Hoarded Wealthy Archives - Renewed Heart Ministries

The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Herb Montgomery

We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support.

We deeply appreciate you.

If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”

Image created by Canva

The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth

Herb Montgomery | August 1, 2025

If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:

Our reading this week is from the gospel of Luke:

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21)

In this passage, social location matters. Inheritance was an argument for the wealthy elites, and in Jesus’ time there was no middle class. There were wealthy elites and the poor. And in the gospel stories, Jesus emerged in Galilee as a prophet of the poor.

Consider how each synoptic gospel connects Jesus not to the wealthy but to the poor.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor . . . (Mark 10:21)

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. (Mark 12:43)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Matthew 11:5)

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor . . . (Matthew 19:21)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor (Luke 4:18)

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20)

So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Luke 7:22)

But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:41)

Sell your possessions and give to the poor (Luke 12:33)

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor (Luke 14:13)

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor (Luke 18:22)

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor . . . Today salvation has come to this house (Luke 19:8-9)

He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. (Luke 21:2-3)

These texts place Jesus on the side of the poor. Jesus, as a prophet of the poor, tells a story about the meaninglessness of hoarding wealth. To what end was all this man’s wealth hoarded? James Robertson, commenting on Jesus’ teaching of wealth redistribution and resource sharing, writes:

“The human dilemma is, in large part, that we are each other’s fate. We become the tool of evil that ruins another person as we look out for ourselves, having long abandoned any youthful idealism we might once have cherished. But if we each would cease and desist from pushing the other down to keep ourselves up, then the vicious cycle would be broken. Society would become mutually supportive rather than self-destructive. This is what Jesus was up to. Jesus’ message was simple, for he wanted to cut straight through to the point: trust God to look out for you by providing people who will care for you, and listen to him when he calls on you to provide for them. God is somebody you can trust, so give it a try.” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition Loc. 58)

Robinson continues:

“Put in language derived from his sayings: I am hungry because you hoard food. You are cold because I hoard clothing. Our dilemma is that we all hoard supplies in our backpacks and put our trust in our wallets! Such ‘security’ should be replaced by God reigning, which means both what I trust God to do (to activate you to share food with me) and what I hear God telling me to do (to share clothes with you). We should not carry money while bypassing the poor or wear a backpack with extra clothes and food while ignoring the cold and hungry lying in the gutter. This is why the beggars, the hungry, the depressed are fortunate: God, that is, those in whom God rules, those who hearken to God, will care for them. The needy are called upon to trust that God’s reigning is there for them (‘Theirs is the kingdom of God”’).” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition. Loc 71)

These words give us much to think about. Robinson evaluates Jesus’ teachings by what happens in the early church when Christians tried to put them into practice. Notice the result: “There were no needy persons among them.” The early Jesus movement had accomplished the goal of these ancient stories: they eliminated poverty in their midst.

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

Over and over again in the gospels, Jesus places hoarding one’s wealth in tension with sharing it with others:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

Being “rich toward God” doesn’t mean giving all your money to religious institutions. It means using your means to mitigate the suffering of the others with whom we share this world as our home. We live in a system today that creates both wealth and poverty. As that economic system continues, the gap between the two classes continues to expand. Wealth, when viewed through the lens of compassion and responsibility, can be very powerfully shared for advancing human dignity and well-being. In a world where inequality continues to deepen and many struggle to meet basic needs, those who have access to financial resources are uniquely called to be agents of healing and justice. Using wealth to help others is not just an act of charity—it is a moral imperative that affirms our shared humanity.

At its best, wealth can serve as a bridge between abundance and need. It can fund education for children who might otherwise go without schooling, provide clean water for communities where it is scarce, support healthcare systems, build affordable housing, and sustain efforts to address climate change and systemic poverty. These are not merely abstract goals; they represent real lives changed, futures made possible, and hope restored.

And using wealth for the good of others requires more than good intentions—it also calls for intentionality, humility, and equity. True generosity listens before it gives. It involves understanding the needs of communities rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions. It resists the temptation to give in ways that perpetuate or preserve power imbalances. Instead, it seeks to empower, to lift up, and to restore dignity.

Faith traditions, moral philosophies, and humanitarian values all speak to the sacred responsibility that comes with wealth. Jesus taught that to love one’s neighbor means to meet their needs—not out of guilt, or duty, but out of genuine care. The Hebrew prophets cried out for justice, not just charity. Across cultures, the wise and ethical have consistently called upon those with means to see their wealth not as an end in itself, but as a resource for the greater good.

In practical terms, this might mean supporting local organizations doing transformative work, investing in sustainable enterprises that uplift communities, or simply being present and generous in the lives of neighbors, friends, and strangers. It also includes advocating for fairer systems that redistribute opportunity and reduce barriers.

In the end, wealth is not measured by how much we can accumulate, but by how much good it enables in our lives and others’. This is what it may mean to be rich toward God. It means being rich toward our fellow humans. When we use what we have to love, to serve, and to repair the world around us, we step into a deeper purpose—one that honors both the giver and the receiver.

Discussion Group Questions

1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.

2. What would sharing wealth rather than hoarding wealth look like in our society today? Share and discuss with your group.

3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?

Thanks for checking in with us, today.

I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.

My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.

As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.

Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.

You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.

Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.

And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.

Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.

I love each of you dearly,

I’ll see you next week.

New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!

Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice

Season 3, Episode 22: Luke 12.13-21. Lectionary C, Proper 13

The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth

Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.

If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.

New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.

This week:

Season 2 Episode 31: The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth

Luke 12:13-21

“Faith traditions, moral philosophies, and humanitarian values all speak to the sacred responsibility that comes with wealth. Jesus taught that to love one’s neighbor means to meet their needs—not out of guilt, or duty, but out of genuine care. The Hebrew prophets cried out for justice, not just charity. Across cultures, the wise and ethical have consistently called upon those with means to see their wealth not as an end in itself, but as a resource for the greater good. In the end, wealth, especially gained in an economic system such as our present one, is not measured by how much we can accumulate, but by how much good it enables in our lives and others’. This is what it may mean to be rich toward God. It means being rich toward our fellow humans. When we use what we have to love, to serve, and to repair the world around us, we step into a deeper purpose—one that honors both the giver and the receiver.”

Available on all major podcast carriers and at:

https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-moral-dilemma-and-challenge-of-wealth

Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.

by Herb Montgomery

Available now on Amazon!

In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.

Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.

Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?

Free Sign Up Here