Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis

by Ben Witherington III

Widespread unemployment. Record home foreclosures. A vulnerable stock market. Government bailouts. In the wake of a sobering global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Here respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does--and doesn't --say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to help readers understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. Along the way, he critiques the faith promise and health-and-wealth approaches to these issues, showing what good stewardship of God's possessions really looks like. Church study groups, pastors, church leaders, students, and all who are concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty will value this book.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Finance, Religion, Personal Finance, Nonfiction, Christian

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Simon Wiebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hat mich ehrlich gesagt nicht so gepackt. Er geht einfach nur die zentralen NT-Stellen durch und streift kurz einige AT-Perspektiven. Das einzige, was vielleicht Neuigkeitswert hatte, waren seine Anwendung im letzten Kapitel.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the very few books which attempts to build a biblical theology of money looking at the OT and NT texts. He especially focuses on jesus teachings and how Jesus used the OT when talking about material / money issues. I greatly enjoyed this book and it's challenge to look at material possessions and money as Jesus would, rather than how our materialistic society does. A great challenge for Christians living in the affluent west.

[Gwilym Tudur · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Jesus and Money' (2010) is a helpful survey of how the Bible engages with money. In this scholarly - - yet accessible and readable - volume, Ben Witherington III observes how both the Old and New Testaments relate to wealth and poverty. The book considers a vast selection of biblical texts from Genesis and Proverbs to the Gospels and Paul's epistles. Witherington's focus, however, is on Jesus' own teaching that challenges our society's obsession with consumerism. Here is how the author summarises the New Testament's theology of money:

‘The New Testament encourages [Christians] to deconstruct and disengage from the rat race for success, prosperity, and wealth. Greed is repeatedly warned against as a soul-destroying force. The goal of the Christian life is not prosperity… but rather godliness and holiness, loving God and neighbour wholeheartedly’ (p. 151).

[Craig Toth]

Folks, the author is a highly-respected New Testament scholar who teaches future (and current) pastors at Asbury Theological Seminary. His books on the New Testament are among the best available.

[Geof · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat dry and thorough take down of the prosperity gospel. Witherington tours the Bible for it's thoughts on money. He finds:

1. Wealth as a stumbling block
2. Wealth as competing object of devotion
3. Wealth as a resource for human needs
4. Wealth as a symptom of economic injustice

Pages 14 and 15.

A brief overview of New Testament lessons on the subject:

Jesus and the rich young man - "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." / ""Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven."

Parable of the Unjust Steward - "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings."

Rich man and Lazarus - "The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side."

Parable of the Rich Fool - "God said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?"

2 Corinthians 9:7 - "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

1 Timothy 6:10 - "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

Witherington also discusses how Paul advocates a radical communalism, as described in Acts 4:32, "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had."

Here to me is the rub, and it is a huge rub. Witherington writes, "There are, of course, other difficult issues to address, issues about which the New Testament is entirely silent. I am thinking, for example, about retirement. There is nothing in the Bible that either encourages or validates our consideration of retirement, unless we are already dying. The whole idea of saving up huge sums of money for oneself and one's family so one can live a life of ease or luxury, having no need to work any longer, is an all too modern notion without any biblical warrant."

To me, that is an outrageous description of retirement. First of all, I consider "luxury" a very loaded word. I live in America. My life might be relatively luxurious compared to someone who doesn't have a refrigerator or a WiFi router, but it is not especially luxurious by American middle class standards.

Second, re: "living a life of ease in retirement." To me the point of retirement isn't to embrace idleness. I imagine many people retire BECAUSE THEY'RE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY INCAPABLE OF WORKING. There are exceptions to this rule, I'm sure. But that generally is the idea.

So, now I am confronted with an ideological challenge. I am a great fan of "Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence" Robin etc. I admire "The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" - Stanley. I think you can make a case that both books make a godly argument if you can consider unnecessary luxuries indulgent.

