PASTOR’S CORNER, David Harris, Fellowship Baptist Church, Liberal
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32-34, ESV)
Christ calls his followers to eternity-focused generosity. Hoarding our resources for the here-and-now is a bad investment, due to moral vulnerability (thieves that approach) and natural vulnerability (moths that destroy). The ageless money bags Jesus points us toward serve as a metaphor for the eternal treasures that await those whose investment was largely future-oriented, in the form of generosity toward the poor (12:33).
Making this better investment is an indicator of what our hearts are set on (12:34) because as you may have already figured out (if you have ever had money and done anything with it) our resources tend to follow our hearts.
But what stands out as especially powerful in this passage is how Jesus’ introduces it. The larger context around Luke 12:32-34 is about how fear and anxiety are not fitting for the kingdom of God. One of the things our fears tend to cluster around is money. Money seems to operate as the key to feeling secure – in fact for those who don’t really know God money may operate as their ultimate and final provider of security. That’s not totally surprising, as most of our immediate needs in life tend to be within grasp as long as we have money to exchange for them.
It makes sense that having less money through radical generosity would open the door for fear and anxiety. Jesus knows his command to steward our resources toward the needy as a way to invest in heavenly priorities means we will have less money to spend on ourselves. And less money means more fear – unless of course Jesus’ promises can counter this fear.
Thus what follows after “fear not” in verse 32 is a reason from the Savior’s own mouth why we should not be afraid of being generous to those less fortunate than ourselves: “…it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
“Don’t be afraid” – Jesus tells us – “even though you are nothing more than a little flock in this world, not impressive, not spectacular, and not powerful: don’t be afraid to give it away.” Why? If you are in Christ, God is going to give you something that the riches of this world cannot buy – entrance into the kingdom, his eternal realm of salvation. But what kind of Father is he? Is he stingy about this whole affair? Is he reluctant to give us the kingdom? Far from it. It is literally his pleasure to do so. God delights to make us heirs of all things (1 Corinthians 6:9, Revelation 21:7). So do not be afraid about the lack of money your generosity will create. Don’t excuse your anxiety. Invest in something that will never age. He is giving you the kingdom. And he is delighted to do so.
