Show me the money (Matthew 22:15-22)

“I pay what I have to and not a penny more.”

Jimmy Carr has been the subject of recent headlines revealing the celebrity as a member of “a legal but aggressive tax avoidance scheme” (BBC News, 20 June 2012). Prime Minister David Cameron condemned Mr Carr’s actions as “morally wrong”, while Treasury Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander equated rich tax dodgers with benefit cheats. Having said that, pop star, Lily Allen considers them a “hundred times worse”. Mr Carr has since issued statements publicly apologising for his tax affairs and says he is no longer a part of such schemes.

What is interesting to note is how each condemnation spoken out against Mr Carr was essentially that of moral outrage. He was wrong. Not legally, but morally. It is not that he couldn’t do what he did - the scheme he took part in was within the limits of the law - but that he shouldn’t have done what he did. At a gig held soon after the debacle in the press, Jimmy said this:

“I’ve not broken the law. I’ve not done anything illegal. But morally, morally...”

In today’s passage, Jesus is asked a seemingly innocuous question on the subject of paying tax. Yet the nature of that question is neither economic nor legal, but ethical and moral. “Is it right,” they ask Jesus, “to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” To which Jesus answers both practically and ethically, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” But then he adds, “And to God what is God’s.” What Jesus does is give a theological answer.

In other words, what is the bible’s perspective? What is God’s? I think the answer may very well surprise you. The account ends with Jesus’ hearers described as being “amazed” with his response.

I want us to see three things from today’s passage:

(1) The question of the cunning

(2) The coin of the king

(3) The king without a coin

1. The question of the cunning

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.

Matthew 22:15

The masterminds behind this encounter are a bunch called the Pharisees. These are the guys who score 100% at bible quiz. They turn up every week with pressed shirt and tie. Their hair is combed-down and centre-parted. Think, Ned Flanders from the Simpsons. “Okedy-Dokety!”

Now it is all too easy to make fun of the Pharisees. Especially in Sunday School, where we tell stories like this to the kids and teach them that the moral of the story is, “Don’t be a Pharisee! They are the bad guys.” And what I want to say to you today is: That is not the moral of the story. No, the moral of the story is this: All of us are Pharisees. All of us, have had at one time or another, arguments with our teachers, friends and colleagues; after which we stayed up all night, doing what? Thinking of a comeback, that’s what! Haven’t you ever done that? Some guy in school ticks you off and says something nasty about you and you replay that scene over and over again in your head. “Oooh, I should have said that! If only I had done that!”

That is how the story begins in verse 15. “The Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap (Jesus) in his words.” What has happened is, Jesus has been speaking out against the Pharisees since Chapter 21. Yet, each and every time, they’re stuck for words. Jesus keeps hammering them again and again; for being religious, for being proud and for being plain stuck-up. At one point, Jesus even says to the Pharisees, “The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matthew 21:31). To get how offensive that was, it is like Jesus pointing to drag queen and drug pushers and saying to the members of the Rotary Club, “They’re in but you guys are out!”

What is so pathetic about this is how the Pharisees - these top theological minds - actually have to leave the room just to formulate an answer to give to Jesus. They couldn’t come up with a decent comeback on the spot! Instead, they had to have a committee meeting. And there was just one item on the agenda at this meeting: Think of a way to humiliate Jesus. “They laid plans to trap him in his words.”

And before we move one bit further, I just want to say: This is what all of us do. When a mistake is pointed out to us; when our authority has been challenged, our first reaction is not to ask ourselves, “Was there any truth in that?” No, we want to humiliate our accuser. We pour all our energies into damage control. It doesn’t matter if the problem was serious. Doesn’t matter whether person was being truthful. Doesn’t even matter if it’s God.

What is worse is we think that Jesus is the same like us. That’s the whole reasoning behind the Pharisees’ cunning plan. The Pharisees think that Jesus is playing a power game; that he’s all about ego, because that’s what everyone is about - being popular and looking good in front of the crowd. Look at what they do next.

They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Matthew 22:16-17

Some say that the Pharisees were being cowardly, sending in their disciples instead of approaching Jesus themselves. I suspect, though, that this was all part of the plan. They wanted Jesus to think that the younger low-level grassroot leaders were abandoning the party. Hence, the over-the-top display of respect for Jesus, calling him “Teacher”, showering him with praise for his frank views on the religious establishment and his no-holds-barred analysis on the spiritual state of the nation. They say to him, “You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.” In other words, what they were saying was, “Jesus, you don’t give face!” (In Chinese, “Lei Mo Pei Miin”) “You are someone who speaks his mind regardless of the consequences.”

But it’s just smokescreen; a setup for the real question they had been sent there to ask. “Tell us then, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

To fully understand how sinister this question was, look back to verse 16, and notice that there was another group of representatives sent with this delegation. They are called the Herodians; supporters of a man named King Herod. You see, this was a political rally. The Herodians were campaigning for their guy, King Herod, to be recognised as the head of state of their nation, Israel. At this point of time in history, the Romans were in charge. Rome had invaded and taken over the country, leaving a sizeable military presence in the capital city (which is why the gospels has Jesus bumping into Roman centurions and Roman soldiers everywhere he went). However, to appease the locals, they also appointed Herod as kind of a local MP in charge of the northern region of Galilee. In the eyes of the Jewish people, he was the rightful ruler and King as Herod was descended from royal blood.

