The name Se7en might be cheesy, more so maybe because it was a complete rip-off of 5ives. I thought it would be fun though to start making brief collections of verses on various topics (ones I like to talk about). This might be a weekly thing, or maybe not. Let me know what you think
- Luke 12:15 — “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ ”
- Mark 12:43-44 — “Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’ ”
- Luke 6:24 — “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”
- Matthew 25:34-40 — “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ”
- Mark 10:21 — “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ ”
- Matthew 6:19-21 — “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [cf. Luke 12:34]
- Luke 14:33 — “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Thanks to the Generous Giving website for the format of the text.
Ariah, in principle I agree with you, but remember there is a context to those passages also. If I may suggest something else, Jesus was also teaching that his coming in judgment against Jerusalem in AD 70 would render any accumulation of wealth on the part of Jewish Christians useless. They were in essence commanded to forsake earthly wealth and focus on the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of the Jewish people from a system of animal sacrifices.
In AD 70, Jerusalem was burned to the ground and all the wealth and gold, and treasures from the Temple were taken by the Romans and paraded in Rome by Titus, while all the Christians who sold their possessions and obeyed the words of Jesus were able to get away safely “when they saw the city surrounded by armies.” (see Matthew 24 and Josephus)
Christ wasn't trying to say get rid of your possessions because the end is coming and you won't be needing them.
He was sahying "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed" and
"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”
He was condemning accumulating wealth instead of giving to the needy.
Read the verses again.
I think the appropriate way to write that is Se7en.
Apparently, Jesus didn’t have much to say on the subject of the rich, at least enough to fill a list. I personally agree very, very strongly with number 3 on that list, but I take offense at number 4. How could anyone believe number 4? But number 3, I’m down with.
I think it is interesting…you weren’t making any kind of statements with these verses and already someone has commented about agreeing/not agreeing with you.
: )
I am happy to see someone just post scripture and I think it should be up to the individual reader what they do with that information. It is good to have context, but it is also good to look at the words of scripture without use of the “tainted” views of our culture or of commentaries that may be full of biased viewpoints.
Hmm…now my previous comment is obsolete…so you’ll correct this one, but not the Divine Conspiracy?? ;op
Sorry Zach.
Virgil,
Extremely interesting thoughts. Is your opinion that everything Jesus said regarding wealth simply to prepare them for the AD 70 temple destruction?
I’ve never heard that view before.
Ariah, I do not believe that everything Jesus said about wealth should be applied to that specific context, however it should be primarily applied to that immediate historical and literal context in which Christ was speaking. I believe other passages clearly teach us to care for the poor, provide to those in need and help especially widows and children.
After all, if we do not accumulate wealth to some level (whatever that may be), how in the world can we help those less fortunate than us?
I believe Christ did not regard the rich very highly. He seemed to think that a poor woman's charity was worth much more than a rich man's gift to the poor.
THE PERILS OF WEALTH
To Jesus, if you believe in life after death and heaven and hell, you face a choice between your money or your life. To him you are the money tree. All he has to do is shake you up to have the fruits of your labor fall in his direction.
1. Possession of wealth prohibits entry into the kingdom of heaven. Do not save. You will only lose it anyway.
19"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal,
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
24"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:19-21, 24)
2. It will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
23And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matt. 19:23-24; Luke 18:24-25)
3. A man who seeks profits will forfeit his life.
34And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
35For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
36For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Mark 8:34-36)
4. The rich will regret their wealth.
24"But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25"Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. "Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. (Luke 6:24-25)
5. Parable of the rich fool-Luke 12:16-21
A rich man produced more crops than he could to store, so he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. To Jesus, whoever stores treasures for himself is not rich towards God. He was too ignorant to realize that the rich farmer would sell his surplus to feed other people.
20But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
21So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21)
6. One must renounce all his possessions to be his disciple.
33So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)
7. Parable of the rich man and Lazarus-Luke 16:19-31
When they died, the poor man, Lazarus, was lifted to comfort in heaven, and the rich man was buried where he went down to flaming hell. His torment unbearable, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham. So he asked Abraham if he can you send Lazarus down with some water to cool him off. The chasm is fixed, said Abraham, so that no one can cross. Then the rich man begged Abraham if he could send Lazarus to warn his brothers what a place of torment this Hades is.
Abraham was not sympathetic: Let Moses and the prophets tell them. The rich man wasn't comfortable: But if someone comes from the dead they will repent. Abraham: If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if one should rise from the dead.
31He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:31)
The following should clarify any GROSS misconceptions about whether or not one could accumulate wealth. Any other interpretation other than these is simply excuses. There are over 2000 passages in the Bible that talk about giving to the poor. Below are outlined SPECIFICALLY "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." or "To Jesus, whoever stores treasures for himself is not rich towards God. He was too ignorant to realize that the rich farmer would sell his surplus to feed other people. " There is NO other interpretation or justification for this. You're either Christian, or you're not. Nobody's perfects, however, whether one says it's OK to be wealthy in the eyes of God or whether one knows it's wrong in the eyes of God but practices it anyways are two separate issues all together.
It’s verses like these that make me wonder why Christians tend to align themselves with the GOP.