(Note: I intentionally use the Greek terms “Christ” and “Jesus” to describe the Messiah in this article, though I prefer to use HIS Hebrew Name and title; YESHUA MESSIAH)
Even before I began keeping Torah I wondered how Christ would respond to traditional Christianity should HE decide to visit. Prior to my Torah observance I saw things in Christianity that did not line up with the Scriptures as they describe Christ and the early Christians, but chalked it up to my own ignorance and/or immaturity, looking for the day when I might know more and understand better so that I would have answers about such things… After 33 years of seeking HIM, hopefully that day is close to arriving! :>)
Having a love for Biblical Christianity I began questioning some of the methods and practices of traditional Christianity. I have addressed a few of those in the articles on this site already, so I’ll try not to duplicate them in this article. (But I may not succeed :>)
One of the things about Christianity that sounded a loud alarm for me early on was it’s infatuation with MONEY. The church that we were saved in took several offerings every service! It was nothing for them to take an offering, and then be notified by those counting it what the amount was and then take another one saying that the first one was not enough! Being as charismatic as they were, they would make some silly remark, people would laugh and the offering plates would be passed again, but sometimes it was very uncomfortable in the room. You could sense that something was just not right. I had heard years after we left that church that once during a multiple offering service a man stood, took off his watch, took off his shoes and asked the pastor if there was anything else that they wanted from him! Wow! The man was “escorted out” as the pastor made some flippant remark to ease the tension, and the offering plates went around again! I just wonder how many of those types of Christian churches are in existence??? Whatever the number, it’s too many…
My wife and I have tried to watch “Christian TV” on numerous occasions. Each time that we do we are shocked at the emphasis on money. Christian preachers saying things like “GOD wants you prosperous”, or “You need to love flying first class because GOD wants you to have the best!” or “The devil is the one that is telling you that you aren’t supposed to have plenty of money!” Or “If you send in your $$$ love gift, we will send you this autographed bible, or this engraved plaque or this prayer rug or???” It’s no wonder that many of those outside of Christianity stay that way!!! Christianity and even worse, Christ bears the brunt of ridicule for all of this and meanwhile, many of these Christian Ministers who talk for hours about money and prosperity, jet around the country, have multiple $$$ homes and live like Tycoons! …in the Name of JESUS???
Did JESUS place that kind of emphasis on riches, wealth and prosperity? Lets take a look at a few of HIS teachings on “riches” and see…
Matthew 19:23 (Because the man left dejected for not wanting to obey JESUS, WHO told him to go, sell all that he had and give it to the poor, then he could follow HIM) Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say to 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.”
Where is the promise of prosperity here? Did I miss it?
Luke 6:24 “But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.”
There must be a hidden meaning here if this is supposed say that JESUS is promoting prosperity…
Luke 12:16-21 “Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Notice who provided for this man; verse 20– He did, not GOD. Could this also mean that the prosperity teachers are actually providing for themselves THROUGH naive Christians and GOD has nothing to do with it??? Makes me wonder…
Notice who he was laying up treasure for; verse 21– Himself
The real clincher for me that absolutely shows us how much importance JESUS placed on having money is found in John 12:4-6 “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”
Did you get that? JESUS cares so much for money that HE puts Judas in charge of it knowing that Judas was a thief and helped himself to the moneybox!?! Think about THAT!
Well, it appears that there is a serious chasm that exists between Christ and a sizable part of Christianity on the subject of prosperity, doesn’t there?
My hope in this article is to cause Christians to stop a minute and think about how the actual teachings of Christ may differ from what they have been told is Christian! I’ll be writing several subsequent articles on various subjects normally accepted by Christianity and comparing them to what Christ actually says regarding them. Your comments are hereby solicited! :>)
As always, an encouraging word to remind us of the true RELATIONAL priority God has with His people and a valuable highlighting of how man skews this in his effort to humanize it. Well done. Thank you. I will share this with others.
Yeshua even describes that having money adds a burden to the believer by adding another step in the walk of faith. The “eye of the needle” was the smaller gate within the main gate to Jerusalem that was the only gate open during the night hours as a mean of limiting the potential of infiltration of enemies during the night. Since camels traveled with side carriers for goods, to fit through the eye of the needle one would have to put down the goods prior to walking through with the camel and then hand carry the items in which is a harder process. It makes sense that we would have to “lay down” our wealth’ to “get in,” not acquire more to demonstrate that we are “on the right track!” Always we must remember that the greatest wealth is the statues and commands of our loving Father Who asks us to walk with Him in HIS way. His Torah is the “family code.” The bank is just the bank and ANYONE can have money. It takes the contrite and humble heart to have salvation. Thank you for your article!
Matthew 19:23-24 (New International Version)
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is 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.”