Was Jesus Rich?

[mattfivefour]

None of the false messiahs perfectly answered to the prophecies. Jesus Christ alone did that. The others were Satan's counterfeits. They claimed the superficial aspects of Messiah—I am here, I am going to lead you to victory, I am going to set myself up to rule on earth, you will all be kings, just follow me as we overthrow our rulers—but Satan was too stupid to see that that was not the purpose of Christ coming to earth the first time and he was too ignorant of God's wisdom to realize there were two comings.

[the stranger]

Two of the true indicators as to whether Jesus was rich or not has been established:

If Jesus was rich (in the sense advocated by the 'prosperity' hawker quoted in the OP)...

Why, when He wanted to make a point involving the use of a coin, did He need someone else to give Him one (Matthew 22:19)?

Why, when He was challenged to pay the temple tax, did He have to get a coin miraculously out of the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27)?

Seems to me a rich guy would have had the money on him.

This is also something to keep in mind.

Luke 2:22-24 This is the story of the first born male (Jesus) being dedicated to God as was the law, and infact, in the law, one had to buy back their first son with sacrificing of a lamb, as it was God's.
Exodus 13:14-15 This also probibly explains another bible question concerning a burnt sacrifice of one's daughtor, the first to come out of the door to meet him.

Bottom line: the sacrifice given for Jesus was "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons". According to OT law, this sacrifice was only allowed from the poor. Leviticus 12:2,8

Now we also must remember that though Joseph was a carpernter, he and has family jad to move many places, many times at the beginning years of Jesus life, thus most likely eating up any gifts that were given at Jesus birth.

I also wonder that if Joseph really had money, if they really could of not got a room at the inn. Money really does talk!

Now we do not know when Jesus moved on His own or whether He ever did in His life. We do know that during His ministery He Himself said that He had no place to rest His head, as He stayed with His disciples often.

I do not know about all of you, but I think anyone who can stay in the HOT desert for 40 days and nights with nothing but water to drink and stines to sleep on, even in the cold of the night, I cannot help but think Jesus knew how to live with what He had, though ofcourse, this was His biggest test before His ministery. (only for Him to show us how to endure, as He was perfect and would not fail)


I have not done a complete study on this subject, but it is kind of interesting. I certainly, however, do not remember reading of any luxeries as He was growing up, but I suppose that most of the time, they atleast had food, as Joseph did have a trade.

God bless, brothers and sisters

[Meg]

Anyone who holds this view would not concentrate His time and talents on making money. Jesus Christ could easily have used His Gifts and Ministry to exalt Himself for financial gain; instead, He had this view of financial gain:

Matthew 13:22

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

[king'sbloomingrose]

2010andSaved, Satan is really good at setting up counterfit messiahs - false Christs or antiChrists. That is going to be what is coming at the end of this age. But the spirit of antiChrist is already around in this world today and it was back in John's day as well. The Bible says there'll be many who'll come saying look here is Christ or there he is in the desert.

But he warns that we should not believe them. Matthew 24:23-24 23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Christ had over 100 prophesies about Him in the OT and He fulfilled everyone of them to a T. Prophesies saying that the soldiers would gamble for Jesus' clothes at the cross, Jesus would be born in Bethleham, He would be in the royal line of David to name a few. No man or false Christ that has ever lived can claim to have answered all of those prophecies about Christ. They can't because they're not the true Christ. I hope I helped to answer your questions!

[poppycorn]

All this prosperity teaching is prophetic for the times we are living in. James Chapter 5 tells us this ( i have highlighted the points)
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. This is part of the Laodician church age that we are now living in, not just for the church but for the world, remember our crash a couple years ago? it was all due to greed and corruption and growing ever so burdensome for the average Joe. I believe Jesus wasn't dirt poor, he traveled alot and may not have had any "change" with him. I believe he lived modestly personally. He obviously worked for a living until he went into full time ministry then he really worked!

[poppycorn]

All this prosperity teaching is prophetic for the times we are living in. James Chapter 5 tells us this ( i have highlighted the points)
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. This is part of the Laodician church age that we are now living in, not just for the church but for the world, remember our crash a couple years ago? it was all due to greed and corruption and growing ever so burdensome for the average Joe. I believe Jesus wasn't dirt poor, he traveled alot and may not have had any "change" with him. I believe he lived modestly personally. He obviously worked for a living until he went into full time ministry then he really worked!

one more thing, when i say modestly, what i mean by that, is kinda like the "middle class". we struggle with basic stuff sometimes but don't have the money to go out and just buy a house or a car, but in Jesus's case, no money on hand to pay taxes at first or have a purchased tomb.

