The King Who Gives

Hello again, this is Dick Both with stories from the road and this is Easter Week or Holy Week as it is called many places in the world or Passion Week. It's the week between what in the church calendar is called Palm Sunday in Easter, and I'm thinking here just today as I record this. What a week this is in America and around the world. I mean in the middle of the week we have Tax Day April 15th, then we've got tariffs that are national tax things and we have trade wars and all of that shaping up and I'd like to talk about that. Oh not not about here and now about 2000 years ago. I'd like to talk just for a few moments about the relationship between leaders in this case, the king and taxes and how all of that works and generally about money. I rarely talk about money but it's fascinating subject. I like it. I think most people like it. If you don't have much you like more of it and even if you have a lot of my experiences you also probably like more of it. But this is the introduction, this Palm Sunday weekend on which I am recording this. This is the introduction to the week that changed the world forever by the end of the week. In a tiny religious country it was a pivotal moment. It was a pivotal moment about a big festival that they had called Passover without going into the details of it. Passover to the Jewish community, historically for sure an observant Jewish community is sort of a 4th of July and Christmas and all of that on steroids. It's a huge thing. Jerusalem at that time had probably 20 to 30,000 people and it swelled because maybe up to 150,000 or more would come in for this pilgrimage festival. Romans had been in charge for 60 years. They brought in extra tubes because you know you get that many people in town, you can have problems. And you had the Jewish religious leaders who were sort of connected, not sort of they were connected to the Roman hierarchy. But they have a problem because on this particular day and on this particular week actually this radical rabbi Jesus of Nazareth comes to town. People loved him but on this and on this day they call him king but leaders generally had murder in their hearts. Within six days Jesus will be killed dead but not gone. And several incidents within the week center around money. What happens in the week he's staying out of town and he comes in every day to the temple area. And they're going back and forth leaders of challenging him and so forth. And it's what the British might call back in the day fisticuffs. And several incidents are recorded in that time around the subject of money. I've often said that we have two things we deal with our whole lives relationships and money and one of those will make you rich. It's not money and usually when I make that statement I talk about relationships but today I want to talk about money in this way. Why is there such a big deal about money? Well it's my life. The second time around I go away and work and give my life for X number of dollars and then I get to do something with those dollars. I can hoard them or spend them or invest them or I can share them or give them. What happens in this week is that when Jesus comes to town they call him a king either authentically or when he dies on the cross they put up a sign saying king of the Jews in three languages so it can be sarcastic if you will. And it's an aromatic Latin Greek. There's a natural connection between kings and money and money tends to take front stage center years before thousand years before Jesus there was a prophet named Samuel and his boys were not following his principles. And it says that they turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes these were going to be the leaders of the country accepted bribes and perverted justice. Now there's anything wrong with money but it says that attachment to money when that's the driver that leads to all kinds of challenges so they came to Samuel and said we want a king and Samuel tells God they want a king. And God tells Samuel tell them what happens if they get a king and first Samuel the eight chapter it's interesting he says this is what a king will do who reigns over you who claim is his rights he'll take your sons make them serve with his chariots and horses they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He'll take your daughters to be perfumers and cookers and bakers take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive grows and give them to his attendants he'll take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and doggies he'll take for his own I mean it goes on and on and off. In essence they saying if you have a king he'll take your stuff and at the end of the time the people don't say time out we don't want to go they say yeah that's what we'd like. And so and so the next thousand years or in in Israel's history you have kings most of whom are horrific they're terrible but a Messiah king has been promised it will bring freedom and life and that shows up according to gospels. As Jesus of Nazareth but it's interesting because his earthly life begins with taxes this is what it says this is in Luke 2nd chapter in those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Korean was governor of Syria well why do you why did the Romans take census well they were fond of it it took a lot of taxes because that's what a census was about a lot of taxes to keep the enormous Roman army going conquering the known world building roads. So anyway that that's where Jesus comes in the door with a tax roll call. He lives for 33 years he does these powerful things signs and wonders and shows his authority over disease and nature and death and and he taught with authority people say we've never heard anybody teach like