Quite a few years back, I found myself sitting in the car with my wife with tears in my eyes as I confessed I felt Christianity was pointless. I remember telling her that it didn’t make sense to me anymore when my life wasn’t any better off.
The false-narrative I came to terms with that day was thinking that following Jesus would lead to Prosperity.
But does Jesus promise Prosperity?
While there are some bits of the Bible that suggest Prosperity for the faithful, the larger themes and later narratives point somewhere else.
In the parable of the coins, think about what the master celebrates and what the servants earn. When the servants honor the master’s desire, they are put in charge of more. They are given more responsibility and leadership.
Not more wealth. Not an easier life.
More work.
That doesn’t quite sound like Prosperity to me.
But what else happens? When the expectations of their service grows, there is joy.
The Gospel of Matthew's version of this parable describes this as enjoying or entering the presence of their master.
Jesus is showing us how life works. How our relationship with him is experienced.
We all receive a "coin". Some call it salvation. For others, it’s called grace. If nothing else, the gift—or coin—is our existence. Regardless we all have been given an equal opportunity to work with what we have.
You won’t find Jesus offering a guarantee for an easy life. He doesn’t promise riches. And he certainly doesn’t promise that life will always make sense.
What you do find is a Master that rejoices with you when you choose to engage with the gift of your existence.