Now, this debate between Jesus and the religious leaders was taking place smack centre of this political turmoil. The encounter took place in Jerusalem, the city of the King, but where Herod's jurisdiction was not recognised. Instead Romans troops were stationed in Jerusalem enforcing military rule under a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The Herodians wanted the Romans out and their guy recognised as the true king. Aside from being political, the Herodians also saw their cause as deeply religious. They believed that God’s kingdom could only be ruled under God’s king.

So, when they ask Jesus, “Is it right to pay tax?” the question had nothing to do with money. It was a question to determine which government had the authority to rule over them. Was it Caesar or Herod? In fact, the tax in question was not income tax, that is, the percentage off your monthly paycheck that went to the Treasury. This was something called a poll tax. It was a minimal sum - just one coin, if you look ahead to verse 19 - that everyone had to pay, regardless of whether you were a slave or a businessman. Everyone could afford to pay this sum, but again, it wasn’t the amount of money that was being disputed. It was who the money was being paid to. The poll tax was tribute compulsory for each and every individual to pay up to Caesar as a sign of their allegiance to the Roman government. Hence the question, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

It was a question designed to trap Jesus in his words. What was Jesus going to say? All this while, Jesus has been speaking out against the religious establishment; all this while, Jesus had been preaching about the new Kingdom of Heaven that was soon approaching; would he now speak out against the Roman government? It would certainly be the answer the Herodians were looking forward to. But then again, Jesus would essentially be inciting rebellion against the Romans. Remember that this was happening in Jerusalem, one week before the Passover, the biggest religious festival of the entire Jewish calendar. I wonder if many a faithful Jew was itching for Jesus to give the word to take up arms against their oppressors.

But if instead Jesus said, “Yes, you ought to pay your taxes to Caesar,” he would be branded a Roman sympathizer and a traitor of the Jewish people.

You have to hand it to the Pharisees, it was a cunning question. Answer “Yes”, and Jesus would have lost the support of his countrymen. Answer “No”, and Jesus risked being arrested by the Roman authorities.

But Jesus knew what they were up to. And what he said next was, “Show me the money!”

2. The coin of the king

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

Matthew 22:18-20

If you take out a one pound coin, you are going to have on one side, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. (The design on the other side changes every year - you have emblems representing the UK, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.) In fact, every coin produced since the 17th century has had the image of the monarch’s head on it. Interestingly, the direction the each head faces, changes from each successive ruler, which is why Elizabeth II is always facing to the right.

Similarly, Jesus says to the Pharisees, “Show me the money,” and what they produce is a coin with the portrait - literally, the word the bible uses here is image - of Caesar. Caesar was the king and this was the coin of the king. It reminded everyone who used this coin that they were subjects of this king.

As we have already seen, this was a problem for the Jews, especially for the Herodians who wanted their own king to be ruler of the land. But the problem ran deeper still. Aside from asking what image was on the coin, Jesus said, “And whose inscription?” Written on the side of the image of Caesar were the words, “Son of God” (Latin: Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti Filius Augustus)  and on the back, “High Priest” (Pontifex Maximus). You can see why this was deeply offensive to Jews. Caesar was proclaiming himself more than just a ruler, but that he was descended directly from God and the chief mediator between God and man.

“Whose image and whose inscription is this?” Jesus asked. They replied, “Caesar’s.” Now notice that Jesus doesn’t simply say, “What image is on this coin, or what is written on this coin.” He says, “Whose.” Meaning, who does this coin belong to? Whose kingdom is this coin talking about? And everyone, including the Pharisees’ disciples, including the Herodians themselves reply, “It belongs to Caesar.” Now, look at how Jesus concludes in verse 21.

Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Matthew 22:21

“Give it back to him.” Some translations use the word “render”: “Render to Caesar.” To render means to return. You are returning something that belongs to that someone else. “This is the king’s coin,” Jesus is saying. “Give it back to him.”

In effect, Jesus is saying to bible-believing, God-fearing Jews, then - and by implication, to us Christians today - that we owe our tax to our king, that we owe, even our allegiance to our government. When you pay taxes, you shouldn’t go, “Sigh, I’m losing all this money I have worked so hard for. I wonder how much of it I claim back through deductions.” Rather, the Christian who knows that there is no authority except that which God has established (Romans 13:1), will say, “I owe this money. I want to pay this money.” Especially when we live under a government that is doing its job, protecting its citizens and providing for its citizens, but more so, because God establishes his authority through all governments to ensure order and justice. It doesn’t mean that the government has to be Christian - it certainly wasn’t when Romans 13 was written. And it doesn’t mean that the government is above God - there is a second part to the answer that Jesus gives. Look again at verse 21.

