I was driving down the road today and I saw a pretty new, very nice Caddilac in front of me. They had a vanity license plate, which read " I TITHE." Wow. I'm just not sure what to think of this. At the risk of being judgmental, many thoughts have occurred:
My first thought was that this person was rather pharasitical, and wanted us all to know that he or she "followed the rules." In essence, "I tithe, shouldn't you?"
My next thought was that this person bought into what is known as the "prosperity gospel," which says in essence "if God likes you and likes the way you are living, then he will bless you with material things." Thus, "Because I tithe, God gave me a brand new Caddilac."
Anne supposed that this person had been questioned or persecuted in the past for perhaps not contributing enough to his/her local church, and just wanted to set the record straight. In other words, "Get off my case about the expensive car/house, etc. I spend my money on tithing, too." (This is why I love my wife, by the way. Me--judgmental and pessimistic. Her--compassionate and tender.)
So, I'm not sure I'll ever know the real intention behind the plate. And I'll probably never see that person again on this side of heaven, and on the other side it won't matter. But I just can't help but be bothered by the image.
When Jesus begain His earthly ministry, He went into a synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
This was Jesus "mission statement" if you will, His reason for His ministry on earth. Certainly, He always had His mind set on the cross, and the redeeming work of His death and ressurection, but in the three years prior to that, He was focused on providing hope to the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. As I read and study the Bible, I am struck more and more with how little God has to say about our happiness and prosperity, and how often he guarantees our suffering and our persecution. The closer we draw to Christ, the closer we get to the suffering and rejection that He faced. And, the closer we are to finding that peace and contentment in God, just as Jesus did.
So, back to our Cadillac. Is it a sin to own a nice, luxury car? Certainly not.
Is it a sin to justify your fancy car by making it seem that Jesus is smiling in approval, the wind whipping through His beard as you cruise down the road together? Hmmm...
(I noticed on Cadillac's website that this vehicle retails at over $100,000. Praise God that some church is getting a pretty hefty tithe check.)
My first thought was that this person was rather pharasitical, and wanted us all to know that he or she "followed the rules." In essence, "I tithe, shouldn't you?"
My next thought was that this person bought into what is known as the "prosperity gospel," which says in essence "if God likes you and likes the way you are living, then he will bless you with material things." Thus, "Because I tithe, God gave me a brand new Caddilac."
Anne supposed that this person had been questioned or persecuted in the past for perhaps not contributing enough to his/her local church, and just wanted to set the record straight. In other words, "Get off my case about the expensive car/house, etc. I spend my money on tithing, too." (This is why I love my wife, by the way. Me--judgmental and pessimistic. Her--compassionate and tender.)
So, I'm not sure I'll ever know the real intention behind the plate. And I'll probably never see that person again on this side of heaven, and on the other side it won't matter. But I just can't help but be bothered by the image.
When Jesus begain His earthly ministry, He went into a synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
This was Jesus "mission statement" if you will, His reason for His ministry on earth. Certainly, He always had His mind set on the cross, and the redeeming work of His death and ressurection, but in the three years prior to that, He was focused on providing hope to the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. As I read and study the Bible, I am struck more and more with how little God has to say about our happiness and prosperity, and how often he guarantees our suffering and our persecution. The closer we draw to Christ, the closer we get to the suffering and rejection that He faced. And, the closer we are to finding that peace and contentment in God, just as Jesus did.
So, back to our Cadillac. Is it a sin to own a nice, luxury car? Certainly not.
Is it a sin to justify your fancy car by making it seem that Jesus is smiling in approval, the wind whipping through His beard as you cruise down the road together? Hmmm...
(I noticed on Cadillac's website that this vehicle retails at over $100,000. Praise God that some church is getting a pretty hefty tithe check.)
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1 comment:
Good post, Kris. I think this sermon by John Piper about the Prosperity Gospel was good (it's a 2:47 video);
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s
Personally, I can't fathom why anyone would pay $100,000 for a vehicle.
Cathy
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