The Gospel, Possessions and Prosperity - Session 3 — David Platt

Jesus’ New Covenant Mission and Ministry Among the Poor

We're going to try to cover Jesus and all the New Testament before the next break. This is obviously where we are a New Covenant people. And so what we see Jesus saying, now Jesus is unique in the sense that He's speaking still in an Old Covenant context, He's not dotting a cross, but He's ushering in a New Covenant.

So it's a little tricky at times, but then in the New Testament we'll get to us under the New Covenant. So the life of Jesus, He's from a poor family. We see that His family was kind of the exception, giving more inexpensive offerings there in Luke 2.

Surrounded by varied followers, fishermen like James and John, and actually probably a little more well to do than some other fishermen because they had people who worked with them. Hired servants there in Mark chapter 1, Matthew, a tax collector, probably had a lot of money.

And then the rest of them probably ordinary peasants. So varied followers. And what's interesting in the Gospels, we see Jesus attracting poor people and rich people, both end. From a poor family with varied followers, He led an itinerant ministry, an itinerant ministry.

Now this is important. Jesus didn't stay in one place, He traveled. And the disciples who were with Him did the same thing. So He would say things like Luke 9, foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

So that's unique in that they didn't have a place where they were living all the time, like a house. Now we have evidence that Peter probably still had a house that they would go and stay in, but they had an itinerant ministry with an intentional mission.

We talked about Luke 4 already. Jesus came. Jesus came, and this is how I want to describe His mission. It was a spiritual mission. Primarily He came to preach good news. He came to preach the gospel.

That's what Jesus came to do. But that was a spiritual mission with social ramifications to address deep needs. He did come to the poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed there in Luke chapter 4. And we see Him.

We see Him healing people of disease. We see Him telling blind men they can see, raising dead people to life. So there's social ramifications of the gospel. Spiritual mission. He's preaching good news primarily with social ramifications.

See the universality of Jesus' mission here in Luke chapter 4. Jesus did not come only for local affection. He came for global adoration. This is something we looked at, Bart Box preached on Luke 4 here.

And this was the picture. This was the picture. Jesus came for the stranger, the outcast, not just for the people of Israel ultimately. Universality of Jesus' mission and the radicality of Jesus' mercy.

Today is the day of salvation, He said. That which you've longed for in the Old Testament is here, is fulfilled in your hearing. So that's the life of Jesus in a nutshell. The temptation of Jesus. Notice you read through Matthew chapter 4, it's interesting.

What you'll find is all of these temptations, at least indirectly, if not directly, dealt with possessions. All three temptations involve material possessions. And what we find in what Jesus does in resisting those temptations is that spiritual integrity is more important than material prosperity.

Spiritual sustenance is more important than physical sustenance. There's a warning here from the very beginning of Jesus' ministry, the allure of the world is strong. But what does Jesus do every time He's tempted with the allure of the world?

He quotes the Word. The power of God's Word is sufficient. That's why we're spending all of our time thinking about Scripture here tonight. And it might seem even laborious at times, but the best way we can fight materialism in our hearts and in the culture around us is with the Word of God.

That's the best way. Spiritual integrity more important than material prosperity. Teachings of Jesus. Now what we're going to do is we're going to walk through His teachings in two kind of groups. Just His general teachings, His encounters with people, and then His parables we're going to do second.

Jesus’ Teaching on Treasures, Giving, and the Heart

So we'll start with His general teachings, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit. We're going to fly here. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Jesus saying, blessing is reserved for the utterly destitute.

Now that doesn't necessarily mean physically poor, but the word poor in spirit there literally means utterly destitute. Those who are destitute for God. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew chapter 6, verse 1 through 4, piety should not be paraded.

Don't give in order to be seen by others. That doesn't mean it's bad to talk about giving and that sort of thing, but this is the motive of our hearts. Must never be to give in order to earn the applause of men.

Then in Matthew 6, Jesus talks about prayer and tells us how to pray. Matthew 6, 11 through 12, the Father provides physical provision. We ask God to meet our needs, not our greeds. Give us this day our daily bread.

