I.
Special Challenges Facing the Rich
A.
Overview of the Dangers
The pursuit or possession of wealth poses at least five
special challenges: (i) it warps men’s priorities, causing them to pursue
treasures on earth that are transitory, rather than to pursue treasures in
heaven; (ii) it pulls men away from God; (iii) it changes men’s hearts, filling
them with greed, covetousness and envy; (iv) it seduces men into employing
unrighteous means to obtain wealth; and (v) it poisons their relationships with
others, because they come to see themselves as being “better than others.” Of all of the possible idols men may
worship, money is uniquely corrupting.[1] Given countless pitfalls into which the
wealthy may fall, it is not surprising that the scriptures are so hard on the
“rich,” containing warning after warning about the ever present risks to which
they are subject.
B.
Uniqueness of Money
Even if we don’t know why, most of us understand that
“money” is somehow unique, differing from any of the other “pursuits,” such as
power, prestige, knowledge, fame, control, or dominion, that men might
pursue. Its uniqueness stems from these
three characteristics: (i) money is a “means” for obtaining other tangible and
intangible things that we deem valuable; money does not have value in and of
itself, except to those who become obsessed with its mere possession; (ii)
money is the most “liquid” of intangible properties. In that it can be readily
exchanged for other currencies and for other forms of property; and (iii) money
is readily “portable”—it can be carried from place to place and, subject to
applicable legal restrictions, can be freely moved from country to
country.
For example, money does not “represent” learning or
knowledge, but it can be readily used to acquire assets that help one acquire
learning or knowledge. With money, one
can hire special tutors, afford to go to elite private schools, enroll in
ongoing education programs, purchase educational materials, purchase computers,
travel extensively, participate in special learning programs, build up personal
libraries, and get access to various enrichment programs. Using the resources acquired, and assuming
some personal initiative and skills, individuals can learn much about the
world. In like fashion, money, while
not “pleasure” itself, can be used to purchase many of the things we associate
with pleasure: expensive ski or summer vacations; toys such as boats, yachts,
planes, vehicles; going on safaris; and, travelling the world. Money can be in like fashion used to acquire
assets useful in getting prestige, exercising power over others, developing and
enjoying artistic skills and aesthetics.
Of course, in every case, money itself is “not” enough,” but it is a
facilitator, and, when coupled with individual skills and initiative, can be
readily converted into learning, knowledge, artistic skills, powerful positions
in business and the community, etc. It
is because of this high correlation between money and these other
commonly-recognized aims that “money” is so highly prized.
Money itself is morally neutral in that it can be used to
further either morally positive or negative goals.
C.
Who are the rich?
Few think of themselves as wealthy, but most know someone
who they think might qualify.[2] So when they read scriptures talking about
the challenges facing the “wealthy,” or the “rich,” or those blessed with great
abundance, they do not think of those scriptures as applying to themselves, but
instead to others. Whatever harsh
things might be said of the “rich” are the worries of others and not their
worries. Yet, most of us are “rich,” at
least in the sense that we have more than we need to cover the basic
necessities of life for ourselves and families; and many, if honest, would
acknowledge that they constantly allow a creeping lifestyle to eat away the
excess they might otherwise have to help the poor.[3] If, for the moment, we were to regard
ourselves as being among the “rich,” many may feel quite uncomfortable as to
their standing before God, worrying if they done enough to help others. Time devoted to earning more, and monies
spent in buying more and more for themselves, could well be redeployed to help
others whose needs were far more pressing than their own.
D.
Sources of Wealth
Wealth or riches may come to us in one of four way: riches
may be: (i) inherited, passing from one person to another; (ii) acquired
through “dumb” luck (such as finding oil on one’s property); (iii) acquired by
those who make a conscientious effort to amass wealth; or (iv) obtained
incidentally as a by-product of pursuing some other objective. An example of the latter category would be those
who have an exceptional talent, such as art or music, and who become wealthy simply
as a by-product of developing that talent. What is
the relevance of how one obtains wealth? Different temptations face those who amass their
own wealthy and those who are among the second and third generation wealthy.
E.
The Story of the Young Rich Man
Among the famous stories of the New Testament is the account
of the young rich man who comes to Jesus and asks: “Good Master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life.”[5] Christ answers, saying “…but if thou wilt
enter into life, keep the commandments,”[6] then specifically identifying
several of the Ten Commandments by way of illustration. The young rich man replies, saying: “All these things have I kept from my youth
up: what lack I yet?”[7] There is nothing in the account that would
lead us to believe that the young rich man was not sincere or that he did not
answer Jesus’ questions honestly. One
might, however, wonder what prompted him to think there might be something
“lacking” in his conduct. In any event,
Jesus then gives his famous reply: “If
thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, and follow me.”[8] In his reply we see both a request—to
dispose of his goods for the benefit of the poor—and an invitation—to come and
follow Jesus as one of his disciples.
