2 Corinthians 8:9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
The stock market has been historically high in recent years. I have to confess, I don’t understand the markets. It seems to me to be betting on the future based on past performance, the very thing that investment advertisers tell us “is no guarantee of future success.” And how some people can become filthy rich based on this bet, just boggles my mind. Where does their money come from? Other losing investors? Isn’t this just a big Ponzi scheme?
The economic ups and downs affect those at the bottom much more than those at the top. Sure the people at the top lose a greater dollar value, but those at the bottom don’t have that margin to lose. They are just working to put food on the table, not another boat in their back yard, or another beach house, yacht, or Italian Villa.
There are a few at the top who have pledged to give all their wealth away before they die. Good luck if you believe that. Because they must control the wealth, and their causes fit their ideological bent, it is almost impossible for them to actually give it away. They could make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of people if they could just let go.
Our text talks about the voluntary process of becoming poor that Christ did on our behalf. He was the ultimate wealthy person. He had literally everything. All heaven and earth are His. The entirety of the Universe is His and at His disposal to freely use as He pleases. Now that is rich.
Jesus did the ultimate wealth redistribution plan. He gave what is most important, His life, so that we might be able to participate in life eternal. He gave up the blessings of Heaven in order to give us the reality of heaven here on Earth. It is now possible to live the life of the Rich and Famous, Jesus!
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” We get to live His life. We get to live His victory. We get His inheritance. In exchange, He gets our sin, our sorrow, our shame. Not very fair, is it?
It is as if all the richest people in the world, all those whose wealth is more than they need, would write a check to all those who live on less than they need. One check per person from a fund that all the wealthy divested their wealth into. But there is one catch: each person must cash the check themselves! No proxies allowed. But mobile cash checking vans would travel to every corner of the globe to reach every person and give them the opportunity to cash their check.
This may sound a bit farfetched, and it is. Wealth redistribution like this still would not solve the problems of poverty. Not unless individuals, having cashed the checks, used their newfound wealth wisely, investing in wealth building, life sustaining purchases. Wells for fresh water. Sewage treatment plants. Farming equipment.
But even these wouldn’t change the mindset of the poor. And this is where Christ is different. He gave all He had so that we could have all He has. Christ doesn’t just change our outside, He changes us from the inside. Our attitudes, goals and aspirations, our opinions of others, our own view of ourselves. Everything about us gets touched and changed by the His hand.
Are you living His life now? Or are you startling the old and the new? Why would you hold onto the poverty of your past life? Let it go! Experience life as we were designed to life it.
The Arnold Journey 