That's based on, remember we saw that in the manna from heaven, day by day provision of bread. God meets our needs, not our greeds. We don't pray for God to meet our greeds, we pray for God to meet our needs.

The Father provides physical provision and then provides spiritual redemption. Food for our stomach and forgiveness of our sins. Back to back there in Matthew chapter 6, verse 11 through 12. Now starting in verse 19 of chapter 6 in the Sermon on the Mount, this is where we see a block from this point in chapter 6 to the end of chapter 6, a block of teaching about possessions that are extremely important.

Two treasuries. Look at Matthew 6, 19. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Notice here, Jesus is not against you storing up treasures. Jesus is not saying to us, don't store up treasures. Instead He's saying to every single one of us in an American culture of wealth, store up real treasure.

We can live for temporal treasures that we cannot keep, that moth and rust will destroy. Does that sound like a solid investment plan? Put your treasures where they'll be stolen. No. Jesus is not saying here that just the materialism is wrong.

He's saying it's ridiculous. Jesus is not saying don't invest. He's saying stop making stupid investments. Invest in that which matters. We can live for eternal treasures that we cannot lose. Treasures that will grow and can never be taken away.

What's the better investment? When you think about it this way, think about it this way, realize what Jesus is saying. Generosity is not a huge sacrifice. It's I didn't know how to put this. It's humbly selfish, like store up for yourselves.

Jesus is telling us to seek gain for ourselves. And the way we seek gain for ourselves is putting our hope and treasures in heaven. It's what Jim Elliot said. This is so good. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

That's just smart. To avoid materialism, Wesley said, I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity. This is the picture we are storing up. Randy Alcorn gives this example in the book he wrote.

I'm going to read it to you. Imagine you're alive at the end of the Civil War in the United States. You're living in the South, but you're a northerner. You plan to move back north as soon as the war is over.

While in the South, you've accumulated lots of Southern Confederate currency. Now suppose you know for a fact the North is going to win the war and the end is imminent. What are you going to do with your Confederate money?

If you're smart, there's only one answer. You immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U .S. currency. The only money that's going to have value once the war is over. You only keep enough Confederate currency to meet your short-term needs.

He continues, as believers, we have inside knowledge of a coming change in the worldwide economic situation. The currency of this world will be worthless at our death or Christ's return, both of which are imminent.

This knowledge should radically affect our investment strategy. For us to accumulate vast earthly treasures in the face of the inevitable future is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money. It's not just wrong, it is stupid.

Which treasury are we going to live for, Jesus asks. Two treasuries. And he commands us, it's a command, live for treasures in heaven. Two truths. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Here's the two truths. Number one, our use of money demonstrates where our heart is. Do you know where, you want to know where your heart is, look at your checkbook and look at your budget. Our money does not lie.

This is humbling. Our money demonstrates where our heart is. And our use of money determines where our heart goes. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Money leads, hearts follow. People say, I want more of a heart for missions.

Put your money in missions. You want a heart for the lost and the poor? Put your money toward the lost and the poor. You will not have a heart for the lost and poor if you keep buying more and greater gadgets and stuff.

It won't happen. Money leads, hearts follow. Right after this, Jesus talks about two perspectives. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

If in the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. Two options here when it comes to perspective. How we see. Short-sighted, eyes focused on the things of earth. Concerned with where you or others are going to be a few years from now.

That's how the world lives. You get the next gadget so you can get ahead of the next guy. Financial counselors say you need to plan ahead so you know where you're going to be 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now.

I want to propose to you tonight that that kind of counsel is short-sighted. It's absolutely short-sighted. It's short-sighted to live for the day when we will be 60 or 70 or 80 years old with our money.

There's a different perspective and it's far-sighted, eyes focused on treasure and eternity. Concern is not where we or others are going to be a few years from now, but the concern is where we or others are going to be a few million years from now.

We don't need to plan for what's going to happen 30 years from now. We need to plan for what's going to happen 30 million years from now and spend our money accordingly. Choose investments carefully. Which one is the greater return 30 million years from now and spend on that.

