by Ricky Doc Sauceda
Over the period of time that I have had the pleasure of having faithful friends of the Lord on facebook, the issue of wealth has been a hot topic. There are those of us who promote the Lord's instructions on the matter and there are those of us who interpret other meanings into having bountiful blessings from the Lord. The scripture points to both and this causes a dilemma for us followers. Which approach is the right one?
Examine the offering that Joseph and Mary gave when Jesus was presented for consecration to the Lord. According to the Laws of Moses, every first born male was to be circumcised:
Luke 2:22-24 - When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
This type of sacrifice offered by the parents of Jesus is one for the poor to offer. The reference of this can be found in the following verse:
Leviticus 5:7 - "'If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for his sin--one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
So, you can plainly see that the environment of our Lord Jesus Christ is of poor and humble means. He was born into a home of basic means and not wealth and prominence. He was born in a manger as a sign to all of mankind that would be referenced in the now famous verse:
Mark 9:35 - Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
Jesus was referring to himself...he served all of man by paying the penalty of death for all sins. He will be our ruler in the new heaven and new earth:
2 Timothy 4:1 - In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge...
We see references in scripture of how to build heavenly wealth and not earthly wealth. We are warned that worldliness can lead to being lost to the eternal glory of God's kingdom. This is because we will not see the Lord in our lives of wealth and self supply. We will not develop a relationship with the Lord if we have everything in abundance. We will be lost in our own self pleasures and not regard the Lord in our daily life. This can also happen if we are blessed by the Lord...we will forget Him because of our comfort.
It is possible to serve the Lord and have wealth, but it takes discipline and a strong desire to do it. Like the story of Zacchaeus:
Luke 19:1-10
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
So, while it is possible to have wealth and be godly, it is difficult for many. The point is it is possible. But, God desires us to be obedient to him and to love him. So, we are instructed to do the following:
Matthew 6:20 - But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
The fact is Jesus was a man of simple means and was the most influential man to walk this earth. He didn't need wealth to accomplish his goals and he was the utmost example of purity and morality. He loved and did not condemn but openly healed and shared encouragement to show how great God is to his children.
Luke 10:27 - 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'