this but he did it with some powerful stories some of my favorites are about money like the story of the good Samaritan a person who helps another guy who's been robbed and beaten. And the other guy is detested by this person's group he's a different ethnicity he believes different things but this man uses his own money to take care of this person that he quote shouldn't be taking care of. Then you have these little anecdotes about a lost coin and a lost sheep there's one about a lost son some of us know that story is the story of the prodigal son truly story of the gracious father but it's an about an inheritance is another one about a guy who's forgiven a huge debt like the debt of a small country with somebody owes them five bucks in the guy really goes after him that doesn't work out very well there are stories of crops and catches of fish and treasures found in. And then this profound question is asked and it's sort of a balanced sheet question when Jesus says what should a prophet a person he gains the whole world and loses his soul. Anyway here here comes Jesus of Nazareth into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday and people are throwing down their their coats and their cloaks and they're shouting blessed as the king who comes in the name of the Lord peace and heaven and glory in the eyes. Within five days he'll be dead but in those five days he's staying out of time he comes in every day to teach in the temple which is the main area where people gather for this Passover and that next day he goes in and upends the table of money changes these are people who are trying to rip off the population in this festival season. Unfairly and he's saying that's not what this is about that's not what my father's house should be for should be for prayer then there's another story about him watching people put money in the treasury and people with great wealth are putting in great amounts that's fine. But then a widow woman comes and puts in two mites that's less than a penny it's all she has and that becomes the iconic story for what it means to give your life. And then an actual question is asked by the leaders to whom should we pay taxes Caesar or to God and Jesus asks for a denarius a Roman coin holds it up says whose image is on this and of course it's Caesars whose name Caesars and then he says give to Caesar what Caesars to God what's God's and in my mind's eye I see him tossing the penny on the ground says that's essentially the kind of thing Caesar can put his image on. But then pointing at the people he by implication says but God has his image and you you were made in God's image he wants you if he has us he has our pennies. And then along the way one of his close fellows one of the twelve a guy named Judas sells him out for thirty pieces of silver then when he's being crucified soldiers gamble for his clothing. And one of the last things he says is to John apparently in the gospels one of his followers take care of my mother that's an economic decision it's a compassionate decision. So here here you have kings in all human history who tax you take your stuff but that's not this king king Jesus is not one who comes to get he's the king of the universe who comes to give at least that's what I believe what I read what I've understood for a lot of my years. He pays debts in our lives he gives us life he lives his life through us and he gives us moment by moment access years ago when I was in DC. I might I'm a kid from East Oakland as many of you know he spoke in California not brought up with wealth I'm not brought up in high society again nothing at all wrong with that it's just not where I come from and I'm going to meet my first senator. Just to make his acquaintance and I'm walking through I think was the Russell building one of those office buildings in DC were senators have their offices and I'm sort of gripping whining to God I've got a PhD in whining and I just said what am I going to say what am I doing here. And I feel like the Lord said this not an audible voice but this is what I thought in my mind if you speak to the king if you speak to the king of the universe in the morning it's not hard to speak to the United States senator in the afternoon if you speak to the king of the universe in the morning it's not hard to speak to United States senator in the afternoon. And ultimately what the king does when he comes to our place is he invites us to his place there's the story of Jesus on the cross on that horrific day that we call good Friday but it's this challenging day in Jesus life in the friends around him two thieves one on either side and and they're racking on him essentially and then one of them says this man IE Jesus doesn't belong here. And he says to Jesus remember me and Jesus one up some if you will and this is a fourth paraphrase I'll do one better than that this day you'll be with me in paradise in that in that moment in time with a humble heart and a person telling the truth about what's going on he gets invited to the king's house. Well that's my thought in the day of taxes and tariffs and trade wars and all that kind of thing this is this is human this is human nature that's how life goes but when the king shows up the one who comes to give not to get there's there's profound encouragement and hope in that I hope you have a blessed week in these days and keep your heart open. Just as the things where you can show grace in your life to those around you during this week that would be a wonderful gift to you that's it for now I'm out and both signing off one more time thanks again for subscribing thanks again for checking out the audio book called stories I love to tell and we will catch you the next time around we'll see you. you