You can get a nice car, nicer car. So you got a simple car and you say, well for this much more I can get a nicer car here. And then you look at that money, maybe it's $5 ,000 or $10 ,000 extra. And you think, or I could, I could invest in a church planter in India who will go into Unreached People Group to share the gospel.

What's going to have an effect on 30 million years from now? This is a no-brainer all of a sudden, it is a no-brainer. This changes our perspective, what we do. Right after talking about eyes and sight, Jesus says no one can serve two masters, 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. Two masters. Notice, Jesus did not say you should not serve God and money. He said you cannot serve both God and money. It's impossible. The choice is there. Money on the throne and a life wasted in the pursuit of wealth on earth.

Or God on the throne, a life invested in the pursuit of wealth in heaven. So from there, Jesus goes on and he talks about not worrying, don't be anxious about your life. And this is where we see sometimes our seeking after stuff is not just a greedy desire for more, it's a manifestation of insecurity in our hearts.

And Jesus says, seek the kingdom of Christ. Earthly treasures multiply anxiety. When you put your money in the stock market, your hope rises and falls on the stock market. When you put your money in stuff, your security rises and falls on stuff.

Don't do that. That is a miserable way to live. Put your hope in God. Seek him, his kingdom. Earthly treasures multiply anxiety. Eternal treasures guarantee security. This is where it's good. You get this expounded on over in Luke chapter 12 where Jesus is saying the same things.

And I want you to listen to what he says over there. Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Now Jesus just said, sell your possessions, give to the needy.

Bold command. But I want you to notice what he says right before that. Fear not, little flock, it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. That verse right there, that's the key to this whole picture tonight, I think.

It is the key to overcoming materialism, it is the key to letting go of our things, it's the key to obeying God even when we have hard commands like sell your possessions and give them to the poor. The key is, we don't need to be afraid because our father's good pleasure is to give us the kingdom.

Follow with me here. Trust the love of Christ. Jesus, right before he gives us the command, he says, you have a shepherd who protects you. You're a little flock. He cares for you. He shepherds you. You have a father who delights in you.

Your father is pleased to give to you. If we are children of a father, then what do we have as children? We have an inheritance that our father delights to give to us. You have a shepherd who protects you, a father who delights in you, you have a king who provides for you.

The father's been pleased to give you the kingdom. In light of the kingdom that he promises to give you, in light of the inheritance he delights in giving you, in light of the care he provides for you, sell your possessions and give to the poor.

You have no reason to fear. That's good news. Trust the love of Christ. Okay, back here to the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7, 12. Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. Meet others' needs like you meet your own needs.

That's a bold teaching. I'm ready to begin to apply that. That's huge. Now, we move on from the Sermon on the Mount, other teachings of Jesus. Luke 6, woes upon the rich. We're not going to read through all these passages.

You'll be able to go back and hopefully look through some of these. But Jesus prophesies a great reversal here. He's reminding them that the way things look on earth right now is going to look a lot different in eternity.

In eternity, many will find themselves in an opposite condition from their situation on earth. That's humbling, isn't it? That should at least cause us pause. In the most, in 5 of the world's wealthy, that should cause us pause.

Prophesies a great reversal. He promises great reward. Followers of Christ are willing to endure present hardship in order to experience future glory. He's speaking. He's encouraging those who are going through hardship, and he's saying, trust in me.

Trust in me. You get to Luke 11, but give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees, for you tithe mint and rue and every herb and neglect justice and love of God.

These you ought to have done without neglecting the others. He's talking to people who are tithing, but they're missing the point. He says, we give a tithe as God's word commands. So it's good. You should.

He says, you ought to give a tithe. Now, it's interesting. This is one of, really the only time, there's a parallel over in the book of Matthew where Jesus mentions the tithe, and he doesn't command the tithe here.

Jesus never commands we should tithe. He does say you ought to have tithed. It's almost like implied, but he doesn't command it. We give a tithe as God's word commands, and then he says, we live with love that God's justice compels.

