|
Wednesday, May 16 2018
Contributor: Leye Olayiwola Introduction: In last week’s study, we looked deeply into who Jesus really was and still Is. He is the image of the invisible God (Col.1:15); the Creator of the Universe (Col.1:16-17) and the Head of the Body and the Church (Col.1:18). Knowing who our Lord and Saviour was and is still is, the next critical question therefore is was He Rich or Poor? We will be looking at the scriptures for truths about His status.
“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” [Luke 9:58] Jesus answer to the person who approached Him in the verse above implies that He doesn’t know where He will be sleeping that night—think it over!” “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” [2 Corinthians 8:9] A missionary once said Jesus was poor (and we should be also) because of 2 Corinthians 8:9. But if Jesus became physically poor does this mean you and I will become physically rich? Jesus “became poor” compared to the “riches” He enjoyed in the Godhead. “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn”. [Luke 2:6-7] He was born in an animal stable or cave of parents with humble means. His father was a carpenter/stone mason. But note that the bible records that He was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. Not because they couldn’t afford an inn to born Him in. Just my thought. “As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.” [Matthew 27:57-60] He was buried in a borrowed tomb (Matthew 27:57-60—recorded in all four gospels). Could this be divine provision? It was not recorded in scriptures that this tomb had to be paid for. Just my thought again. “And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali.” [Matthew 4:13] There is no record of Jesus owning property except possibly a house in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13, “settled in Capernaum” could imply home ownership.
He had cash flow. In John 4:8 the disciples went into town to “buy food.” “For His disciples had gone off into the city to buy food” [John 4:8] Jesus and the Twelve had a “money box” to buy food or give to the poor. Read John 12:5-6 and John 13:27-29] Jesus and the disciples were financially supported by women who had been healed by Jesus. Six to eight are named in the crucifixion accounts, but Luke 8:3 says “many others” also contributed. “Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi’s disciples].” [Luke 8:1-3] The Roman soldiers at the crucifixion would not tear his seamlessly woven robe but cast lots for it—implying the robe was of high quality. “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer clothes and made four parts, a part for each soldier, and also the tunic. But the [j]tunic was seamless, woven [in one piece] from the top throughout. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it will be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture, “They divided My outer clothing among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”
Let's go back to our original question. Was Jesus rich or poor? The Bible addresses this issue in detail and offers a clear and compelling answer. Luke 22:35 Based on all the verses we have examined, do you think Jesus fits the definition of the word "poor"? In other words, do you think Jesus was indigent, impoverished, needy, wanting in material goods, destitute, feeble, dejected, worthy of pity or sympathy, inferior, pitiful, second-class, second-rate, lacking, or insufficient? On the other hand, consider the definition of the word" prosperous"—marked by success or economic well-being, enjoying vigorous and healthy growth, flourishing, successful, robust, progressing, favorable. Which definition best describes the biblical Jesus? Let's review the information about Jesus we discovered in God's Word:
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” [Matthew 2:11]
The Bible indicates that Jesus' ministry assisted the poor financially on a regular basis.
The testimony of Jesus' own disciples at the end of His earthly ministry was that they never lacked anything. Conclusion: Jesus had generous resources to accomplish the calling God gave Him. His lifestyle did not detract attention from His teaching. The Bible teachers of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees, had a reputation for being “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14). That accusation was never made of Jesus—yet he frequently challenged his listeners about money! Scriptural facts are compelling proof that Jesus was not poor, but was a prosperous man. This is not suggesting that He lived a lavish or extravagant lifestyle—that would not have been practical for Him. But Jesus had His needs met during His life on earth, and He was able to do what God asked Him to do. Jesus' prosperity should not surprise us. The Old Covenant promised prosperity to those who walked in the will of God (Deuteronomy 29:9; Joshua 1:7; 1 Kings 2:3; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 2Chronicles 20:20 and 26:5; Job 36:11; Nehemiah 1:11, and Psalm1:1-3). Do you think that Jesus met the qualification of walking in God's will? Of course, He did. He declared in John 6:38, "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." Do you think that the Father kept His Word and blessed Jesus because He walked in the Father's will? Absolutely! Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that he should lie . . . hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Jesus was not poor. He walked in prosperity according to the Abrahamic Covenant. Part of this teaching was taken from “THE MIDAS TOUCH” by Kenneth E. Hagin |