Recently, someone commented that Jesus must be rich since he received gold, among other things, at his birth. Besides that, he reiterated, Jesus\u2019 garments must be expensive, the ancient equivalent of an Armani suit, since the soldiers did cast lots for it. Well, so much for conjectures.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If Jesus was rich, he would have been born in a palace, not in a manger. He probably would have entered Jerusalem in a grand carriage drawn by eight horses, not riding on a borrowed donkey. He would not have needed to take a\u00a0coin\u00a0from\u00a0the mouth of a fish to pay his temple tax. He would not have needed several women to help support him and his team as they carried out their itinerant ministry. He would have a place he could call home; but, as it turned out, he was worse off than foxes and birds which had holes and nests. And he would not have to be laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, courtesy of Joseph of Arimathea.<\/span><\/p>\n The trouble with \u2018prosperity gospel\u2019 teachers and adherents is that they have already decided what they want to believe. So they twist scripture to support their premise, a practice termed as eisegesis. The correct way of interpreting scripture is to let it speak for itself, exegesis, without our pre-conceived ideas clouding the picture.<\/span><\/p>\n Eisegesis occurs when a reader imposes his interpretation onto the text whereas exegesis is the process of drawing out the meaning from a text in accordance with the context and intended meaning of its author.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s another instance where scripture is being misinterpreted. Some say\u00a0Jesus became poor so that we might become rich<\/strong>. They base their reasoning on this verse: \u201cFor you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became\u00a0poor,\u00a0so that you\u00a0by his poverty might become rich<\/strong>\u201d (2 Corinthians 8:9<\/strong>).<\/span><\/p>\n The context of\u00a02 Corinthians 8:9<\/strong>\u00a0is this: The apostle Paul was encouraging the believers at Corinth to excel in the area of giving. The context here is the subject of giving, why the \u2018haves\u2019 should give to the \u2018have nots\u2019. What better example of self-sacrifice is there than Jesus\u2014whom Paul quotes\u2014who set aside His divine glory and power when He came down to earth (Philippians 2:5-7).<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201criches\u201d Jesus set aside is His glory and power. It does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0refer to material riches. Consequently, we become\u00a0spiritually rich<\/strong>\u00a0when we believe in Jesus for we are saved from the penalty of sin, enjoy a relationship with God and gain access to heaven when we die.<\/span><\/p>\n Christ went beyond humbling Himself; He became a curse for us so that we might be blessed: \u201cChrist redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us\u2014for it is written, \u2018Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree\u2019\u2014so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith\u201d (Galatians 3:13-14).<\/span><\/p>\n In summary, Jesus was certainly\u00a0not\u00a0<\/strong>rich in worldly wealth. And this verse, 2 Corinthians 8:9, is\u00a0not\u00a0<\/strong>to be interpreted to mean that we will invariably become rich in material wealth when we become followers of Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n To assert that Jesus is rich in worldly wealth and that we would invariably become materially rich by being followers of Jesus is to align ourselves with the teachings of the \u2018prosperity<\/strong>\u00a0gospel<\/strong>‘.<\/span><\/p>\n The true gospel focuses on the\u00a0cross<\/strong>\u00a0(self-denial) and\u00a0things above<\/strong>, not the things of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n And Jesus said to all, \u201cIf anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me\u201d (Luke 9:23<\/strong>).<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God\u201d (Colossians 3:1-3<\/strong>).<\/span><\/p>\n POSTSCRIPT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Balance is needed when we approach the touchy subject of prosperity. We must not think that poverty is a virtue. On the other hand, we must not be mesmerised by money. For the love of money is the root of many evils.<\/span><\/p>\n In making a stand against the prosperity gospel, we are not implying that money is evil, God doesn\u2019t bless believers, being poor is good, laziness is a virtue or that ministries can flourish on sunshine alone. What is seriously wrong with the prosperity gospel is the use of stratagems such as \u2018seed faith\u2019, \u2018name it, claim it\u2019, \u2018the more you sow, the more you\u2019ll reap\u2019 for personal gain and lavish lifestyles, often with little accountability. Paul strongly rebuked those who preach Jesus as a means of financial gain, referring to them as men \u201cdepraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:5).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n RELATED POSTS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n What does the Bible say about abundance and riches? What does Jesus actually mean when He says, \u201cI have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly\u201d (John 10:10)?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Some say Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. Is this true? Those who say so base their reasoning on this verse: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n How do we know the difference? The true gospel focuses on the\u00a0cross<\/strong>\u00a0(self-denial) but the false gospel emphasises\u00a0what can God do for me<\/strong>: Prosperity, happiness and comfort.<\/span><\/p>\n There are some ministers today who have all the trimmings and form of religion but inwardly harbour an ambition for the world\u2019s goods. They may have started out well but, along the way, got bedazzled by riches. Their ethos is coloured by material comforts and well-being far above spiritual considerations.<\/span> WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY THE BIBLE IN CONTEXT<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Popular ministers today quote various isolated verses they have memorized, even though this means that they will usually leave 99% of the Bible\u2019s verses unpreached. The Bible is not a collection of people\u2019s favorite verses with a lot of blank space in between. Using verses out of context one could \u201cprove\u201d almost anything about God or justify almost any kind of behavior\u2013as history testifies.<\/span><\/p>\n “Many prosperity preachers today who would like you to believe that Jesus was rich while here on earth and that God wants nothing more than to lavish His children with an abundance of material blessings. After all, a rich Jesus would certainly make it easier for them to persuade their flock that God wants them to be rich, too. However, a materially rich Jesus Christ is utterly incompatible with biblical truth.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n PROSPERITY GOSPEL DEFINED AND REFUTED<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Definition: \u201cBelievers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the \u2018sowing of seeds\u2019 through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings.\u201d<\/span> <\/p>\n HOW TO QUICKLY ACCESS\u00a0PORRIDGE<\/em><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ABOUT Author:\u00a0Dr Lim Poh Ann is a medical practitioner. He was the former editor of Asian Beacon magazine (December 2008 \u2013 October 2011). He can be reached at his blog, Porridge for the Soul<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For a quick overview:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n To access similar articles, type \u2018Porridge\u2019 in the search box of\u00a0http:\/\/christianitymalaysia.com\/wp\/<\/a>\u00a0or type \u2018Lim Poh Ann<\/em>\u2019 in the search box of\u00a0http:\/\/www.asianbeacon.org\/<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For the source article, go to: http:\/\/limpohann.blogspot.my\/2016\/05\/was-jesus-rich-or-poor.html<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n |Share The Good News|<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Ref:](\"http:\/\/christianitymalaysia.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Money-and-coins.jpg\")
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\n EXTERNAL LINKS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nWAS JESUS RICH?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\n For more:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWAS JESUS WEALTHY? IS THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL JUSTIFIED?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n