Thought for Today
Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
Psalm 9:18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
John 12:5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)
“We learn from Jesus’ humility. He placed himself in solidarity with people seeking help and hope. He stood with people at the margins and spoke truth to power.” (These Days, March 19, 2024) The author was commenting on Philippians 2:5-11 and especially on Paul’s command in “2 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”
Have you ever wondered what it might mean for you, as an individual, to have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus? That author properly focused on Jesus’ perfect obedience to the will of God. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s commentary. But, I did wonder about that sentence above.
Much of the focus today of Reformed Christianity is on caring for the poor and marginalized in our societies. That is a good thing, a proper focus for us all. Many of us, however, are not marginalized. One of the primary characteristics of American society is the large percentage of our population who are middle class. Interestingly, most surveys show that when asked, the vast majority of people in America self-identify as being middle class. Does having the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus mean that we stand with people at the margins and speak truth to power? Only at the margins and to power?
It is probably inevitable in a capitalist democratic republic that we focus on wealth and power or the lack thereof.. Truthfully, such a focus is probably inevitable in any human society. Equally true is that power and wealth are closely related. That was true during Jesus’ incarnate lifetime.
I believe the church far too often castigates wealth and power, implying that wealth and power and those who have either are evil simply by the possession of either wealth or power. We often hear the misquotation, “Money is the root of all evil.” The Bible tells us, “1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” The evil is not in the money; the evil is in the obsession with money, the obsession with amassing more and more. The same is true of money’s companion, power. Christians are called to love God’s children, all of them.
Jesus did not set any sort of maximum limitation on wealth and power, no limits to those he would accept as followers. Four of Jesus’ disciples had their own businesses; businesses that seem to have been profitable. One disciple, for whom the first gospel is named, held the Roman tax franchise for an area, one of the most profitable endeavors available in a Roman occupied territory.
It is a trap to believe that Jesus only preached to the poor, only cared for the marginalized. When asked the greatest commandments, Jesus said, “Luke 10:27 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Not your poor neighbor, not your marginalized neighbor, just “your neighbor.”
As Christians, we all strive to live up to Paul’s challenge to the Philippians, “2:2 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” That mind does not look at anyone merely in terms of wealth, power or the lack thereof. That mind reaches out to all of God’s children. Remember, in the Bible, ‘all’ always means all. Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians and all of us, “2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—" By grace, through faith.
Those who have wealth, who are not marginalized, need to remember the words of James, “2:18 . . . Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” Love ‘em all, poor, wealthy, powerful, powerless.
Stay safe, show your faith in the life you live, trust God,
Pastor Ray