You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love
your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say to you, Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is
in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends
rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you
greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the
Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.
Matthew
5:43-48
After I outlined to a church leadership team what I planned to say at a seminar
about making lifestyle choices consistent with the Sermon on the Mount, one of them raised a fear that I saw that others shared. That as there would be
a number of bankers present, we ought to make it clear that we were not getting
at them personally.
I never
did understand what I had said to prompt that fear but, as has happened at
other times, I suppose they assumed that if money can pose such a risk to people
beliefs and behaviours there must, by implication, be something sinful or
corrupting in handling so much of it.
And
perhaps there is risk! Consider this guidance from a Christian leader in the 4th
Century. ‘When buying or selling, you can hardly avoid sin. So, in either case,
be sure to lose a little in the transaction. Do not haggle about price from
love of gain, and so indulge in actions harmful to the soul – quarrelling,
lying, shifting your ground and so on – thus bringing our way of life into
disrepute.’
Jesus
said that we cannot serve both God and mammon. But it seems to me that a great
many Christians, groups of Christians, churches, para-church organisations and ‘Christian’
charities and organisations (which is what I mean by ‘Christendom’) try to do
just that – to serve both God and money! And are therefore guilty of idolatry!
Even if
you balk at that, the possibility is worth reflecting on! Idolatry
comes at us gradually, usually on our blind side, so that we are not aware of
how our choices are being influenced and diverted. And then, without hardly
being aware of it, we are acclimatised to assessing ideas and choices against
financial criteria rather than the obligation to love our neighbours as ourselves
and our enemies as our neighbours.
During
Advent (which begins on Sunday 1 December), I plan a series of Reflections about making choices based on love, not
money. It will be based on St Paul’s guidance about idolatry in 1 Corinthians
8-10.
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Copyright © All Souls Clubhouse Community Centre & Church and Philip Evans
2013.
Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright
© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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