By Doug Rhind

What did Jesus talk about the most? Wait! It might not be the answer that first came to your mind. If you’re like me, you might have immediately thought the answer must be money. People teach that it was money and there are plenty of articles that state that it was money. And personally, when I read the Bible, Jesus does talk a lot about money. Money is a great answer, but it’s not the right answer.

When we read through the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) and carefully evaluate the context of Jesus’ teaching, the topic that Jesus spoke most about becomes abundantly clear— The Kingdom of God! Jesus primarily taught about God and His kingdom.

Now here is where the issue of money comes into focus. Jesus spoke often, in fact, very often about money, but in doing so, he was using the money to illustrate a truth or principle of God’s kingdom. For Jesus, money was a readily identifiable connection with his audience, as it still is today. Jesus identified the power, the influence, the control, the desire, the fear that is commonly associated with money and he taught people to shift their basis of dependence from trust in material resources to trust in a Heavenly Father who answers the prayer, “Give us today our daily bread.”

Does Jesus really care about how we use our money? Absolutely. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT) Jesus wants us to discover the grace, joy and generosity that comes from a heart fully surrendered to God. Money is a matter of the heart!