The point is to give to those who are in need or the heart that desires to give. Now, we're going to come back to that when we talk about tithing, so just hold on to that. Luke 14, 25 through 33, some of the most shocking verses, large crowds following Jesus.

He turns around to them and says, if you're going to come after me, you need to hate your mom and dad, brother, sister, wife, and kids. He just lost most people at hello. Like, that's not a good opening line.

Imagine following an obscure religious teacher and turning around to you and saying, if you're going to follow me, you need to hate your mom and dad, wife, and kids. And the next statement, if you're going to follow after me, you need to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.

Take up an instrument of torture and follow me. Imagine following an obscure religious teacher in our day today and him turning around saying, if you're going to follow me, you need to pick up your electric chair and follow me.

That's weird. As if that's not enough, you get to the end of this passage, verse 33, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Give up everything you have, pick up an instrument of torture, hate your mom and dad, wife, and kids.

Like, that's a lot different than admit, believe, confess, and pray the prayer. Just saying. It wasn't near as effective. They all turned away. What does that mean? And some people say, well, that's discipleship.

This is for mature followers. This was his intro. Jesus requires superior love. We are to love him in a way that makes our closest relationships in this world look like hate in comparison. Superior love.

In comparison to Christ, we hate the people we love. In comparison, relative there, it's not saying, it's not a command to hate mom and dad, wife, and kids. And that's huge. We have this idea. I need to move on, but we've got to stop here for a second.

We have this idea that obedience to Christ, it's like this begrudging thing. Well, I know I need to give, or I know I need to read my Bible, or I know I need to pray. That's not Christianity. Like, I don't come home and give Heather a big hug and kiss, and she'd say, well, what was that for?

Well, it says on page 45 of my marriage manual that I'm supposed to do that when I get here. It doesn't work. There's no affection in that. You know, Christianity is not begrudging obedience. It is superior affection for Christ and a desire for Him.

Superior love. This changes our perspective, and this is the beauty. This is the beauty. Now, when we relate to wife and children, mom and dad, we relate to them properly because they are not superior in our affections.

Christ is superior in our affections, which frees us to love them the way they need to be loved, not to idolize them, but to love them properly, to love them as Christ loves them. Now we're looking at Ephesians 5.

It's all coming together. It makes sense. Jesus requires superior love. Jesus requires exclusive loyalty, exclusive loyalty. Take up a cross. Through the cross of Christ, we die to the life we live. We die to the life.

We are dead men and women. This changes our priorities, and He uses two illustrations in that passage where a worker is constructing a building. He's warning against a hasty emotional decision to follow Him.

He says, count the cost. Count the cost like you would before you build a building, and we're warriors fighting a battle. That's big. Like in wartime, we ask the question, what can I do to help the cause?

Everything is devoted to the cause. In peacetime, we say, well, how can we be more comfortable? How can we have more fun? What kind of Christianity are we living in, wartime or peacetime? Jesus requires total loss.

Renounce all that you have. Give up everything you have. For the cause of Christ, we give up everything we have. This changes our possessions. Now here's the deal. Not every single disciple of Jesus and not every single follower of Christ in the New Testament gave up all their property and all their possessions.

We already talked about Peter. He still had property. They still had possessions. Some did give up everything, but the picture is, it is all renounced. It is all given over to Christ. Now, I want to be careful, because when I use language here like Jesus requires this, Jesus requires that, I want to remind you, this is why that first part was so important.

That's not saying that these are conditions we have to meet in order to be accepted by Jesus. That's not what this is saying at all. Instead, what this is saying is, is that when we realize who Jesus is, and his authority over us, Jesus is Lord, and he does require.

If Jesus requires or Jesus demands things from us, rubs us wrong, there's probably an issue with our understanding of Jesus' Lordship. When we realize Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, then the fact that he requires things of us makes good sense.

It expects us to do it, but it's not conditions that we have to meet. It's Jesus' absolute authority over us, and don't forget, we talked about it earlier, God gives what he demands. He enables this. It's grace.

So, just keep that in mind. Mark 8, 34, 37. You look at this, there is economic turns all over this passage. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever would, just circle him, save his life, will lose it.

Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel will save it. What does it profit a man? To gain the whole world and forfeit his soul. What can a man give in return for his soul? Like, what is Jesus saying?

He's saying we do not live for gratification in this world. We do not live for this world. We live for gain in the world to come. If we save our physical lives here at the expense of our spiritual well-being, we will ultimately lose both.

But if we lose our lives here following after Christ and proclaiming the gospel, we will preserve our lives for all of eternity. Let's choose the latter. Then you come to Mark chapter 10, verse 17 -31, the story of the rich young ruler.

The Rich Young Ruler and Total Surrender

Now, this one takes the cake. Like, rich young influential ruler coming up to Jesus. If anybody needs to be in, this guy needs to be in. Think of all he can do for the kingdom. Like a simple... And he comes up and he asks, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

He's an eager seeker. I mean, bow your head and close your eyes and sign the card and this guy is on the circuit like that. Instead, he just doesn't have some of the methods that we have today and so he has the gall to look at him and say, sell everything you have and give it to the poor.

The classic example of letting the big fish get away. The guy turns around because he had great wealth. Mark 10 says. Now, when we come to this passage, we've got to be careful. There's two errors here.

Oftentimes, we universalize this passage. We say, well, Jesus tells everyone to give away everything they have to the poor. That's not what this is saying. We've talked about that. It's not what Jesus says to every follower of his.

But at the same time, and that can kind of cause us to breathe a sigh of relief. Okay, good. But the second error is to minimize this. Because if this passage teaches us anything, it teaches us that Jesus does tell some people to sell everything they have and give it to the poor.

I love what one writer said. That Jesus did not command all his followers to sell all their possessions gives comfort only to the kind of people to whom he would issue that command. Like, we laugh. People say the point of this story is that Christ is supposed to be the center of our affections.

And for this man, it was money. For other people, it's other things. And so the only point, really, is that we're supposed to let go of the idols in our heart. And that interpretation is unquestionably true and utterly inadequate.

It's true. Yes, that's the point. But this speaks to possessions. We've got to see ourselves here. We're rich. And this text is showing us the powerful relationship between one's spiritual condition and one's riches.

And so we're going to fly through this right here. What does this passage teach us? Jesus' call to salvation demands total surrender. That's what he's calling this man to. Total surrender. Salvation, not a matter of external reformation.

You look at this passage, Jesus says, obey the commandments. Sell your possessions. What Jesus is doing and what he does, like in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, this guy thought, I can do this.

I can make it into the kingdom by what I do. And so what Jesus does is he takes the bar to an entirely new level. It's what he does all throughout to show that he can't do this on his own. Salvation, not a matter of external reformation.

Salvation, ultimately a matter of internal transformation. He's got to have a superior. He's got to be conquered by a superior affection for Christ and trust in Christ that would enable him to do that.

That's got to happen on the inside. And the whole passage hinted on how he viewed Christ. Comes up, he says, good teacher. Jesus is not merely a respectable teacher. Jesus is the sovereign Lord. This is huge for us.

Jesus does not intend to be one voice among many in how we use our possessions. He intends to be Lord over how we use our possessions. Sovereign Lord demands total surrender. Jesus calls us to give sacrificially because he loves us.

I love Mark 10, 21. It says, Jesus looked at him and loved him. Jesus loves rich people enough to tell them the truth. When Jesus tells us hard things, he doesn't tell us these things because he doesn't like us.

He tells us these things because he loves us. Jesus gives commands, not considerations. Five commands in that passage. Five commands. As followers of Christ, we do not consider options. As followers of Christ, we obey.

Some people look at this passage and say, what Jesus was saying was that this man needed to be willing to sell his possessions. The only problem with that interpretation is it's not true. If that's what he meant, then he would have said, you need to be willing.

He said, sell your possessions. And by that he meant, in the Greek, sell your possessions. We're in the New Testament language. It just comes in. It's very helpful. Jesus does not want to strip us of our pleasure.

He wants to satisfy us with his treasure. I love this. Go, sell everything you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. He's not calling him away from treasure. He's calling him to treasure.

