teachings – Bible About Money

Truth: Tax Collectors and Prostitutes — Parable of the Two Sons

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:40

Matthew 21:28-32

Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. ³⁰Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

³¹“Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”^[a]

31 Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
Matthew 21:31c

³²For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matthew 19:30

References & reflections

[1] http://catholiclivingtoday.blogspot.com/2011/09/tax-collectors-and-prostitutes-are.html

[2] https://paintingtheword.com/2008/02/08/prostitutes/

[3] https://pythiastheology.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/prostitutes-and-tax-collectors/

[4] https://www.girlsaskguys.com/religion-spirituality/a52975-why-the-prostitutes-tax-collectors-were-better-than-the-pharisees

[5] https://tvaraj2inspirations.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/jesus-and-the-tax-collector/

[6] http://www.godlywoman.co/2012/12/prostitutes-and-gods-forgiveness.html

[7] https://msy316.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/jesus-the-friend-of-tax-collectors-and-sinners/

[8] https://frankboulet.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/tax-collectors-prostitutes/

[9] https://www.prostitutesandtaxcollectors.com/home/prostitutes-tax-collectors

[10] https://www.gotquestions.org/first-last-last-first.html

[11] https://ssnet.org/blog/bible-truth-rapture/

[12] https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/is-matthew-2441-talking-about-a-secret-rapture

Financial Decisions With Eternal Consequences! — Francis Chan Christ’s Crazy Love Ministry

Luke 16 Parable of the Shrewd Manager!

Luke 16 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, **who will entrust to you the true riches?**”

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ²So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

⁵“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶“‘Nine hundred gallons^[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

⁷“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels^[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

⁸“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹²And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13

¹⁴The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”
Luke 16

References & reflections

[1] https://bibleaboutmoneyfinance.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/e0211-2016-11-13parables239-shrewdmanagerluke16_1-172811.13.201629.pdf
[2] https://1fear.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/52514-modern-parables-3-the-shrewd-manager/
[3] https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/2220/prominent-theologians-answer-to-what-is-the-parable-of-the-shrewd-manager-ab
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Unjust_Steward

Sold Out! Selling Possessions to the Poor for Perfection — Matthew 19 #5

“For we brought *nothing* into the world, and we *can take nothing* out of it.” – 1st Timothy 6:7
We actually own nothing! All things belong and are under God’s Sovereignty and control

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

¹⁶Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹honor your father and mother,’^[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

²⁰“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹Jesus 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

²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:24

References & reflections

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/camel-eye-needle.html
[2] https://www.thejoshlink.com/article290.htm
[3] https://parablesreception.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-eye-of-needle-is-not-gate.html
[4] https://johndavies.typepad.com/blog/love-comes-blinking-through-the-needles-eye.html
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_7:13

Gift of Good Guidance —Proverbs 4 #2

A Father’s Wise Advice

1 My Children, listen when your father corrects you.

Pay attention and learn good judgment,

2 for I am giving you good guidance.
Proverbs 4:1-2 NLT

Thank you, Jesus. You’re our Heavenly Father!

References & Reflections

[1] https://rethinknow.org/2018/10/25/what-jesus-taught-about-most-hint-its-not-money/

Good Soul Soil: Secret Seed Words #3

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER #2

²²The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:22-23

Let God’s Faith be the fertilizer for our good soil-soul!

Breathe in His Wisdom so that wealth of deceit will not strangle and stop us from producing the fruits of Faith!

References & reflections

[1] https://christswords.com/content/mat-1235-good-man-out-good-treasure
[2] https://biblelovenotes.blogspot.com/2009/12/1-minute-devotions-from-parable-of-sower.html

Heart’s Treasury, Teachings & Secret Seed Words #2

The Parable of the Sower

¹¹He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

¹²Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
Matthew 13:11-12