Yesterday, we briefly considered the account of Jesus telling the Rich Young Ruler to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.
Does this tell us anything about how God views money?
Jesus probably isn’t so concerned with the wealth the rich young ruler had, and He probably isn’t overly concerned about the buildings that churches own. His primary concern is with how these possessions are viewed, and what we do with what we have, especially for those who do not have as much. Jesus wanted to challenge the whole way of thinking which says, “Those who have more are loved more; and those who have less are loved less.”
Could it be that God has given some people more than others, not so that they can feel extra special, or become puffed up about how great of people they are in God’s eyes, or how wonderful their ministries are for the advancement of the Kingdom of God, but so that those to whom God has given more can use what they have to bless others who have been given less, and in so doing, be blessed in other ways in return?
Could it be that wealth distribution has nothing to do with righteousness, morality, and God’s blessing, and has everything to do with God’s plan to make a people of God for Himself where everybody works together and provides for one another in a vast array of interconnected friendships and mutually dependent relationships? For the physically poor often have spiritual, emotional, and relational wealth which those who are physically rich know nothing about.
When the rich give to the poor, they soon discover that the poor give more back to them. Not in the form of wealth and prosperity, but in the form of joy, peace, and fulfillment. So those who are rich should seek to distribute some of their wealth to the poor, for this is how God planned it.
If this is beginning to sound suspiciously like the redistribution of wealth, that’s because it is. However, redistribute of wealth was God’s idea first, and when governments try to accomplish it, they always fail. Wealth redistribution must be done God’s way or not at all.
We will look at the topic of wealth redistribution tomorrow for the synchroblog. If you are a blogger, make sure you join us!
Jesus may not be overly concerned about the buildings the church owns. However, however, something is terribly out of balance when the church has spent billions on large buildings, many of which are very under-utilized, while just down the street people are sleeping on cardboard on the sidewalk.
My friend who was on the church board of a local church told me about their deliberations to borrow over a million dollars to build a gymnasium for their teens and young men “to give them something to do”. Helping the poor never even crossed their minds.
I frequently hear church people say that people are poor and homeless because that’s what they have chosen. That may be the case in some instances, but usually is not. At one time, many of these people would have been institutionalized (many because of mental illness). However, certain politicians chose to close the institutions to free up money for the the war industry, among other things.
Should Jesus come and spend a few days on earth, and one of us handed him $100,000 in cash, which of us really think He would give it to help pay for another church building? Even those people who have a Scripture verse for everything can’t find a verse where Jesus tells us to build church buildings. But He did have lots of things to say about the poor, and none of them told us to ignore the poor.
Sam,
These are all great points.
You are right that Jesus probably doesn’t think much about spending millions (and billions) on church buildings when people down the street are living in cardboard boxes.
And yes, there is no way if someone handed Jesus $100,000, that He put it toward another church building.
Thanks!
Yes money can be used as a tool to bless others. The bible teaches us that to whim is given more, more is expected. Sadly, this is not a common theme. And you are right to say that the government will never get it right, nor do I think they have the right to do it.
Encouraging Thoughts for Life
Derrick,
Thanks for the comment! Money is a tool to bless others.
We have to have money to live; bottom line. We cannot have anything without money. I think this struggle in the bible was among the people at the time because they were being heavily taxed and society was not balanced at all. BUT why should I support some thug that doesn’t work while I get up early and get my ass to work and work like a dog. NO WAY> and giving up all of our stuff does not get us a ticket to Heaven Sorry on this one. I a Christian but I don’t think in Christian terms of this world because it is terribly unbalanced and makes you feel bad about making money or even having intelligence. A lot of it is just stupid to me. I am not paying for some homeless person. I will help people now but they are not getting all of my goods. There simply is no living without money and someone is not going to give it to you.
MONEY is not a tool. It is a necessity! You will not have anything without it no matter what the bible says!!!!!! It is not to bless others. It is to get the things we need. If we have something left over then we can bless someone else. I,however, am not in that position. There are other ways to be nice to someone and most of the time people don’t really need it. People should support themselves and not be given a free ride. One church I went to kept a list of people who came there to get money to pay their bills. REALLY??????? How about me? I wouldn’t dream of it. I am intelligent and go to work like I should. The bible is a big power play no matter how you look at it. Ever tried to live without freaking money? I feel like it is a crime to even be intelligent. I swear. I hate religion.