Jesus’ attitude on Wealth, Humility, and Salvation
Jesus’ position regarding wealth and poverty is very different from how society views them. This is because the latter holds wealth in such high esteem that a person’s wealth can actually define his or her worth as a human being, while Jesus seems to place higher significance on humility rather than his or her riches. In this regard, the Bible is replete with examples wherein Jesus actually teaches rich men to abandon their worldly riches in order to attain eternal life, and that it is easier for the poor to gain salvation. This argument will be discussed and evaluated using several passages from the Book of Luke and one from the Book of Mark, of the New Testament. These passages will confirm how Jesus warns on the importance of being humble and the eventuality that those who suffer will be comforted in eternal life. In this respect, this paper will argue that Jesus desires every person not to be overwhelmed with their wealth and to be aware that faith and especially humility, are His standards in assessing a person’s chances of gaining entry into His heavenly kingdom.
Luke chapter 19 verses 1-10 tell of Zacchaeus’, a tax collector, ardent desire to see Jesus as He passes through his district. Due to shortness in height, Zacchaeus decided to climb a sycamore tree in order to view Jesus, which eventually resulted to Jesus extending an invitation whether He can spend the night at Zacchaeus’ home. Here, it must be noted that tax collectors during that era had been regarded as sinful individuals who steal money by overpricing the taxes imposed by emperors, thus it came as a surprise that Jesus opted to stay at his house. However, the lines spoken by Zacchaeus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybodyI will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8) suggest that Zacchaeus is willing to forego with his wealth and give them to the poor as a way to gain salvation, which Jesus had granted that very same evening. Hence, Jesus was impressed because Zacchaeus was willing to sacrifice what he considered as “the dearest of all possible possessions” (Hellerman, 2000, p. 3), which is his wealth. As such, Jesus in these verses in Luke is teaching Christians that accumulating money is not integral in gaining eternal life.
The same is true in the case of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke chapter 16, verse 19. Here, it must be noted that these words have been spoken directly by Jesus, and that He presented this not as a parable but an actual event in the after-life. Moreover, the line that states, “and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:21) implies that the rich man had been arrogant and proud when he was still living, due to his failure to share some of his blessings with a poor man sprawled on his gate. This is also implied in the words of Abraham, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25). Consequently, this same tenet on riches and humility can also be seen in another chapter of Luke, whereby it states, “Blessed are you who are poorBlessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfiedBut woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” (Luke 6:20-24). Here, Jesus’ attitude towards wealth seems to contradict with the social belief or “wisdom which sees in wealth a sign of God’s favor” (Hellerman, 2000, p. 3), because Jesus’ attitude towards earthly wealth seems to be a bane rather than being an added blessing.
Wealth as a nuisance towards achieving salvation is once again narrated in Mark, chapter 10. Here, a rich man who openly proposes to be a law-abiding and a just individual since childhood, albeit very wealthy, discovers that his richness is the very same aspect that prevents him from attaining salvation. This is expressed in the lines, “One thing you lackGo, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Mark 10: 21). However, it is also observable that there is a seeming difference of standards used by Jesus here as compared with Zacchaeus, as discussed in earlier paragraphs, so much so that it was enough for Zacchaeus to share a good portion of his wealth, while the rich man in Mark was instructed to forego with all his wealth. Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh explain this difference when they assert that “Jesus makes two demands on the ‘greedy’ young man: to sell what he owns and to follow JesusAnd to follow Jesus means tobreak away from kinship unit, a sacrifice beyond measure” (Hellerman, 2000, p. 8). In addition, it must be noted that the young man’s following the Commandments does not require him to sacrifice beyond his comfort zone, so to speak, while Zacchaeus’ decision to part with half of his entire wealth and to repay four-fold his trespasses are indicative of humility; in knowing that he had sinned and is willing to correct these at all costs.
Jesus’ attitude towards wealth, based on Biblical evidences, is one which regards it as a hindrance towards eternal life. Other than experiencing a mortal life of content, Jesus also warns on the penchant for rich people to feel proud, as opposed to the poor peoples’ constant awareness of a need for Jesus’ grace and to be humble due to of their life situation. Hence, it can be emphasized that wealth per se is not a defining aspect for eternal damnation, but it is the failure to develop a sense of humility in accepting that he or she is never sufficient to attain eternal life, and that it is only through Jesus that this can be achieved. [996 / 1,000 Words]
References
Hellerman, J.H. (2000). Wealth and sacrifice in early Christianity: Revisiting Mark’s presentation of Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. Trinity Journal: 1-16. Retrieved from <http://apollos.ws/mark/Revisiting%20Mark's%20Presentation%20of%20Jesus'%20Encounter%20with%20the%20Rich%20Young%20Ruler.pdf>
Luke 6: 20-26. The Holy Bible. Retrieved from <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206:20-26>
Luke 16: 19-31. The Holy Bible. Retrieved from <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16:19-31>
Luke 19: 1-10. The Holy Bible. Retrieved from <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2019%3A1-10>
Mark 10: 17-31. The Holy Bible. Retrieved from <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:17-31>
