Nick Solly Megoran

The recent turmoil in the world's banking industry and financial markets, and the glum economic news about a forthcoming recession, reminded me of a wry old Cold War-era Polish anecdote.

Luka tells his friend, Katia, that he has placed his life-savings, US $10,000, under his mattress. Katia, aghast at this revelation, warns him to deposit it in a bank for safe keeping. 'What if the bank collapses?', asks Luka. 'The government will bail it out', reassures Katia. 'And if the government collapses?', queries Luka. 'Then the IMF will bail it out', replies Katia. 'Suppose the IMF collapses?', persists Luka. 'In that case, America will bail it out', says Katia, impatiently. 'And if America collapses?', retorts Luka triumphantly. Katia pauses, and then asks - 'Wouldn't that be worth $10,000?!'

The Cold War is long gone, but anxiety about whether any investment can be safe is painfully relevant to us today. Steep falls in share prices have lost investors vast amounts of money, whilst threatening pension funds. Those who thought that houses preserved them from the vagaries of the stock exchange have seen the value of their properties slump. High-street banks, once seen as safe and conservative places to invest savings, have tottered like ninepins. Recent events have exposed the myth that there is any risk-free way to preserve wealth.

Can we find any guidance here in the Bible, even though it was written centuries before the emergence of a global system with its complicated financial instruments? Jesus spoke more about money and its use than most other topics. He warned his followers in his famous 'Sermon on the Mount', 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal' (Matthew 5: 19). A modern translation might be 'where stock markets crash, property prices slump, and banks go bankrupt'.

How are we to make our money safe instead? Jesus continued, 'but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal' (v.20).

That sounds splendid, but how do we do it? The consistent answer in the Bible is perhaps surprising - give it away! 'The person who has two coats must share with the one who has none' (Luke 3:11) - not store up a supply for the future while the poor go needy in the present. 'Give to whoever asks you', teaches Jesus (Matthew 5: 42).

But if we do this, will we have enough, what happens on the proverbial 'rainy day'? 'Don't worry', continues Jesus, 'your heavenly father who clothes the grass of the field and feeds the sparrows' - that is, who is lord over and cares for the smallest parts of creation - 'will look after you too' (Matthew 6: 26-30). Simply 'seek first the things of God, and his justice, and all these other things will be given to you as well' (v.33).

At the heart of Biblical wisdom on wealth is the truth that all we possess is God's, and we are to honour him by giving excess to our basic needs to the poor, confident in his promise to care for us in turn. All that Christians possess, 'either in lands or in money, is the inheritance of the poor', wrote Reformer John Calvin. In thanking the Philippian church for a financial gift he knew they could scarcely afford, Paul assured them that 'my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ' (Phil 4: 10,19).

This Biblical teaching is open to misinterpretation. We are to be good stewards of God's money, ensuring it is given away wisely and used to provide the essentials for those in our care. But it is not only the rash, but also the unscrupulous, who misuse this teaching. Thus, it is said that in response to a 1980s US tele-evangelist who urged his viewers to 'Send me $20 and God will give you $100', an irate woman phoned up and retorted, 'You send me $20 and God will give you $100!' Although probably apocryphal, the story illustrates an important point. This teaching is not a failsafe formula for human calculation, the equivalent of some divine cash machine which always delivers if you learn the right buttons to punch. Rather, it is about a faithful relationship to the living God, demanding the exercise of wisdom whilst stepping out in faith.

Does that sound like too great a risk for us to take? 'He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him', promises Proverbs 19:17. It is a risk - faith is always risky. But which is more secure, the western banking system, or the Maker of the universe? I know to whom I'd rather lend my money.