Jesus adds, “And render to God what is God’s.” What is that you owe God? That is a much harder question to answer, especially for those of us who don’t think we owe anyone anything. But the truth is, we do. We owe our government what is due to our governments - our obedience to the law of the land, our taxes to support the governing of the land, our allegiance to the leaders and rulers set over the land. It is important to highlight that the bible does not negate our responsibilities due to the state, to our parents, to our community, once we become Christians. This has implications on the way we pay our taxes, but also in other areas to do with national service, honouring our parents, respecting the cultures within our community, even those which differ or are even against the Christian faith. We do all this not in spite of, but out of our submission to God’s ultimate authority. That’s the first half of Jesus’ question, “Render to Caesar, what is Caesar’s,” and it is actually the easier bit. The second half of the question is tougher to answer. How do we render to God what is God’s? What is it ultimately that we owe to God?

You see, for the Pharisees and Herodians, they would have answered that question by saying, “We owe God our money.” And we hear that sometimes in a church settings. I listened to a sermon recently from a pastor who said that our worship to God - the praises we sing and the prayers that we offer up - are currency that needs to be backed up. The same way that any national currency needs to be backed up by reserves of gold in the bank, to ensure that the currency isn’t devalued, so our worship to God might become worthless and hollow unless it is backed up by our giving.

I must say that there is some truth in that statement. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:21). Or as the private detectives on TV would say, “Follow the money.” Money leaves a trail of clues. Our spending of our money reveals where our true treasure is. Our spending of our money reveals what we truly worship.

Yet, Jesus is saying something quite different from the pastor’s illustration to back up your worship with your money. Because that’s what the Pharisees and Herodians were saying, “We shouldn’t worship Caesar, we ought to worship God, instead with our money.” But that’s not the answer Jesus was looking for. What is it that we owe God?

The clue lies with the money, or rather, something that is on the money. You see, the coin belongs to Caesar, why? Because it has Caesar’s image and Caesar’s writing on it. How then can we tell what belongs to God? It is something that has God’s image and God’s handwriting printed on it. That’s you and me. God created us in his image. That’s Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image... male and female he created them.” But more than that, if you are a Christian, God has written his laws on your heart. Hebrews 8:10, “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts” (quoting Ezekiel 11:20). What belongs to God? What do we need to return to God that belongs to God? It is our whole lives.

“Render to God what is God’s.” You belong to God. “Have you given yourself to him?” Jesus is asking. When someone looks at your life, do they see Jesus? When God looks at your heart, does he see his Word, his laws? His writing?

The word, “coin” simply means to stamp something with a mark. It is a term taken from the printing industry. All coins have a mark and an image. When Jesus said to them, “Show me the coin,” what they showed him was the mark and image of Caesar that said this coin belonged to an earthly king, Caesar. Now Jesus is saying, “In the same way, you are coins of the true King.” All of us have markings that say we don’t belong to ourselves. All of us have markings that tell us we were made by someone else. All of us bear the image of God that remind us our lives belong to Him, and the question is, do you see that? Have you given back to God what is God’s?

“Do you see the coin of the King?” Jesus is asking. But finally, Jesus says, “Do you see the king without a coin?”

3. The king without a coin

Did you notice that when Jesus wanted to illustrate his point about the coin, he didn’t have one? This isn’t the only time it has happened. Back in Matthew Chapter 17, someone comes up to Peter and asks, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” and Peter says, “Duh! Oh course, he does.” But then, in the next scene, he says to Jesus, “Erm, Jesus, did you remember to pay this week’s offering yet?” And what Jesus does is tell Peter to go fishing in the lake, and that the first fish he catches will have the coin he needs to pay the tax!

So here, when Jesus needed another coin for his illustration, he said, “Can someone lend me one please?” It must have been embarrassing for his disciples, to travel around the country with their esteemed leader, whom many were hoping would be the mighty Messiah, who didn’t have enough money on him to pay for lunch. And yet, many believed him to the true king. What kind of king was this? A different king. Jesus was a king without a coin.

The Herodians and the Pharisees were looking for a king like Caesar - a king with power, prestige and influence. They were looking for a king whose picture was stamped on all the currency, who controlled the wealth of the country, who commanded all the troops. Jesus came with no money, no prestige and no recognition. And yet, the bible contends, he is the true Son of God. Jesus is the true High Priest. What kind of king is he? Jesus is a king who sacrifices his wealth to enter into poverty. He is a priest who sacrifices his own life to pay for our sins.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

You see, you and I couldn’t possibly afford the price tag on our lives. We can’t render to God what is God’s because even after we have given up our entire lives, we would still fall short. What God has done is paid the price on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus takes our debt of sin exchanges it with his wealth. Though he was rich, the bible says, for our sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty - not through his wealth, but through his humility; through his sacrifice - we might become rich.

Do you see Jesus in his poverty? That is the kind of king he is - gentle, generous, gracious. That is the true image of God, seen not in power but in humility; seen not on a coin, but displayed for us most fully on a cross.

This is the gospel, that Jesus is Lord and that Jesus has paid. Other religions talk about what we need to do and what we need to pay in order for us to be accepted by God. The gospel says God has footed the bill. God has rendered to God what is God’s. On the cross, the Son of God took upon himself the full punishment of our sin, erasing our record of debt to God, and transferred all his glory, all his blessing and his righteousness into our account. Other religions talk about what we need to pay, only the gospel says God has paid for our sins through Jesus Christ.

