes to pray. In your prayer, I’d encourage you first to confess and then ask God to open your eyes to the true value of the kingdom of heaven.

I’ll begin with a prayer and be silent for you to pray.

God of infinite worth, forgive me for setting my eyes on such shallow, worthless stuff. I seek comfort from food and rest, when I should be seeking comfort in your arms. Forgive me for my sin of short-sided self-reliance. Instead, open my eyes to your incalculable worth, your incomparable kingdom. Give me eyes to see that the trade-off is always worth it. Amen