“But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for
he had great possessions. Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven. And
again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”[9] [10]
The last verse in that chapter of Matthew comes back to the
same theme, saying “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall
be first,”[11]
a somber reminder that those most blessed or honored in this life may find
themselves last in the next world, and that the most poor and humble in this
life may find themselves first in the next world.
Several things may be unexpected in Jesus’ comments. First, the young man seems to have been held
to an extremely high standard—how many—wealthy or not--would be prepared to do
as the young man was asked—to dispose of all they have and follow Jesus. The young man was sincere and righteous,
though not yet ready to take the next step of total discipleship. He was not dissolute, uncaring, blind to
the spirit; to the contrary, he seems to have been “righteous,” obeying
scrupulously the terms of the Mosaic law, including the commandment of loving
his neighbor as himself, though not a righteous as he thought himself to be—few
men are.
Initially, we are led to think the story is primarily about
“discipleship”—not a new theme;[12] disciples must be
prepared to leave everything behind, putting the kingdom of God first, to
establish God’s righteousness.
“Discipleship” in this sense is more than most are required to do. Yes, it is required of the twelve apostles,
and others with special assignments, but it was not generally required of all
who believed in Jesus. For sure, the
young rich man is not prepared to do as the 12 apostles have done—why, because
he is too wed to his possessions.
Family ties, business interests, comfort, friends and even possessions
must be sacrificed on the altar of discipleship. Surely this is one of the major themes of
the story—were it not, Peter would not have said: “…Behold, we have forsaken
all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”[13] But then the account takes an abrupt, and
unexpected, turn—in that Jesus seems to make a general indictment of the
“wealthy,” saying twice, in emphatic terms, that the rich will find it
difficult to have eternal life. This
account is not the only time in the New Testament that the wealthy are taken to
task.[14]
The account of the young rich man raises a number of
questions about both “discipleship” and “wealth.” Is the account really more about
“discipleship”—a willingness to sacrifice all to be a faithful disciple—than it
is a general indictment of the dangers of wealth? Should the statements about wealth be
qualified in that way? Is wealth per se
evil? Is the pursuit of wealth per se
evil? Why is the possession or pursuit
of wealth dangerous to the spiritual well-being of man? What must the wealthy be prepared to do with
their wealth in order to be pleasing unto God?
Is there any way one can be “righteous” and at the same time retain
one’s wealth? If so, in what ways may
one “righteously” retain wealth, without offending God? Does the requirement of helping the poor and
needy impose an affirmative obligation upon the wealthy to dispose, in a
prudent and orderly fashion, all of their excess to provide for the poor and
needy?
Many may think discussions of the “rich” really have nothing
whatsoever to do with them. There are
a number of reasons why this perspective is flawed, at least as it relates to
almost everyone in the United States and most first-world countries. Virtually everyone becomes involved in the
“pursuit” of wealth, whether or not they ultimately become “wealthy.” Many inherit substantial sums of money,
later in life, beyond the amounts needed for basic necessities. If wealth is thought of as having more than
one needs for “basic necessities,” most people in the first-world countries, at
some stage in their lives, are surely wealthy, and Malawians certainly view
them in that way. Two car families are
not unusual in the United States; but owning two cars is almost unheard of in
Malawi.
[1]
See the discussion under “Uniqueness of Money.”
[2] Most are probably quick to
say that they know the difference between the rich and others, and they are not
“rich.” The rich are those that don’t
need to worry about “money;” they have
enough to do pretty much whatever they want to do, without counting the costs,
or worrying about bank account balances, or needing to budget. Wealth is usually thought of in terms of
large, expensive homes, penthouses, villas, mansions, and estates; multiple
high performance cars and SUVs; designer clothes and fabulous wardrobes;
extensive travel, luxurious vacations, high-end hotels; second homes in exotic
locations; yachts, private planes, vintage cars, and art or other collections;
extensive property holdings; and the like.
[3] See the discussion below about
having “excess” available to give.
[4]
In Malawi, where the average annual income is less than $800 US dollars,
virtually every American qualifies as “wealthy,” meaning that they have far
more disposable income than they need to cover the basic necessities of life. Moroever, if only a small fraction of that
extra income were redirected to a Malawian family, it could make an enormous
difference in the quality of that family’s life.
[5]
See Matt: 19: 16-25.
[6]
Supra, at 17.
[7]
Supra, at 20.
[8]
Supra, at 21.
[9]
Supra, at 22-24.
[10]
The reference to the “eye of a needle” might have been to a small door, fixed in
a gate, opened at night to allow travelers to pass into the city within opening
the main gate. A camel might, with difficulty, pass through the
small door, but only after shedding its load (in short, ridding itself of unnecessary
baggage).
[11]
Matt: 19: 30.
[12]
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that
loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
Matt. 10: 37-38.
[13]
Matt: 19: 27.
[14]
See, for example, the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus.
No comments:
Post a Comment