One thing that can be said about teaching Sunday school is
that you never know what questions will arise.
Last Sunday we were discussing the Beatitudes and how in
particular they applied to the disciples.
A question arose as to what Jesus and His followers did for
money.
Scripture tells us that Jesus and his followers possessed a
money box to help the poor.
It also tells us that Judas was the keeper of the box and that
he helped himself to that money.
John 12:6 (NET) - Now Judas said this not because he was concerned
about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used
to steal what was put into it.
Jesus knew that Judas stole from the money box and yet He
allowed him to remain in charge of it… but more on that later.
What about money for their own use?
Scripture never tells us that Jesus or His disciples had
money of their own.
Rather, it implies that they did not.
When Jesus sent his followers out in pairs, he instructed
them not to take any money.
Luke 9:3 (NET) - He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no
staff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic.
Jesus empowered them to do great things.
Yet they were to be totally dependent on God for even their
most basic needs.
Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem he sent his disciples
ahead to get a colt for his entry into the city.
Matthew 21:2-3 (NET) - telling them, “Go to the
village ahead of you. Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt
with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If
anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will
send them at once.”
When the Passover came, his followers asked Jesus where He
wished the meal prepared.
Jesus gave them these instructions…
Matthew 26:18 (NET) - He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and
tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I will observe the Passover with
my disciples at your house.”’
No money changed hands for either the use of the room or the
colt.
The one time that the need for money arose, Jesus instructed Peter
how to obtain it.
In Matthew 17, the collectors of the temple tax approached
Peter and asked if Jesus paid the tax,
Peter told them yes and returned to Jesus.
Jesus knew what had transpired.
Although Jesus did not really need to pay the tax, He
instructed Peter how to obtain the money.
Matthew 17:27 (NET) – But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake
and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its
mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me
and you.
Then, there is the matter of His burial.
Luke 23:52-53 (NET) - He went to Pilate and asked for the body of
Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a
tomb cut out of the rock, where no one had yet been buried.
Jesus was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb.
Scripture says practically nothing about Jesus and his
followers using money.
That seems to be a message in and of itself.
So, why would Jesus allow Judas, a known thief, to keep the
money box for the poor?
Let’s look at Paul’s first letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NET) - For the love of money is the root of all evils.
Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed
themselves with many pains.
Notice that Paul did not say that “money is the root of all
evils”.
Paul stated that “the love of money is the root of all evils”.
Jesus commands us to love God and love our neighbor.
The love of money does not allow us to love either God or our
neighbor.
The love of money is all consuming.
It is nothing short of idolatry.
Perhaps that is why Jesus allowed Judas to keep the money
box.
Perhaps He simply allowed Judas to decide which master he
would serve.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
I’ll be back here on Friday, July 7,
2017
