3 Money Lessons from Luke

The four gospels reveal that Jesus regularly spoke on the topic of money and possessions. The Gospel of Luke captures many of these teachings. As we read Luke and the money lessons the book provides, we see that Jesus wasn’t concerned about our relationship with money for the sake of financial well-being. He was concerned about money because he was concerned about our hearts.

Here are three of the many money lessons that can be garnered from Luke. Feel free to use them in your personal study.

The beginning of Luke 8 tells of three women—Mary, Joanna, and Susanna. According to Luke 8:2, Jesus performed a miracle in the lives of these women, curing them from disease and evil spirits. In response, the women followed Jesus and used their resources to support his ministry. Jesus’s generosity changed their lives and, in response, they also were generous. Our response to God’s generosity is generosity.

Jesus had just ended the Parable of the Shrewd Master when he said these well-known words—“You cannot serve both God and money.” Now, Jesus could have chosen anything that has the potential to be an idol—"You cannot serve both God and sports.” But he chose money.

Why?

First of all, Luke tells us that there were Pharisees around Jesus who loved money and the admiration of people. Certainly, Jesus was targeting them. And Jesus makes it clear that their hearts, which were serving money instead of God, would be judged.

But Jesus also teaches that money has a unique tie to our hearts, not just the Pharisees’ hearts. For all of us, money management reflects heart management. And while money is meant to be a means for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom, the means can quickly become an end. We can easily find ourselves placing our hope in money rather than God, and we will always find ourselves serving whatever we identify as our hope. It will be either money or God. It won’t be both. A heart committed to money hinders a heart committed to God.

Jesus and his disciples were watching the rich bring their large gifts to the temple treasury. It is possible the disciples were impressed by their giving. But Jesus pointed out someone the disciples likely missed—a widow who gave only two coins. He said that she gave more than anyone else because she gave all she had. The point was that God is less concerned about what is placed in the offering plate and more concerned about what is left in the bank account. God is glorified in sacrifice, not necessarily the amount. In God’s economy, amount sacrificed always supersedes amount given.