St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Rich fool or wise manager?

Jesus’ words about money are very cutting. On the one hand we should trust in a loving God who gives to us generously without restraint. We should never worry that he won’t look after us, or fret that we won’t be able to make ends meet. This freedom means that we can take our minds off acquiring wealth. “The pagan world runs after such things as food and drink and clothes,” said Jesus, “and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:30-31).

On the other hand, we still have our jobs to do and our families to look after, and Jesus did not expect us to neglect them. He condemned the Pharisees for teaching that a man could duck looking after his parents (Mark 7:9-13), and he said we were supposed to be like good servants (or “managers”) doing our jobs until our master (God) returns (Luke 12:42-48). We need to live in the world and we need to handle money, possessions and property during our lives.

So how can we get the right balance?

The right balance is about how we see our relationship with what we own. We can see ourselves as outright owners or as custodian stewards. There’s a big difference.

The outright owner of something has an absolute right to do whatever he/she wants with it. So the “rich fool” in one of the parables of Jesus (Luke 12:16-21) had an absolute right to say “All these good crops of mine are mine, and I’ll build big barns to store them so that I can live in luxury for the rest of my days.” His only problem was that he was not the absolute owner of his own life, as his early death proved. God said to him: “You fool!”

By contrast, the custodian steward of a trust fund has discretion to make a lot of decisions about the money in the fund. He/she can move the cash from stocks to property, or make payments to beneficiaries, or decide to employ workers to repair buildings..., but all these are about looking after the money for the benefit of the real owners.

Here’s the crunch: the bible says we are stewards of what we have, not outright owners. God has given us discretion to manage our affairs, but he has also given us (in the bible) terms of reference for how we should use his money.

Do you see yourself as owner or steward of the riches you have?

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. August 2001, Page 4.
Home Page. Index of articles. Money: index, Gift Aid, Missions, Missions 2, All from you, Steward, Test me. In this issue: (August 2001) Vicar's Letter, CW Books, Money, Question.	Rich fool or wise manager? Jesus’ words about money are very cutting. On the one hand we should trust in a loving God who gives to us generously without restraint. We should never worry that he won’t look after us, or fret that we won’t be able to make ends meet. This freedom means that we can take our minds off acquiring wealth. “The pagan world runs after such things as food and drink and clothes,” said Jesus, “and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:30-31). On the other hand, we still have our jobs to do and our families to look after, and Jesus did not expect us to neglect them. He condemned the Pharisees for teaching that a man could duck looking after his parents (Mark 7:9-13), and he said we were supposed to be like good servants (or “managers”) doing our jobs until our master (God) returns (Luke 12:42-48). We need to live in the world and we need to handle money, possessions and property during our lives. So how can we get the right balance? The right balance is about how we see our relationship with what we own. We can see ourselves as outright owners or as custodian stewards. There’s a big difference. The outright owner of something has an absolute right to do whatever he/she wants with it. So the “rich fool” in one of the parables of Jesus (Luke 12:16-21) had an absolute right to say “All these good crops of mine are mine, and I’ll build big barns to store them so that I can live in luxury for the rest of my days.” His only problem was that he was not the absolute owner of his own life, as his early death proved. God said to him: “You fool!” By contrast, the custodian steward of a trust fund has discretion to make a lot of decisions about the money in the fund. He/she can move the cash from stocks to property, or make payments to beneficiaries, or decide to employ workers to repair buildings..., but all these are about looking after the money for the benefit of the real owners. Here’s the crunch: the bible says we are stewards of what we have, not outright owners. God has given us discretion to manage our affairs, but he has also given us (in the bible) terms of reference for how we should use his money. Do you see yourself as owner or steward of the riches you have? John Hartley
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