What the gospel invites us to do is to come to Jesus not with our wealth but with our poverty, not with our righteousness but our sins, not with power but in weakness and receive from him forgiveness, love and eternal life. To come to the king without a coin and to be reconciled with God at the cross.

The rich young man (Mark 10:17-27)

C.S. Lewis once compared God to a dentist. Let me explain: When you go to God with a problem, you know that he is not going to stop with your toothache. He is going to notice all those cavities that need filling and he is going to keep on working at it until all your teeth are fixed. God is not going to stop until you get the full treatment.

In today’s passage a man runs up to Jesus with the question, “How do I get to heaven?” It is a sincere question but Jesus gives an answer that surprises him and amazes everyone around him. “Sell everything and follow me.” Jesus gives him the full treatment. Understandably, some of us hear that and wonder if Jesus went too far. Some of us wonder if Jesus was asking too much.

The curious thing is, the bible tells us that Jesus said this out of love. Verse 23: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” In order for this man to get to heaven, Jesus explains that he would need to turn away - not from his badness - but from his goodness. Not from his weaknesses, but from his wealth. It is a surprising answer because many of us have never heard that before. It is a loving answer because it reveals the truth about who we are and who Jesus is.

I want us to notice three things from our bible passage today.

1. A good man

2. A rich man

3. A God who does the impossible

1. A good man

The first thing I want us to see is that this man is genuinely good. He approaches Jesus respectfully and earnestly, bowing before Jesus and calling him, “Good teacher”; the way we might address someone as “Professor” at the university. Yet the question he puts before this teacher is not academic but personal. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Trust in God and you will be saved!” That’s what Jesus should have said. “Follow me and receive eternal life.” That’s what we expect Jesus to have said. Strangely, Jesus gave none of those answers. Instead, Jesus asks him to consider a different question.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone.”

Mark 10:18

Jesus is saying that “goodness” is absolute, not relative. Put it another way: goodness is digital, not analogue. There is one standard of goodness and it is God alone. Now why does Jesus seem to go off on this tangent? Well, here’s this young man coming up to Jesus acknowledging him as a good teacher, meaning he saw Jesus as a capable teacher, a gifted speaker, a moral guru. Jesus points out a flaw with that approach. You are thinking about eternal life which is an good thing and an important thing to be thinking about. You want an absolute answer but you have posed a relative question: ‘What can I do?’ You are looking for five ways to improve yourself. You are searching for ten steps to maximise your happiness. Unfortunately, that approach won’t bring you any closer to heaven. It won’t bring you a step closer to God.

The clue lies behind the word “inheritance”. The man asks, “What can I do to inherit eternal life?” When a person dies he leaves behind an inheritance for members of his family. So, a father leaves behind his property to his sons and daughters as an inheritance. Do you see the flaw in the young man’s logic? He calls eternal life an inheritance and yet wants to know what he can do to gain this inheritance. The simple answer is you can’t do anything! You are either in the will or you’re not. You receive your inheritance by virtue of a relationship, not by virtue of your effort.

Here is an intelligent young man who is monumentally deluded with the idea that he can do something to gain eternal life as an inheritance. Jesus immediately identifies the reason why: it is his goodness. This man is good, moral and upright. And Jesus’ next question is designed to show him that his goodness is not enough, even for God.

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honour your father and your mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.

Matthew 10:19-20

This guy is the real deal. When he says to Jesus, “I’ve kept all the commandments,” I believe that he has sincerely tried. He isn’t boasting of his accomplishment saying, “I’ve been doing this since I was a kid,” but rather, the young man is giving a sincere answer to Jesus’ question, “I’ve been good.” I must say, I have great respect for a guy like that. He is the kind of guy you would want as your friend. In fact, he is the kind of guy you want as your Prime Minister. He doesn’t lie, cheat or steal. He is honest and respectful to his parents. He is sincerely and genuinely good.

What is more, this young man is obedient to God. The “commandments” that Jesus lists are taken from the Ten Commandments in the bible: Ten rules of conduct set by God himself. Every good Jewish boy knew these rules and obeyed these rules. Now, I doubt a Muslim would have any problems with these rules. I doubt even an atheist would have any problems with these rules. Jesus intentionally chooses five of the ten commandments - leaving out the ones that have to do with loving the one true God - and including only the ones which have to do with loving your neighbour. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not cheat. Respect your parents. All of these commandments are the ones you do. Remember the young man’s question back in verse 17: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus is saying, “Well, do this, this, this, this and this. Obey the commandments.” The young man answers, “All of these I have done since I was a kid.” Yet even as he says this, don’t you hear the frustration in his voice? I’ve done this, I’ve kept these commands. Yet why do I feel as if something is missing. Do you sense a lack of confidence? Please tell me: What else must I do?  Do you hear that longing for something else he needs to be able to do? Jesus does.

2. A rich man

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth.

