The One That You Love

One of the saddest movies I have watched is Toy Story 3, where Woody and his friends felt abandoned because they were slowly discarded by their owner, Andy. The movie starts with reels of Andy always playing with his toys, but Andy goes to college—basically growing too old for his toys. So, even though Andy was unwilling to give them up, the toys are given away to their new owners in the end. The point of this is simple. Time can create a wedge between us and the things that we once loved. We can grow cold in our relationships with anyone or anything. We can be like any other kid who loves her new toys, but only for a while. She may be very excited about a toy for a few days, but she will ultimately leave them behind to look for something more interesting or exciting. Paul warns us against this sort of situation through his letter to his disciple Timothy:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power (2 Tim 3:1-5).

Paul’s description of the last days is very grim. People will continue to love, but the object of their love will be things found in creation. People will prefer creatures over the Creator. Three idolatrous loves are the focus of the passage: love of self, love of money, and love of pleasure. 

First, according to Paul, people will be lovers of themselves. Whitney Houston’s hit song The Greatest Love of All actually promotes this. The song starts with a great note: “I believe the children’s our future,” so we might be led to think that it is a song about awesome love. Unfortunately, to our dismay, the chorus ends with these lines: “The greatest love of all is easy to achieve / Learning to love yourself – is the greatest love of all.”

People love themselves. This is very true today. Without a doubt, our era is one of the most narcissistic eras in the history of the world. The new English word “selfie” was coined in this era. Last year, I unfriended my neighbor from my province because my Facebook newsfeed was littered with her face. She takes delight in taking selfies almost every hour. Technology today provides several platforms for people suffering from Kulang Sa Pansin (KSP) or Attention Deficiency Syndrome (ASD) to be noticed. People today are lovers of themselves. They seek attention, recognition, and appreciation. People’s sense of self-worth are measured by the number of likes and reactions they get from a Facebook post.

Imagine if you visit someone’s home. He is single and living alone. You look around and notice that there is particular section in the receiving room, for everyone to see, that is filled with pictures, awards, travels, and even records of their good deeds. There is even a picture of him at the very center of all these things. It is basically like a shrine to idolize, worship, and promote himself. It is placed in the receiving area precisely so that people who come to the house can see everything and make comments. So you think to yourself: “Wow! This guy has a lot of ego!” Well, this is now called a website or a Facebook wall. People might be embarrassed to create a physical shrine for themselves, but they are shameless in creating online shrines.

Secondly, Paul says that people will be lovers of pleasure. This is also related to the love of self. Several surveys have been conducted about the greatest pleasures in life, and the results include: squeezing a pimple, cleaning your earwax, chocolate, bacon, a long bath, shopping, food, and sex. Among the three loves in the passage, it is love of pleasure that is contrasted with love of God. It seems, therefore, that the greatest competition for loving God is the love of pleasure. The temptation is to prioritize what we want over what God wants.

Thirdly, people will be lovers of money. The reason why this is not a good thing is found in the two other passages in the New Testament where love of money is mentioned. First, in Luke 16:1-14, after talking about the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus affirmed that “no servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (16:13). Immediately after Jesus said this, the next verse reads: “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him” (Luke 16:14). People who love their money are easily prone to reject Jesus’ words about money if their interests clash with the kingdom’s. The second passage is 1 Timothy 6:6, 9-10, “Godliness with contentment is great gain… But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” Very clearly, Paul’s concern is that love of money can cause people to fall into many temptations. Worse, love of money is the root of all evil. It has historically brought faithful Christians to wander from the faith and cause numerous afflictions upon themselves. In the parable of the sower, those who are sown among thorns are described as “those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).

The picture 2 Timothy 3:1-5 paint is extremely grim. Thankfully, the chapter does not end in verse 5. It actually goes on to sing a better tune in the next few verses. Paul wrote:

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness… ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:10, 14-15).

These verses are a breath of fresh air. Paul says to Timothy, his disciple, that the world will turn sour and people will be lovers of themselves, of money, and of pleasure—except him. Timothy is the only hand whose palm is up when everyone else have their palms down. In 3:14-15, the reason why Timothy is different from the rest of the world is revealed: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Timothy is different from the rest of the world because he is a believer of Jesus Christ. Moreover, he has a life deeply grounded in the Word.

We must be different. We are not narcissistic; we love God. We are not lovers of money; we are sacrificial. We are not lovers of pleasure; we are the masters of our selves. In a narcissistic and ego-centric world, do we love God more than ourselves? In an economically-driven world, do we love God more than money? In a sensual world, do we love God more than pleasure? Can God say the same words He spoke about Job for us: “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8). What is it that we love? Who is it that we love? Oscar C. A. Bernadotte wrote a beautiful hymn with words that should be the heart of everyone.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;

I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;

I’d rather be true to His holy name.

Greed to Generosity

One of the most important topics of our time is our relation with money. Commenting on our human situation today, Dewi Hughes is spot on in saying that “the widespread  consumerism and materialism of the culture—expressed above all in our incessant advertising—seduces many people into making extravagant decisions about major purchases like houses and cars and smaller things like recreation, eating out, vacations, etc.; and the result is that most families are financially pressed in spite of enormous wealth.”[1] Everywhere in the world, money is increasingly becoming more accessible to many people and families. The abundance of malls, shopping centers, restaurants and entertainment places indicates that investors believe that we have money to spend. The problem is that even though we are earning more money than ever before, we still feel hard-pressed and may be under huge debts.

