I wrote this several years ago…

ChaChing!

“How To Be a Millionaire,
God’s Way”

Sound like something you’d be interested in?

Yesterday I was watching the Trinity Broadcasting Network as a program with the above title came on the air. Paula White was talking with a very astute looking pastor and they opened the discussion by answering the question: Was Jesus poor? It went something like this….

Paula- “Now, a lot of people believe that Jesus was poor…”

Pastor- (Gets a bitter beer face and shakes his head.) “No, that’s wrong. You see Jesus was a descendent of Solomon, the richest man in all the world. Now, we don’t know how much trickled down to Jesus by that time, but…”

At this point I got a bitter beer face and changed the channel. First of all Solomon had 700 wives and innumerable descendants. Secondly, the wealthy king lived over a thousand years before Jesus was born (in a stable not a palace). It is absolutely incredible the lengths these people will go to in order to justify their greed. Yes, GREED. I noticed that Paula White was also a featured speaker at a recent Get Rich Quick conference alongside Donald Trump and other notables who want your money so they can get rich.

What does the Bible really say? Was Jesus rich? Does God want all of his children to have fabulous wealth?

Let’s start with the place Jesus was born. That’s right it was a stable. Even if all of the commercial accommodations were spoken for, with all of the poverty in a small town like Bethlehem if Joseph and Mary were wealthy don’t you think that they would have been able to pay someone to let them stay at a real house? However, God wanted his son to identify with the poorest of the poor, so the Son of God was born in a feeding trough, and poor shepherds were the first to worship him. Granted, the astrologers who came to visit a year or so later were wealthy and gave kingly gifts, but these were likely used for many years to support the poor family of Jesus.

Next, what did Jesus do before He became an itinerant preacher? He was a carpenter, right? That was only a part of what he (and his “step-father” Joseph) did for a living. The word typically translated “carpenter” (from Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55) has a much broader meaning. In addition to working with wood it also referred to stone masons and other laborers. It is very probable that Joseph and Jesus and his brothers (like James, the author of the New Testament epistle of the same name) were skilled laborers. Why would Jesus need to work, especially in such a lowly capacity, if he had any of Solomon’s wealth?

Additionally, when one considers Jesus’ and James’s affinity for the poor and disdain for the rich (ie. Luke 6:20-25, and James 5:1-3), it is easy to see that they did not come from old money (or new money for that matter).

Then, let’s look at what Jesus said about his living conditions during his ministry.
“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, ESV).
The scripture also tells us that Jesus ministry was supported by women (Luke 8:3). This would likely have been considered rather shameful in that day, and quite unnecessary if he was a rich man.

Next, if Jesus family was rich, why wasn’t Jesus held in high esteem in his home town? In Nazareth they were amazed the son of a skilled laborer could speak so eloquently. Then they were not afraid to try stoning Jesus, which would not be the case if Jesus and his family were wealthy. See Luke 4:16-30.

Why did Joseph of Arimathea have to bury his body? If Jesus family was wealthy, they would have had their own tomb. See John 19:38-42.

While he was on the cross, Jesus gave care of his mother to John the beloved disciple. Why? Women had little or no ability to earn an income in that day. Apparently Joseph was deceased, since he is not mentioned in any Gospel after Jesus reaches adulthood. The last we hear of Joseph is related to the incident at Jerusalem when his parents lost track of him at age 12 (Luke 2:41-52). However, Jesus did have brothers, as I mentioned in the article (check Mark 6:3). If the family was wealthy there would be no need to get an outsider to take care of Mary. Jesus family was not wealthy, but John’s family probably was. The most significant evidence of this has to do with the fact that John was known to the High Priest (John 18:15). The office of High Priest was occupied by the wealthy; in fact, it was so important that bribery had gotten some into office. Wealthy people don’t pay attention to poor people or give them easy access to their homes. But John walked right into the High Priest’s courtyard. Addtionally, James and John of Zebedee, along with Peter and Andrew owned a fishing business. All of this to say, John was financially secure, as well as being Jesus closest friend on earth, so he gave the son of Zebedee charge of Mary (see John 19:26-27). This would not be necessary if Jesus family was wealthy.