Mark 10:21-22

I recently led a bible study on this passage with a group of teenagers. I asked them, “What if Jesus said to you, ‘Give away everything you have, everything that is of significant value in your life - your iPod, all your nice clothes, all your money - even your university degree?’” To which one girl cried out, “NooooooOOOOoooo!!!! That’s too much. That’s cruel. That’s unfair.” The natural reaction to such a bold request is shock. Surprise. After all, that is the reaction we see from Jesus’ friends, who were “amazed” and then were “even more amazed” by Jesus’ words.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Mark 10:23-26

“If this guy can’t get into heaven, who can?” the disciples were saying to one another. Here was the ideal candidate: A Cambridge graduate, successful in his career, responsible with his money, generous with his life, obedient to God’s law. If Jesus was turning away such talent, what chance do the rest of us have?

The disciples were amazed, as we ought to be amazed with such a radical request. Yet, notice that wasn’t the response of the young man. He wasn’t shocked, he wasn’t amazed. In fact, I wonder if he was surprised by Jesus’ call to sell everything he had. Instead the bible tell us that his immediate reaction was sadness. Jesus told him he lacked one thing. Just one: To give his money away. He approached Jesus in all eagerness and anticipation. He turned away in sadness and depression.

What was the turning point for the young man? His wealth. Verse 22: “He went away sad because he had great wealth.” Jesus tells his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich” - the wealthy, those who have money, status, possessions in this life - “to enter the kingdom of God!” Now Jesus isn’t saying that having lots and lots of money is bad. Nowhere does he imply that this young man obtained his wealth through ill-gotten gains. If anything, it is remarkable that this man was so young, so moral and at the same time, so wealthy. It means that he used his money for good. It means that he earned his money responsibly by working hard. Remember his answer about the commandments - he never stole, lied or defrauded anyone. Meaning this: Jesus doesn’t have any problems with wealth per se, but what Jesus does here is expose a side-effect that comes from having abundant wealth: we become attached to our wealth. The more money we have, the more likely we are to define our identity by the our money. The more wealthy we are, the more likely we are to measure our goodness against our wealth.

For all his willingness to obey the commandments, to strive to greater heights to serve God and love his neighbour - for all his goodness - there was one thing the rich young man was unwilling to do. He couldn’t let go of money. The King James Version of the bible reads, “He went away grieving.” That is insightful. You grieve when you lose someone you cherish. You grieve at the loss of someone you love. Just the thought of giving away all his wealth made him mourn. Again, we are not talking about a greedy businessman who lied, stole and cheated his way to success. Whatever the circumstances this young man received his fortune, he got it honestly and he used it generously. But somewhere along the way, money become more than just money to him. It became a source of his identity. His money became the means of his morality.

I wonder if this might be true of you as well? We apply for the grant with the biggest funding not simply because it would useful to have more money for the project is it? It’s because more money means we are worth more; more money means our work is more significant. And when the economy forces us to take a pay cut or when that unexpected bill leaves us with less in the bank - we feel less secure. We might even feel angry and betrayed. Some of us wonder if God is punishing us by taking away our money.

That’s what Jesus means when he says, “It’s hard.” It’s hard to let go of money. But notice, Jesus doesn’t simply say give up everything and cling to nothing. He isn’t advocating a life of abstinence and poverty. Look again at what he says to the young man.

Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.

Mark 10:21

He is challenging the young man who is eager to gain eternal life, “Would you let go of all your wealth in exchange for heaven?” More than that, Jesus is saying to the young man, “Would you be willing to lose all your wealth in order to follow me?” That’s a hard thing to do. In fact, by the end of our passage we find Jesus saying to his disciples, it is impossible for us to do.

3. A God who does the impossible

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10:27

Earlier on, Jesus looks at the young man and tells him to sell his possessions. And notice here, Jesus does the exact same thing: he looks right at his disciples. There is a connecting thought here - Jesus looks at him; immediately Jesus turns and looks straight at them. The disciples are wondering how God can save anyone if the demands are so impossibly high. Jesus is about to answer that question. It is the same answer he gave to the rich young man.

The question they ask is, “Who can be saved?” If you read verse 27 on its own, Jesus’ answer sounds almost dismissive, “All things are possible with God,” as if to say, “God will make a way. Somehow, it will happen.” But if you see the connection between the this answer and the one previously given to the rich young man; if you see that Jesus is using the rich young man as a picture of how God will do this impossible thing - we see that the demand which Jesus placed on that young man to give up all his riches is a demand that Jesus himself has fulfilled.

Why does it say that Jesus looked at him “and loved him”? Because Jesus looked at the young man and saw a reflection of himself. At this point in his life, Jesus was barely over thirty. He was in the prime of his life. The bible contends that all throughout his earthly existence, Jesus never sinned, not even once. Jesus claimed that he came to fulfill God’s law in its entirety - he met every requirement, he never broke a single rule. More than that, Christians believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who left the gaze of angels, who left the glory of his Father to come to earth to take on human flesh. Jesus is the ultimate rich young man who gave up a heavenly inheritance in order to enter our poverty. The bible says,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus was the ultimate rich young ruler who gave up all privilege, who sacrificed all wealth; who, on the cross, gave up his life so that we would receive his reward; so that we would gain eternal life. God was doing the impossible in Jesus Christ, he became a man. He humbled himself as a servant. He died to take our punishment. And he rose to give us eternal life.

