What can we learn about Jesus' view on wealth from Luke 21:1? Setting the Scene • “Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.” (Luke 21:1) • The moment occurs in the temple courts during the Passover week, when pilgrims customarily gave free-will offerings. • Jesus’ intentional gaze signals that what He sees—and is about to say—carries divine authority. Observations from Luke 21:1 • Jesus notices the rich specifically; He does not overlook their activity. • Giving is public, yet Jesus’ focus is not on the amount but on the heart behind it (illuminated in vv. 2-4). • By recording this detail, Luke shows that earthly wealth operates under the watchful eye of the Lord (cf. Proverbs 15:3). Jesus’ Assessment of Wealth • Wealth is neither hidden from Him nor inherently praised by Him. • Possessing riches places a person under spiritual scrutiny; with privilege comes responsibility (Luke 12:48). • Jesus weighs generosity by sacrifice, not surplus (seen moments later in vv. 3-4). • Riches can create blind spots; He elsewhere warns, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24-25). • Eternal value outweighs earthly display; “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-21). Implications for Us Today • Jesus is watching how we use every resource entrusted to us. • Giving that costs little impresses people, not God. • Wealth is a stewardship test: Will we honor Him or ourselves? (1 Timothy 6:17-19). • True security rests in the Lord, not in accumulated funds (Proverbs 11:28). In one brief verse, Jesus’ attentive look reminds us that earthly wealth lies open before His eyes, and only sacrificial, God-centered generosity meets His approval. |
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