It's what we've already seen in Matthew chapter 6. He's not saying, don't care about treasure. He's saying, start caring about real treasure. Do we want unpredictable investments or do we want inexhaustible savings?

Love of possessions will inevitably and ultimately rob us of the joy for which we have been created. This man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. It's the only time in Mark when someone called by Jesus to himself refuses.

Why did he walk away? Because his eyes were blind. He didn't see the depth of his need. His face was sad. He had such eagerness when he came up to Jesus. He walks away with joy. Isn't it tragic? He's walking away from the only one who can bring him the joy he longs for.

Clinging to his stuff. Because he thinks it will do it for him. His hands were full. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Four more here. We desperately need to realize the deadly nature of our possessions.

Jesus turns around and says to his disciples, how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. It's hard. And this was shocking to the disciples and it's shocking to us. We are used to recognizing wealth as a blessing.

The question is, are we willing to realize that wealth is often a barrier? It's hard for the rich. We are rich. It is hard to enter the kingdom of God from this zip code in Birmingham, Alabama. It's hard.

Salvation is utterly impossible for any and every person apart from the grace of God. He goes on to elaborate on that. It's impossible for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Now that verse is often misinterpreted as well. People say, well there's a gate leading into the city called the eye of the needle. And in order for a camel to get through the gate, the camel had to get down and take the load off the camel, bring it to its knees and squeeze through.

The only problem with that one is, it's not true. So, there's no record of that kind of gate, at least until like the 9th century. Some say even the 19th century. And trying to do that misses the point.

The point is, you can't do it. It's impossible. Not it's hard and you have to get down on your knees. It's impossible. Salvation is utterly impossible for any and every person apart from the grace of God.

God, you don't do anything to earn salvation. God gives salvation to us. This is so important. God does not sell us salvation. God does not trade us salvation. God is not looking for what you have to bring to the table.

Because you have nothing to bring to the table. He gives us salvation. God gives us salvation to us. Oh, this is good. God gives salvation to us and God enables sacrifice in us. Only God could so radically change a man's heart that he would sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow after Christ.

That's what he needed. He needed a change of his heart. Only God can do this. Only God can do this in our lives. Only God can do this in our churches. We need God to do this. We can't manufacture this.

Two more from this passage. Jesus frees us from our bondage to ourselves and our stuff. Peter turns and he says, We've left everything to follow you. There's a freedom there. We're free to go wherever he calls, to give whatever he asks.

That's where we want to be, isn't it? Free to go wherever God calls us. Free to give whatever God asks us to give. Finally, Jesus unites his people together to enjoy and encourage one another as they abandon themselves to him.

He says, There is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold. Now, in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.

When you give yourself radically to Jesus, follow this, the church no longer seems like an abstract idea. Maybe you lose your family because you follow after Jesus, but you gain brothers, and sisters, and mothers.

You'll notice fathers is not mentioned because we have one father. You gain a whole family. And church is that family. Sacrifice no longer seems like an appropriate term. I love this. To those who give away everything, Jesus says, You get a hundred times as much.

That's gain. And this world no longer seems like an adequate home. Not just this age, but in the age to come, eternal life. In Luke, this story is followed by Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a wee little man.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree. Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus. Go into your house today. Oh, yes. That was beautiful. I don't know if that translates into China. I don't know if they know that song.

Anyway. Okay. So, this wee little man. Isn't that unfortunate? That's the first thing we think of Zacchaeus. The guy gave away half of his stuff. And we think, what a wee little man. Man. It's unfortunate.

Jesus comes into his house. Zacchaeus stood and said, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Jesus said to him, That's a good idea, Zacchaeus.

That's a great example, Zacchaeus. Are you sure that's what you want to do, wee little man? No. Jesus said to him, This is startling. Today salvation has come to this house. Wow. The basis of salvation, divine grace.

An encounter with the Son of Man who came to seek and save those who were lost. The fruit of salvation, just generosity. Justice and generosity. Following up right on the heels of the rich young ruler intentionally in the book of Luke.