“Who then can be saved?” That is the question Jesus was answering. The answer is not the one who gets wealthy. It is not even the one who gives up his wealth. Jesus is saying the one who is saved is the one who receives salvation as a gift - as an inheritance - through Jesus’ death. Who receives wealth through his poverty. For our sakes, Jesus Christ laid aside his majesty, took our debt of sins and lavished us with his reward, his acceptance and his love.

In Jesus Christ, we see the truly righteous man - who fulfilled all of God’s law. We see the truly rich man - who left his wealth to enter our poverty. And in Jesus Christ, we see God doing the impossible - saving sinners at the cost of his own Son, by giving him up on the cross.

In love, Jesus looks at us and calls us to exchange our lives for something infinitely more valuable than all the treasures of heaven. God offers us the gift of himself. With man this is impossible. With God all things are possible through Jesus Christ.

Good enough for God (Matthew 19:16-30)

To be rich and young: That is the dream: To have the money; to have the opportunity to spend that money. Not wait till I’m old and jaded. Now. When I still have so many things to do; so many places to be. I want to be rich and successful. Now.

That’s this guy. He is the rich young man.

But notice... It’s only until verse 22 that we find out he is rich. Matthew doesn’t tell us that he is young until verse 20.

Because the first thing the bible wants us to see; the most important thing the gospel writer, Matthew, wants us to see about this man, is that he is good.

A good man

“Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”Matthew 19:16

This guy gets straight to the point. How do I get to Heaven?  He doesn’t turn up at Rock Fellowship one day to ask questions on evolution, predestination, “How can I know God really exists?” No, he says to Jesus, “I want to go to Heaven. What must I do?”

It is an amazing question. Jesus gives him an amazing answer.

“Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good.”Matthew 19:17

It’s not the kind of answer we would give. We would say, “Read John 3:16 – God so loved the world.” We would draw a stick man figure and explain Two Ways to Live.

Jesus says, “There can only be One,” (which sounds like a line from Highlander. Hmm, Jesus wielding a sword speaking in a Scottish accent. Cool!)

What Jesus is saying is this: Getting into heaven is not about doing good things. It is trusting in a good God.

You don’t do good things and along the way collect enough Tesco points to get a free entry ticket to Heaven. It’s not about something you do. It is about what God has done. Still many – including this young man – don’t see it that way. He thinks it is about doing enough, being sincere enough and trying your best. And Jesus knows that he isn’t getting through to this young man. Which is why Jesus goes on to say to him, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Everything you want to know about what God said about getting into heaven; it’s right here; It’s in the bible.

But the man replies – with the exact same reply just about everyone gives me whenever I point them to the bible: Where in the bible? “Which commands? There are so many – in Genesis, in Exodus, in Leviticus. Where do I begin? Or, perhaps what I think he means is, Which commands are the greatest?  Which one is the most important? Which one – if I kept fully and obeyed to the letter – would get me into heaven?

It is worth pointing out that this question comes up fairly frequently in Jesus’ ministry. Just round the corner, in Matthew 22, Jesus gets asked, “Which is the greatest commandment?” And the Jesus answers (1) Love God; (2) Love your neighbour. Both are quotes from the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” And Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Now what is so interesting about this encounter we are seeing here is: Jesus gets asked the same question, but he gives a different answer. He gives only the second half of the answer. Love your neighbour. Furthermore, he expands on this second half by quoting half of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do give false testimony. Honour your father and your mother. The half of the Ten Commandments which you do.

The young man replies to Jesus, “I have covered them. Every single one, I’ve done them all.” Notice that there’s nothing particularly religious about this list of commands. A Muslim could say, “I’ve done them all.” An atheist could say, “I’ve kept them all.”

The young man asks Jesus “What can I do?” Jesus says, “Do this, this, this, this and this.” To which the man replies, “I’ve done them all, Jesus”.

The conversation should have ended right there.

But this man knows it’s not enough. Something in him goes, “Hang on! That can’t be it.” He knows it isn’t enough: to have done all these moral things; to have all these material possessions; to have tried his best. Something is still missing.

He says to Jesus, “What do I still lack” (verse 20).

The perfect score

Now some of you would have been shrewd enough to note that Jesus has said something about these very commands in the past.Back in Jesus’s famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 5 to 7, you would recall that Jesus said stuff like, hating your brother and cursing your brother is tantamount to breaking the commandment, “Do not murder.” You might also have recalled that according to Jesus, looking lustfully at another man’s wife is already breaking the commandment, “Do not commit adultery.” In effect, the Sermon on the Mount teaches us that it is very possible to obey all the rules on the outside; and still nurture hatred, anger, sin and lust in our hearts.

Even so, let’s suppose this man is really sincere. I think he is and I really like him. Here is a rich guy and a nice guy who loves his dad and mum, who is nice to the people around him and is genuinely concerned about getting to heaven. He says to Jesus, “What else need do I need to do to be a hundred per cent sure I will get to heaven?”

