Money Issues

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Wednesday March 11, 2009

Money judgements are often the source of huge problems between people. In fact, it was a judgement about money that led Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus Christ:

Mark 14:3-10 (NIV)
3. While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5. It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
6. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
10. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.

Judas was so disgusted and offended that Jesus approved of something that Judas himself saw as money mismanagement, that he was actually driven to betray Jesus!

Why was he so offended? What was the source of Judas's disgust?

Luke 22:3,4 (NIV)
3. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.

Luke tells us that Satan entered Judas before he went to the chief priests!! Satan got a foothold in Judas Iscariot's life through Judas's disgust over what he saw as someone else's mismanagement of money!!

John gives an account of Mary, the brother of Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from the dead) doing something similar, and Judas Iscariot being offended by that as well:

John 12:2-8 (NIV)
2. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5. "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6. He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7. "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Isn't that something? Judas Iscariot was the keeper of the money for Jesus' ministry!! The fact that he stole from that money tells us that Judas had other money issues as well.

As a side note, notice that Jesus was not poor! His ministry had enough money that Judas could steal from it and expect it to not be noticed!!

Back to the point. We need to keep our noses out of other people's (or ministries') money affairs. That is between them and God. Our judgement of their "money mismanagement" could very well give the devil a foothold in OUR OWN lives!!!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your Word. Help me to mind my own business and not make money judgements about other people. Help me remember to always trust You through Your Word, and not be jealous of what others have.
In Jesus' Name, Amen

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