Rich, Poor, and In-Between

September 09, 2012

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37

Scripture reading: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
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Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

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Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, 23 for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.

During this election season we have heard far more than any of us really wanted to hear, but among the partisan bickering, one of the repeated themes has been a dramatic emphasis on the division of the rich and the poor. One side argues that the rich do not pay enough and the other argues that the penalties levied upon the rich fall too heavily upon the small business owners who are creating jobs. It is deeply held belief that while I am in this pulpit, I prefer to stay so far out of politics that the people of the church wonder about my personal beliefs. When we come to this place we have come to hear the words of God and not the words of some political party. If the disciples could bring together Jews, Gentiles, slaves, persons of wealth, Greeks and Romans as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, surely there is room in this place for both Democrats and Republicans. Having said that however, we should ask ourselves, what scripture tells us about our roles and responsibilities as members of the body of Christ whether we find ourselves among the poor, among the rich, or somewhere in between. More than likely, most of us have heard two passages that I referred to a moment ago when I spoke of the worshippers in the early church. The first of these is found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (ESV), where Paul teaches
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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or free and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. The second passage is similar and comes from Pauls letter to the church in Galatia where he says: 1

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29) The idea is that all of the boundaries that once divided us were torn down when we became members of the body of Christ. Instead of being divided by race, gender, social status, or level of prosperity, we become brothers and sisters together, co-heirs of the kingdom of God. At least that is what God intended to have happen, but the human heart is a difficult and stubborn thing. Despite knowing that we were all equal in the eyes of God, people of faith still fell into old habits. Even now it is easy for us to want to cater to persons who can do more for us or who are able to put big checks in the offering plate and the same temptations afflicted the church that the disciples knew. The apostle James reminded the church that equal, means equal (James 2:117) My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Heres a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand there or Sit on the floor by my feet, 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
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Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
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If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
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Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James reminds the church that wealth, or lack of it, does not grant special privilege in the church. We are called to love others as much as we love ourselves, both rich and poor, and we should not make a distinction in how we treat them. To me, that says that the rich dont get any special privileges for being rich, but neither should they be discriminated against simply because they have wealth. At the same time, because some believers have more than others, they are able to do more than those who have less. In Acts 4:33-35 the members of the church shared what they had and it was obvious that some had more to share than others
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With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And Gods grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those 2

who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. It is important to note, I think, that we are not told of any compulsion or command that was placed upon those who had more wealth but that they gave because God led them to do so. In fact, we know that it was not only the rich who gave to support the work of the church and the support of the believers, but everyone. In 2 Corinthians 8:2-4, we hear these words
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In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lords people. Paul says that entirely on their own all persons gave as they were able, rich and poor alike. What we give, how much we give, and who we give it to seems to be a work of the heart. We are all called to be generous and to help those in need but rich, or poor, or in-between, our call is to give as we are able, perhaps even beyond our ability. Jesus too, gave as he was able. Jesus did not have material wealth although he did have a few followers that were able to financially support his ministry. As far as I know, on only one occasion did Jesus give anyone money. In Matthew 17, Jesus sends Peter to catch one fish, a fish with a coin in its mouth, so that he might pay the temple tax for both Peter and Jesus. Otherwise, Jesus too gave as he was able. In Mark 7:24-37, we hear two stories
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Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
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First let the children eat all they want, he told her, for it is not right to take the childrens bread and toss it to the dogs.
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Lord, she replied, even the dogs under the table eat the childrens crumbs. Then he told her, For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter. She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

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Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
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After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the mans ears. Then he spit and touched the mans tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, Ephphatha! (which means Be opened!). 35 At this, the mans ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

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Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well, they said. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. In the first story, Jesus is reluctant to give the woman anything because his mission and ministry were with the people of Israel, but the woman demonstrates such great faith that Jesus relents. Jesus reminds the woman that he was sent to the children of Israel but she asks anyway recognizing that Jesus power was so great that what she was asking for was no more than crumbs from the table. The second story is similar as we note the man who came for healing could give nothing to Jesus nor do anything for Jesus. He was both deaf and largely mute so that he could not even ask for his own healing and yet, because of his need, Jesus gives him the gift of freedom. Jesus doesnt give the man money or food as many would give to a beggar, but gives him a gift that allows him to return to society as a man who can care for himself and for his family. Our calling is not to look down on the poor and heap praise and special privileges upon the rich but neither is it to give special privilege to the poor and to look down upon the rich. The biblical model is not one that calls us to hate the rich for not doing more, it is one that calls each and every one of us to do what we can, to do what God has called us to do, to do each as he, or she, if able. Likewise, the example of Jesus is not to do what may be the easiest, and simply give food or money to the poor, but to do what we can to bring wholeness and healing so that they can care for themselves. What I have described, if I have done it right, has probably made some of the Democrats in the room uncomfortable, but it has most likely made the Republicans and the Libertarians uncomfortable as well. If we follow the model of scripture we will find that it doesnt fit the ideas proposed by any one political party and this is often the case. There is always room in Gods house for persons of all political persuasions. I have already noticed that there are persons in our church with strongly held beliefs on both sides (or even every side), and I think that is a good thing. Sharing our lives together keeps us honest. We should challenge one another and ask, Is that how Jesus would have done it? or Is this way the most Christ-like path? Following Christ is not about modeling our lives after the beliefs of our political party but about modeling our lives after the teachings of Jesus even when that compels us to be different than the doctrines of one party or another. But we must also remember the words of James. We are called not only to speak, not only to vote, but to do what we can. We should not ever hope that the poor will get a new coat from some government agency when we have an extra coat in the closet. As James said, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead Our calling is to do what we can, each as we are able. Our calling is to live like Jesus, rich, poor, and in-between.

You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry heights in Massillon, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org. If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on Facebook (search for Pastor John Online). These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.