And Jesus gives yet another surprising answer. It is an answer so unexpected and so radical it got the whole gang riled up this week as we read these words of Jesus at Rock Fellowship:

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Matthew 19:21

Some of us said, “Jesus is God. He owns everything. He has every right to ask for all that he has given us in the first place.”

But the rest of us simply went, “NOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOO!!!”

And if we’re honest that’s what all of us say inside our hearts. Give up my university degree? Give up my job? It is just too much, Jesus. Too much to ask.

The bigger they are...

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Matthew 19:22

Is Jesus asking too much? What would be that one thing – that most valuable thing – that if Jesus said to you, “You need to give that up,” you just wouldn’t be able to. Like the young man, it would cause you to be really sad. Like the young man it would cause you to walk away from Jesus.

Look again at verse 21. Jesus doesn’t say, Give up everything. He says, give it up in order to gain more - much, much more - In order to gain treasure in heaven. This man just wanted to know how to get in. Jesus says, This is how you get God. The man had lots of wealth and possessions. Jesus says there is a more permanent form of wealth. Treasure in heaven. This is not loss. Jesus is talking about tremendous gain!

But secondly and more importantly, Jesus says to the young man, “Follow me.” For the first time in this passage dealing with heaven, God, salvation, treasure and love – we get to the heart of what it means to gain eternal life. It means following Jesus.

The reason this young man is sad is because he is still thinking about what he has to do and what he has to give up. He does not get it. It’s about what God has done for him. And as we see next, even the disciples of Jesus don’t get this.

Eye of the needle

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ”

Matthew 19:23

Is Jesus being anti-rich? Is that why he turns away the rich young man? Or is Jesus saying that if you are rich, you have to give away all your wealth before you can become a Christian?

Zacchaeus was rich. He was a tax collector. In fact, Luke 19 tells us he was the chief tax collector. His job was all about money and he had lots of it. He says to Jesus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor” (Luke 19:8). But half means he still has 50%. Bill Gates is trying to give away 99% of his wealth. He is still Bill Gates.

Or later on in Matthew’s gospel we are introduced to Joseph of Arimathea, whom the bible calls “a rich man”. He uses his status and connections to get a hearing with Pilate in order to take Jesus’ body from the cross and bury it in his own newly-built tomb.

There were lots of rich people who followed Jesus, who were Christians in the New Testament, who were believers in the bible. Jesus constantly referred to Abraham who was tremendously rich and considered to be so because of God’s blessing over his life.

And yet Jesus does say that it is hard for a rich man to enter heaven. In fact, the point that Jesus is trying to make is, it is downright impossible.

Mission impossible

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 19:24

I don’t know how many times I have heard the story told of this wall in Jerusalem where there is a hole called “the eye of the needle”. It is supposed to be this passageway that a camel can just about squeeze through, only if you unload all of its baggage. So, the moral of the story is: rich people need to let go of their wealth in order to squeeze their way into heaven.

It is a load of nonsense. There is no such place. It doesn’t exist. I can understand why people still tell that story (heard it again a couple of months ago). It’s a good story. But it isn’t true. And more seriously, it misses the point that Jesus is making. The point is not that it’s hard. The point is that it is impossible.

The camel was the biggest animal in the Middle East. The eye of the needle was the smallest entry point. No matter how hard you tried - tucking its head in and folding back its legs - that camel is not getting through. It is meant to be ridiculous picture of an utterly impossible situation.

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Matthew 19:25

In our Chinese culture we value hard work, intelligence, achievement, respectability, sincerity and status. And here in the Chinese Church, I have met some of the most amazing people I have ever had the privilege of calling a brother or sister in Christ - believers who have served God wholeheartedly with their lives, sacrificially given of their time and resources, in devotion to Jesus and out of love for the people of God.

And yet, we need to be reminded, it is not our goodness that saves us. Often times, our perceived goodness can keep us from recognising that we need to be saved.

My great fear is this: a Cambridge student can walk into the church, join us every Sunday, and for three years straight hear only of how good he is for getting a scholarship, honouring his parents, playing in the music group and helping out in the church picnic. My fear is that the rich young men and women in our church don’t hear the truth. They are sinners before a holy God. That they need to be forgiven through the death and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

The disciples don’t get it. They are surprised that Jesus turned the rich young man away. “What are you doing, Jesus? He could have been such a valuable asset for the Kingdom of God. His experience, his skills, his connections - he could help fund a new ministry!”

And Jesus sees that the disciples don’t get it. In fact, right before this encounter with the young man, we find little kids coming up to Jesus - little, smelly, annoying, troublesome, noisy kids. And the disciples tell them to get lost! “Don’t you see Jesus has better things to do?” the disciples thought. But Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

The disciples think some people deserve to be in heaven more than others. They are still thinking of salvation from a human perspective. Not from God’s.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”Matthew 19:26

It is impossible. As long as we are thinking just from our perspective and our efforts and goodness, salvation is impossible.