The greatest challenge, I think, is to live outside of a selfish culture which very much requires one to look after himself and his family, and to serve a broader community. When is enough enough? Ebeneezer Scrooge comes to mind. His great mistake was that he was so embittered by life he came to love money more than people. His miserliness is contrasted with Bob Cratchit's joy. It occurs to me that this is echoed too in Mary Poppins: the stern banker dad and the carefree chimney sweep. The love of money hurts their souls.

What model does the New Testament embrace? 2 Corinthians 8:9 - "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

It makes me think of Matthew 10:28-31: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?f Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

A generous, sacrificial life, full of stewardship and communalist giving? I think that would require a big leap of faith in 2020 America!

[Christopher Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous. Re-read this and then internalize it.

A very, very small quibble: I think some of his recommendations, some of which I already follow (he recommends hybrid cars as a way to lower consumption and I have owned one for about 3-4 years now) on the surface sound good but are really outside of his spectrum of expertise. He recommends “going green” and further defines that as getting solar panels, energy-efficient light bulbs, and adds getting smaller cars in general.

This can be quite problematic though as I aspire to have a big family (a new Hybrid van could cost $30,000+). Sure, I’m “saving” on gas, but what about the cost of a new car? Sure, used hybrid vans exist but a quick scan of car prices show that these can be anywhere from the reasonable $10K to the less reasonable $25K.

Ben Witherington’s work would be better informed by a reading of Alex Epstein’s “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.”

That said, that recommendation is merely a snip of a sliver and only accounts for three sentences in a 189 page book.

The NT attitudes on Wealth are clearly explained. The chapter on Mr. 666 and the Book of Revelation was phenomenal. I am certainly convicted to hold still and not make those extravagant fashion purchases I’ve been wanting to make.

Lots of scripture quoted here and lots of NT Greek terms listed.

We are living in light of Kingdom realities and this will push you to live with koinōnia (sharing in common) in mind. Witherington definitely presses the point that no believe should be living in want. And Christians, wealthy by anyone’s standards, comfortable, or even Christians on the lower rungs of the economic ladder, would be moved to divestiture if they feel their money has become an idol in their life.

[J. Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those awful left-leaning books that use so-called research and history to twist the Bible so that it looks like God is interested in what we do with our money and maybe we shouldn't keep so much of it.
Which is to say, I liked it quite a bit. It is scholarly but quite readable, and even has some good jokes in the form of chapter epigraphs. It refuses to oversimplify, but it also refuses to let you throw up your hands and say, 'well, it's too complicated for me.' Tightly tied to the Bible as it is, it demands your attention and a real response. Some parts are maybe too involved for a general audience (there's a whole section on types of ancient coins that seems kind of out of place), but it's a good resource for a book study, a new family, or any individual Christian wanting to think through his or her finances more in-depth.

[Mark D. Rotramel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

i try to read anything I can find that was written by Dr. Witherington. This book is evidence of my reasoning for that practice. If you want a scholarly treatment of handling money in a way that honors God, this is your resource.

[Peyton Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

BW3 is a respected professor of New Testament and his keen insight comes through clearly in this book. I've read a few in his "application" series and this is the best (at least in my opinion). I enjoyed parts of the others, but they seemed stitched together and didn't flow so well across chapters. This certainly is not the case here. The material flows well and doesn't spend too long on side trails. One cannot read this without the aid of The Bible near- a good sign for certain. He includes various references and uses scripture from OT and NT passages that are relevant. It's a balanced and appropriate treatment of the material at hand. I'd certainly point anyone thinking about these issues towards this book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good general look at what the Bible, both Old and New Testament, say about money. Withering ton debunks a lot of the 'myths' that are out there about Christians and money, specifically the health and wealth or prosperity gospel aspect of North American Christianity, and provides a good alternative to our money and possession hungry culture.

[Janique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too technical for me and his conclusions didn't sit too well with me either. I felt it leant more towards the poverty mentality so prevalent in many churches and I simply don't believe that's God's best for His people.

[Matthew Macclary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good practical book.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cites Wikipedia? Oh no...
But they tell me it's not so bad.

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt too much like a brief commentary with a summary at the end. The summary chapters were good and reading Wesley's sermon in Appendix 2 was great.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of what the Bible says (and doesn't say) about money and stewardship.