At that moment, silver and gold didn't matter anymore...I've heard it said that man spends the first half of his life trying to make money...and the last half of his life trying to keep others from taking it. I tend to agree. Money...the concept of money...the mere thought of money...the passion, the desire for money occupies more mind-space in our sometimes mediocre world than ever before. Everyone of us has dreams...fantasies of what it would be like if we were to 'win the lottery' or see Ed McMahon in the Publisher's Clearing House van pull into our drive. We've thought it...we've planned it...we've even gone so far as to compare with others what they would do with the ficticious fortune. Even yesterday, as I stood in line at a convenience store in Louisiana...with a Dr. Pepper and a candy bar in hand (not a decent cup of coffee anywhere!)...a young lady zoomed by to get in front of me for the sole purpose of buying several lottery tickets ...and, yes, my mind immediately raced back to unlock that ever-present dream of 'what would I do if I were to win.' Money...I've chased it for years.
It's this seemingly global obsession with financial fortitude that continually causes me to stand in amazement at a man who defied all logic...all common sense...and walked away from a forever fortune. No, I'm not referring to Bill Gates...or even Warren Buffett. His name...was Matthew...Matthew the Tax Collector.
A brief snapshot of Matthew would look something like this: a tax collector...a traitor to the Jewish nation, making him one of the most despised people in Israel...extorting money from his own people for the Roman government by often using strong-armed tactics...and padding his pockets along the way...basically a scoundrel...a thief. Yet it's the picture of this man that haunts my mind each and every time I'm involved in a discussion...or dream...of mass wealth. It's that moment...that one moment in Matthew's life as he was sitting in the tax collector's office that I can't tear myself away from.
It goes without saying that Matthew knew who Jesus was...He had to be something special...after all, Jesus was the talk of the town. Everyone from the religious elite to the common crook, the topic of Jesus was dominating every conversation. At every dinner table to every street corner, people were talking about this...Jesus. But Matthew didn't know just how special this Jesus really was.
It was in that one moment...when he least expected it...this Jesus that he had heard so much about, came walking in through the tax collector's door. It was in that moment as Matthew sat behind his desk, counting all the gold and silver...dreaming of all the extra pleasures this money was going to buy...living out the reality that many of us can only visualize...that moment, Matthew's life as he knew it, changed...forever. At that moment, Matthew was staring back into the face of this Jesus. At that moment, the coins that bounced on the table and onto the floor became silent...the thought of worldly riches was erased. When Jesus looked into his eyes and into the very depths of Matthew's soul, the passion he had for money was now a figment of his imagination. And in two very simple words from this man called Jesus, "Follow Me" (Matthew 9:9), Matthew immediately walked away...away from the riches that had controlled his every waking moment...and walked into the arms of a life-changing Savior.
At that moment, silver and gold didn't matter anymore...
"Father, help me to survive in this world of fast fortunes. Help me get beyond the jingle of the coins...help me to tune everything out...everything except Your Voice. Help me to have peace, knowing and believing that everything that glitters is not gold...amen."
2 comments:
Amen...way to lay it down using solid scripture. The "love" of money, the selfish obsession with it, truly is the root of all evil, and the problem goes WAY beyond the common village critiques of the American consumer mentality. The love of money lays bare the black heart of humanity. Call me a heathen, but even before scripture references, your blog had me thinking back to that U2 song, Silver and Gold. The song uses the setting of pre-apartheid South Africa to expose the real problems there, that those in power cared more for $$$ than for human dignity and freedom. We are a sick race when it comes to money and power! Thanks for the ending prayer. I wish more people would meditate on such things...I dare say, even corporations and governments could use the reminding.
Your entry echoes this week's Time Magazine cover story (Does God Want You to be Rich?), which tells what's on the forefront of too many Christian's mind today. Unlike Matthew in your writing, anymere we tend to only think God is speaking when it looks like there is something in it for us. I think we need to learn how to be content as long as we're obeying Him. I like what Paul said about it in Phillipians 4:11b-13 -
...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
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