As a church in Cambridge, people often say to me, “You guys at the Chinese Church should reach the students.” They’re right. 20,000 students in Cambridge, many of whom are Chinese - we should not ignore the fact that they are here and they need to hear the gospel. But sometimes what people say to me is, “We need to get the smart people, the talented people into our church. We need to evangelise the scholars and young professionals”. Why? Because we think church is like an episode of the Apprentice. We look for the best and brightest. That is still thinking from our own limited - and selfish - perspective; not God’s.

Let me make a brief comment about International Ministry. Reaching internationals seems to be the “in” thing now among churches in the UK. But sometimes I get the impression the reason why it is so tempting to jump on the bandwagon is because we think that international ministry means “easy” ministry. We water down the gospel. We leave out the hard bits - especially anything to do with sacrifice or hell. We focus on starting up cafes and only ever do bible studies on the prodigal son.

It is one thing to think strategically and lovingly when reaching internationals - using clearer English, starting from scratch with the bible and making an effort to understand different cultures and languages. It is quite another thing to be condescending: to think that foreigners don’t need to know what sin is. To think that the reason why so many people from China are coming to Christ is because it is easier for God to reach them compared to the ‘hardened’ locals; comparing Asian students to “low-hanging fruit”. We insult God when we think of salvation as something we do through our own efforts in ministry.

Friends, the reason - and the only reason - why anyone turns to Jesus is because God has done the impossible: He has forgiven a sinner.

Going all in

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 19:29-30

Most of us were there at S and Z’s wedding on Saturday. What was the highlight for you? Was it the bride walking in dressed radiantly in white? It certainly was a stunning sight! (Though how she got into the car with that long train I have no clue - perhaps she could squeeze the camel into a needle!) Or maybe it was when S and Z exchanged vows - promising to love and care for one another for the rest of their lives - I noticed a few trying to hold back the tears at this touching scene.
For me, it was near the end when our brother, S took the microphone and declared his love for Z. Those of us who are friends of S, know he is shy and introverted. But out of overflowing love for his bride, S stood up in front of the whole crowd and said to Z, “Everything I have is yours.”

S, - who has worked all his life to get to Cambridge; he holds a PhD, he is doing well in his career - he essentially said, none of those possessions compared to how valuable Z was in his eyes. Everything he had he willingly gave up all for her.

In a relationship, we often look for the kind of guy; the kind of girl who has everything - looks, youth, energy, personality, chemistry. But you know as well as I do: Often times, the person with everything, finds it hard to give up anything.

As you go through life - collecting your degrees; climbing the corporate ladder, adding letters to the back of your name - is it going to get easier or harder for you to one day say to someone else; someone you truly love, “Everything I have is yours.”

Jesus says that to us. He left heaven, came as a man, took our sin and died on the cross. On the cross he takes our punishment of death and he transfers unto us his righteousness. It is an unfair exchange. The 16th Century reformer, Martin Luther, calls it the great exchange.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Furthermore, each sacrifice you make in Jesus’ name, he promises you will receive one hundred times more in return. Ten thousand per cent interest gain! God is no one’s debtor. He is much more generous than you could ever be.

But the point is not that we will get more money and more wealth - though heaven will hold more treasure and blessing we could ever imagine. The point is anyone who comes to Jesus offers their life willingly. Becoming a Christian is hard but it is tremendously worthwhile. You may have to sacrifice your job, your health, your relationships, your very life. But we do it for Jesus sake, out of love for him. And he rewards us out of his great love for us.

A loving demand

There is a verse from Mark's gospel I can't help by turn to just to make this point crystal clear. This encounter with the young man is recorded in all three synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke, but it's in Mark's gospel that we find this intriguing comment, just before Jesus tells the young man to sell all he has. Mark writes, "Jesus looked at him and loved him." (Mark 10:21)

How on earth can it be loving to tell someone to sacrifice everything he owns? It says right there, Jesus loved him. That's why he told him to give all his money away.

Now I want you to consider this because we don't tell people to do this. We are embarrassed and hesitant and afraid to read passages like to this in front of our non-Christian friends for fear of offending them. But what the bible is saying is: one of the most loving things we could do for our friends is to present them with this sacrificial demand of Jesus. The question is: in what way is this demand about love?

Friends, it has everything to do with love. Jesus loved this man enough to expose what this young rich successful moral man truly valued in his life. As much as the man wanted to go to heaven, he loved his life on earth more than heaven. And if he carried on with this present course in life, there would come an inevitable point in time when the rich man would lose both his wealth and his life.

Like the world, this young man wants to be rich today. And he only wants salvation tomorrow.

Jesus offers us salvation today. The cross means we can receive the offer of eternal life right here and right now. Altogether with the certain promise of infinite reward in the age to come when Jesus returns.

What is the greatest command? To love God and to love our neighbour. That's the answer Jesus gives to everyone else. To the Pharisees, to the theologians.

But to this young man, Jesus loves him enough to make the answer even clearer, than quoting a couple of verses from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Jesus points to this man's earthly wealth and tells this him, "It is about loving me. More than your wealth. More than your life."

Eternal life is knowing and loving Jesus.