Command 38: Render to Caesar
Study Question
Q: Jesus condemned the unfaithful steward for not increasing the amount of money entrusted to him. Why, then, did Jesus entrust money to Judas and not even reprove him when He knew Judas was stealing it? (See John 12:6 and Matthew 25:24–27.)
A: While at first it may appear that Judas was not reproved, in the end he was severely rebuked by God. He was entrusted with care of the money purse, and he was unfaithful to that trust. In the same way, he was disloyal to Jesus Christ and betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. As a result of Judas’s unfaithfulness and deception, he “fell, that he might go to his own place” (Acts 1:25; see also John 12:6).
The lesson of the unfaithful steward would certainly apply to Judas. “His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant … . Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. … And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:26, 28, 30).
In order to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us, we must learn to view money from God’s perspective. We tend to view money as our possession and assume we have the right to decide how it will be spent. We also tend to view money as a means of security for the future, storing up as much as possible since we do not know what will happen to us in coming years.
The result of this human perspective is that we make money our god, because we expect from money what only God can give us, including happiness, security, freedom from fears, and peace of mind. When we build our lives around money, we reveal that we are guilty of the love of money, which is the root of all evil, bringing with it grief, temptations, and disillusionment.
However, God views all money as His possession. “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4). He even blesses the ungodly in that He “… maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
God created all true wealth and has given us the ability to acquire a certain amount of it. He sees money as a trust that He gives to each individual as a steward of what belongs to Him. When He instructs us to give a portion of “our” money to the government, we need to be obedient to do so. Money is not to be hoarded or squandered but wisely invested in order to bring increase that glorifies God and fulfills His purposes in the world.
This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 6, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.