Now, let’s look at some things Jesus said about wealth. First, there is the passage from Luke referred to above.
“And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh….’
‘But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way’” (Luke 6:20-21 & 24-25, ESV).

Sound like a teacher who’s trying to help us all become millionaires?

How about the story Jesus told about a man who likely was a millionaire in that day. The story is about a very successful farmer who had a bumper crop year:
“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry”’ (Luke 12:17-19, ESV).
The man wasn’t evil, just very satisfied with himself. He trusted his wealth to give him what he wanted out of life. What did Jesus say about the man in the story?
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20, ESV).

“Ah,” Paula and the pastor may say, “but with the parable Jesus is trying to teach us not to idolize wealth.” True.

In the ancient world there is a very interesting word for “wealth.” The word is “mammon.” In the Greek it refers to money. However, “Mammon” originated as an Aramaic name for a god whom people worshiped. Jesus used the Greek term during His Sermon on the Mount in a warning against idolatry. The word is translated “wealth” in the ESV and “money” in other English translations.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24, ESV).

I believe that Paula White and many others like Creflo Dollar (not the pastor who was with her on the above named program but an unabashedly prosperity oriented preacher) are misleading people with an unbalanced, and at times unscriptural, message about wealth. Jesus was not rich, but he repeatedly warned the rich about the lure of wealth. Even the pursuit of it may become an idol. The possession of money often becomes a distraction before it turns into an idol.

The Apostle Paul gave clear warnings as well:
“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1st Timothy 6:3-10, ESV).

I am not seeking to be like the ones the Apostle mentioned in the passage above, who are interested in stirring up controversy. However, I do want to set the record straight. Jesus was not rich. It is not God’s will that everyone become wealthy. In fact, wealth (even a little of it) often leads people away from God. I am not saying money is evil, but I am saying what the Apostle Paul said above, “love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” If you long for wealth and wonder why God hasn’t given it to you, you have your answer in your longing. Seek God first (Matthew 6:33). Don’t seek God so you can get a big paycheck, a successful business, a nicer house or car. No, the Presence of God, who is the Holy Spirit, is the reward (John 14:16-17, 16:7, Isaiah 62:11).

If God gives you success and money, use that to feed the poor and send the Gospel out to a lost and dying world. It isn’t for you! I saw the wedding of a prominent “prophetess” on TBN several months back. Now, having done a few weddings myself I could recognize that easily over a million dollars was spent on this event. Additionally, the rings she was given were the biggest, gaudiest diamonds I’ve ever seen at any wedding (live or tv, celebrity or royalty). Did this honor God. I don’t believe so, even though the wedding was a big time Christian affair with A-list Christian celebrities in attendance.”

I am reminded of something Jesus said.
And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’
“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:6-8, ESV).
Interestingly, the context of Jesus’ comment above related to money as well. We cannot introduce our longing for wealth into Scripture and make the Bible say what we want it to say. Leave the Get Rich Quick conferences with all of their earthly principles for getting rich to the world. Stop using God for greed. For such practices false teachers will be judged, and I ain’t the judge.

I’m not telling you that everything Paula White says is un-scriptural, nor Creflo Dollar. I am saying that this practice of using God to seek wealth is wrong. Misusing Scripture to make people believe that giving to your ministry will make them wealthy is chicanery of the highest order. Don’t be fooled, friends!

It is right to give, but it won’t necessarily make you anything close to a millionaire. If you give wisely of your time, talent and money, it will open you up so that God can give you more gifts to give (and that includes money).
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38, ESV).

Most importantly, when you give it helps your church, the poor and those truly in need. TBN also features James Robison, whose ministry feeds and gives water to the poor in extremely needy areas (our church has given to his ministry on two occasions). God is watching and we’ll be judged for what we do with what we have. Those of you who give consistently know: it really is more blessed to give than to receive.