“The only difference between the wealthy and the poor is that the wealthy get an extended rope to hold themselves with.” An old cowboy told me that after, and it stuck with me.
It all the time made me uncomfortable with how harsh Jesus gave the impression to be with wealthy people. Some of essentially the most generous and type people I’ve ever known have been extremely wealthy, they usually use that wealth to bless others. Some wealthy individuals are stingy and mean, but isn’t the difficulty your heart, not your money? Why was Jesus often so blunt in speaking concerning the dangers of cash with wealthy people—even those that seemed sincere?
Like the one wealthy guy who asked find out how to enter the dominion, Jesus told him to sell the whole lot and provides it to the poor. The guy walked away, discouraged. As he was walking away, Jesus went for the jugular, saying,
“How difficult it would be for individuals who have wealth to enter the dominion of God!… It is simpler for a camel to undergo the attention of a needle than for a to enter the dominion of God.” – Mark 10:20-27
The older I get, the more I see the connection between what Jesus said and what that old cowboy told me. I do know why it’s hard for the wealthy to enter the dominion. We’ve all got the identical problems and make the identical mistakes. But money buffers you from the harshest consequences of those mistakes. Wealth buys you time, space, and energy that the majority of us don’t get.
Are you struggling to take care of your kids and put in your hours at work? When money isn’t a difficulty, you’ll be able to hire a nanny or send them to bilingual daycare. Problems with wayward kids? Send them off to boarding school or expensive rehabs and conceal them away. Car troubles? You buy a recent one, which you most likely have already got, so that you won’t find yourself with those automotive problems that include driving a vehicle with 200,000+ miles on it.
The problem isn’t the cash. The problem is what the cash does. It buffers you from suffering. And suffering, for whatever reason, is the tool God has chosen to make use of to remodel us into his image. There’s a verse in Acts that claims the disciples went around encouraging the believers, telling them,
“We must undergo many hardships to enter the dominion of God”. 14:22
That doesn’t sound like much encouragement to me. I wish he’d said we enter the dominion through many donuts or ice cream. But the disciples had seen firsthand that the trail to strength and, ultimately, redemption is thru suffering. Necessary suffering transforms us. When you’ll be able to buy your way out of suffering, you miss out on the work it does in your soul. That’s why James said,
“Count all of it joy, my brothers while you meet trials of varied kinds, for you recognize that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you could be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
Money should buy you out of suffering. But, even with money, eventually, you’ll face challenges in life that you would be able to’t buy your way out of. You can send your wayward kids away, but they’re your kids, and also you’ll all the time be coping with the struggle of that relationship. You can buffer yourself with partitions, security guards, and personal jet travel, but in the event you enterprise out in any respect, you’ll be faced with the discomfort of reality. The finest and latest medical care can delay your life, but eventually, your time will come. You can’t buy your way out of death.
Perhaps essentially the most diabolical problem with wealth is that it has a way of deceiving you. When you might have the cash to establish the world to your liking and take away discomfort, you might have time to think up lofty ideas about reality which might be completely disconnected from actual reality. You live in a bubble and are completely out of touch. Like the queen who was told, “There is not any bread on your subjects.” And she reportedly responded, “Then allow them to eat cake.” The idea of lack can turn into so foreign to the wealthy that they propose ideas which might be completely disconnected from reality. And they think themselves heroic and magnanimous while they do it. They hold fundraisers and pat themselves on the back for his or her generosity and sensible ideas. Are the people they’re helping actually at these high-ticket events? No, after all not. Sure, they could bring one in, dress it up, and parade it around as an exhibit to lift more cash. But other than that event, the poor don’t have any access to that world.
Jesus showed up right in the midst of this as “despised and rejected by men, a person of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces.” (Isaiah 53:3) Or as an immigrant who crossed the border in Texas and was sent to Martha’s Vineyard. The very people the wealthy claim to care about and hold fundraisers and lobby the federal government to assist, when of their backyard, they run them out. “Care for them some place else, we’ll send money.” And this is the reason Jesus was so savage with the wealthy. Wealth blinds you. But his truth opens your eyes and sets you free. Suffering is what sanctifies us. And here’s the thing. I’m the wealthy. Really. I’m liable to the whole lot, to a level, I just wrote about. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.
May we be those that humbly recognize we’re all in the identical boat — we’re all in desperate need of grace. May we embrace the suffering of life that transforms us and stand in solidarity with those that have fewer resources than us since the only difference between the wealthy and the poor really is that the wealthy get an extended rope to hold themselves with. Let’s use that very same rope to throw to those that are drowning.
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He speaks at churches, conferences, and company events across the country and is the creator of seven books, including Vision Map (Moody Press), Connecting the Dots, and Keep It Light. (Salem/Regnery) He and his wife Emily and daughter Elise live in Texas.
Find out more at: http://joelmalm.com
