THEO-ECONOMICS

I thought that was a term I made up, but if you google it you’ll find a handful of people have beaten me to it! What I mean by it would encompass an idea we might think of more in terms of ‘Kingdom Finance’ (perhaps even that needs unpacking – how we as Christians should use our money), but also extend that to a more nuanced understanding of how God operates in relation to humanity.

Let’s try and make that clearer.

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:1-10 (NRSV)

For those of us who have read the gospels multiple times before, this sort of story will feel very familiar, if not this exact one. Jesus is thought of as having spoken often about money, but in this instance, he doesn’t actually say anything. He just invites himself to the house of a rich tax collector and Zacchaeus’ response is financial sacrifice. Jesus neither demands nor suggests anything in this account, yet Zacchaeus feels compelled to blurt out this commitment to give to the poor and make up for those he had wronged.

Not only is that weird, but Jesus then responds by declaring salvation to the house of Zaccheus. We read last week about the criminal on the cross who is told he’ll be in Paradise with Jesus. These examples suggest that Jesus understands the heart of the people he is interacting with. By our modern standards, they are not confessing their sin, or repenting or asking for forgiveness, but they offer something in their situation.

They respond to Jesus actively. Let’s hold that in mind.

Following this interaction with Zacchaeus, Jesus tells a parable which also appears to be about money. I think, on reflection, it might speak about something else, but certainly the language it uses is about money.

‘As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.’

This verse serves as a kind of disclaimer to the reader to guide us towards the subtext. This is really about the Kingdom of God, and their expectation of it’s imminent arrival.

So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant region to receive royal power for himself and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his slaves and gave them ten pounds and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’

Someone going far away to receive the power of a King and a promise that he’ll come back – sound familiar?

We’ve just read a version of this in the stories of Jesus’ own death, resurrection and ascension. Jesus uses the language of being “clothed with power from on high” in reference to the coming of the Holy Spirit.  (Luke 24)

We also read about those who despised Jesus, mocking his title of ‘King’. This man, they thought, is no ruler of ours.

When we read this parable through the lens of Jesus, what once appears to speak of financial stewardship takes on a more nuanced meaning.

It reads as though Jesus, at his ultimate return, will check in with his followers about what they’ve done with what he has given us. You could even make a case for the language of judgement being used here. So, what is it that we’ve been given?

Reading this chapter in isolation, it could be that Jesus is speaking about his message, his good news, or his teachings more broadly. Have we lived by them? Have we taught them to others? Have we captured God’s heart through them?

The return on investment, in this interpretation, could be seen as the call to disciple others. Are we growing the Kingdom on Earth by growing in our faith and supporting others in growing in theirs? I think we can interpolate some of Matthew 28 to shed light on this responsibility;

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. – Matthew 28:18-20

An alternative interpretation (which I think makes more sense in the context of Luke’s writing) in light of Luke 24, is that what we are given is the Holy Spirit. Remember that the same person is thought to have written Luke’s gospel and Acts, a book which is built on the back of the event of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles are empowered by the Spirit to build the church and share the faith.

At the end of Luke, Jesus tells the disciples to wait to receive the Holy Spirit – this is a promise of the return of God.

Reading the story in this way, we see the responsibility that comes with the gifts of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was not given for it’s own sake, but in order that Christians would be ‘clothed with power from on high’ to do all sorts of good works and miracles. The power of Jesus, or in this story the money of the nobleman, is given to Christians  to steward, by using it wisely and growing it.

In this interpretation, we can cite John’s gospel to explain in other words;

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” – John 14:12

This is the story that we see continued in the Acts of the Apostles.

However we interpret this story, one thing is clear.

We have to respond to Jesus, actively. (remember I told you to keep that in mind?!)

This is the connection between Zacchaeus and this parable. The slaves who did something with the money, irrespective of their return, were rewarded. The one who did nothing with what they were given was punished. They did not respond to the gift they were given, nor did they understand the will of the gift giver.

Theo-economics reminds us that the Kingdom of God is, at it’s core, transactional. There has to be an action on both sides!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a huge imbalance in the two sides of this transaction, but there is still a responsibility on both sides.

Zacchaeus, for all his riches, seems to have recognised that his money meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. What was on offer was far greater than what he had, and so he responded through a transformed attitude and a transformed life.

We, then, must do the same. Perhaps you already have.

Then what are you doing with what’s been given to you?