In one of the episodes of the television series The Big Bang Theory, Rajesh Koothrapali got a new girlfriend who was more in love with his money than with him. His parents learned about it and gave him a video call. His father, exasperated by his son’s stupidity, asked him to choose between his girlfriend and his allowance. Rajesh’s response is this: “You’re going to make me choose between the woman I love and the money I have very strong feelings for?” Like Rajesh, we all have strong feelings for money. This is not a problem only for modern humanity. In the first century, Paul already warned Timothy: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Tim 6:10). But there is hope for us. God is able to transform His people. Our inappropriate love of or concern about money may be replaced by lavish generosity.

This was what happened to Zacchaeus, and this can happen to all of us as well. His story was recorded by the historian Luke:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-figtree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. ⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” (Luke 19:1-10, NIV).

There was no profession in the New Testament that was more disdained than being a tax collector. The attitude of the religious leaders toward these people was negative, and they were very vocal about it. In fact, several times in the Gospels, the terms “tax collector” and “sinners” went together (Matt 9:10-11; 11:19; Mark 2:15-16; Luke 5:30; 7:34; 15:1). In several other passages, tax collectors are grouped together with other heinous sins. The Pharisee at the temple prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). Jesus lumped the sins of unbelieving pagans or Gentiles together with tax collectors (Matt 18:17). Elsewhere, Jesus grouped tax collectors with prostitutes in terms of the difficulty in entering the kingdom of God (Matt 21:31-32).

Why was there such a negativity against tax collectors in the times of Jesus? First, tax collectors were Jewish people working for the Romans, the enemies of the Jews. Therefore, they were considered as traitors to their own people. Instead of fighting against the Romans, they were helping them and were becoming rich in the process. Secondly, nobody wanted to pay taxes to the Romans, especially because they were oppressive. Thirdly, it was common knowledge that tax collectors cheated the people they collected from. They would collect more than what was required and keep the extra for themselves. When Jesus gave an advice to a tax collector, he said: “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (Luke 3:13), signaling that it was common knowledge or assumption that they are cheaters. So finally, tax collectors were resented because they were extremely wealthy and enjoying lavish lifestyles at a time of oppression. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, so imagine the even greater amount of animosity the people felt about him. Zacchaeus himself confessed that he indeed cheated people (19:8).

However, was Zacchaeus always a cheat? I am inclined to say NO. The nature of his work gave him the opportunity to cheat. Perhaps he was like many godly men and women who started in their work with no intention to abuse their positions at all. No one applies to a job with the intention of cheating. Rather, when we apply for jobs, we earnestly desire to be productive and helpful. Perhaps Zacchaeus was like a young Filipino who zealously aspired to become a policeman with the goal to help his fellow citizens. Perhaps he started as a tax collector with a vision to be a different kind of tax collector. Perhaps he started with a vision to change the image of tax collectors in the minds of people by staying godly. I don’t believe that people are naturally evil from the beginning. People progress from being good to being downright evil or callous in their ways. I think Zacchaeus started cheating in small scales because of fear. After all, he was still a God-believing Jew. But the more wealth he accumulated, the more he wanted more; and the more he wanted more, the more he became steeped in his greedy deeds.

The nature of humanity is that we want more. John D. Rockefeller, an American oil industry business magnate and industrialist in the early 1900s, was once considered the wealthiest person on earth. He was once asked “How much is enough?” and his response was a very short: “Just a little bit more.” Discontent seems to be a part of our fallen human DNA. Greedy people will always think that they lack abundance, no matter how much money they are receiving in comparison to the past. There is always something better to buy, something bigger to accumulate, something grander to own. The irony is that the more money we have, the more things we think we should buy.

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: How Much Land Does a Man Need?[2]

Greed has two interrelated forms: it takes and it withholds. In the case of Zacchaeus, it was primarily taking other people’s money. Christians may not be struggling with stealing. If there are Christian thieves, their number is certainly small. However, the sin of withholding is probably something that many of us are still struggling with. In the book of Malachi, God’s complaints against the Israelites were precisely because they were withholding from God:

“Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord” (Mal 1:14)

Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me” (Mal 3:8-9)

We may not be cheating our neighbors, and therefore think that we are not struggling with greed and the love of money. We may not be taking people’s money for our own sake or stealing them like tax collectors. But we are no better than tax collectors who steal from others if we are withholding from God what belongs to Him in tithes and offerings. My hope is that we experience a new beginning like the one experienced by Zacchaeus. The story continues to narrate:

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:8-10).

The transformation that happened in Zacchaeus’ life is astonishing. Looking closely at the story, Jesus actually did nothing apart from entering Zacchaeus’ house. Jesus did not preach a sermon. He did not rebuke the tax collector. He did not quote the Scriptures in order to teach Zacchaeus. Jesus did nothing. He just entered the house. But lo, and behold, Zacchaeus spontaneously stood up and made statements that would have shocked everyone in the house. He became a completely different man, totally transformed.

What happened? I think the answer is simple. He was touched by grace. He experienced the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He experienced what it meant to be a recipient of grace. He knew that He did not deserve to have Jesus in his house. He knew that he did not deserve the attention Jesus gave him. He was always a man condemned by the religious leaders. He was always shunned by everyone. But from Jesus, he felt received. Although there were no utterances of forgiveness from Jesus, the fact that Jesus entered his home was a mighty evidence for Zacchaeus that he was accepted by Jesus. Zacchaeus was transformed from being greedy to being generous. If being greedy means both taking and withholding, being generous means not taking and not withholding. This was precisely the transformation that happened to Zacchaeus. Like him, we have already experienced God’s lavish grace and the acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ. The question that remains is: Have we already been transformed like him too?


(This is the fourth manuscript in the New Beginning sermon series. The first, second, and third are also available in this blog.)

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[1] Hughes, “The Whole Church as a Transformed and Transforming Society,” 50.

[2] http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/g/greed.htm