[GlennO]

Rich

and POWERFUL


Col 1:15-20
(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
(16) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.
(17) And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(18) And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
(19) For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
(20) and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

[Zeblade]

Kind of about rich.. lol

I don't know what to say. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I do not follow any man. I am of no denomination. I can watch David Wilkerson, Billy Graham, Ken Copeland and see my loving Jesus in all of them. People seem to think when we point out the faults in others to the world or say awful things about them that LOVES Jesus, they are doing something GOOD for GOD! Yet they hurt the one they love.

You want to live poor then praise GOD! You want to believe you can be rich and love God then praise God. God sees and judges us by our HEART. See if you read everything I have ever wrote, watch everything I have ever said.. then said FALSE TEACHER, FALSE PROPHET, OF THE DEVIL. You would KNOW you were right because of what you read and saw. Yet what you and not one person on this earth would know is.. when I go to bed so many times I cry, I want SO MUCH to be like my Jesus. To love all the same, to forgive all that hurt me. To always, never preach, teach, talk, pray wrong. To pray the world only sees JESUS in me. So I hold on to JESUS. Its HIS righteousness that makes me HOLY.

So if I do this.. I must look at ALL Gods people.. that they might be praying the same way. I see that word Prosperity, people use it like its a bad word. Then for you it might be. For others it is not. But in the end its the belief in Jesus that He came and died for the world that gets Billy Graham, David, Ken, Stan, John, Phil, you, me to stand before our Jesus. Yet YOU cant fool God. He knows your heart. He judges us not on the out side as man sees but by our heart (the word).

What if you loved those you KNOW are wrong? What if you prayed for the best in them? If it was you what would you want? How would YOU want to be treated? That is how YOU MUST act. Yet we are commanded to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Now if David is in error, or Ken is in error that does not give me the right to point to the world their faults. Jesus came and died for THEM! If Jesus forgive them for ever sin they will ever do.. a should not we?

Sorry but man this gets to me. We are to show the world how much Jesus loves us and all we do is fight and argue, debate with OTHER BELIEVERS!. Jesus is coming! And we MUST be watching, we MUST be praying, WE MUST BE LOVING each other. Forgiving each other. Helping each other. That means Word of Faith preachers, Baptists, Pent, Cathlo* etc.. we are commanded to!

Was Jesus rich? Lol there is so much about Jesus that is NOT written. He gave us just enough for what we need. If Jesus forgives you for speeding, for porn for not reading His word, not praying everyday. Don't think for one second that Davids, Kens, Billy Grahams or mine, and all others that sin is somehow worse then yours. Walk in LOVE. Walk in forgiveness 24/7..THEN and only then look at others. You will see them through Jesus eyes.

Was Jesus rich? How do you SEE others? Are you rich?

[mattfivefour]

Respectfully, loving is not shutting our eyes to error, bro. We have the responsibility to point out error when it is preached. And we have the responsibility to point out those who cause division in the Church by teaching against God's Word. Paul did it with Peter in person; he did it in his epistles, naming names; John did it also in his epistles. It is not love to see a dangerous pit ahead of a brother and allow him to fall in it because you don't want to criticize him. Love is saying, "Bro! There's a pit ahead! Keep going the way you are going and you will fall in and harm yourself." And we need to do it even if (especially if) he cannot see it and argues with you as a result.

Now there can be honest differences among believers in the interpretation of some passages of Scripture. I always give others the benefit of the doubt in such cases and, while it is my understanding of scripture that they are wrong, nonetheless not argue with them over it. But there are some doctrines that are so foundational to the gospel and the knowledge of God that we MUST stand up and defend those things against error.

I agree that there are people who are so quick that they jump on every little thing and treat honest differences of interpretation of scripture and different understandings of what God is saying as though they were cardinal doctrines that are being threatened ... and so they attack the person who is "guilty" of that in their eyes. This is not of God. Every rebuke offered must be scriptural and done in love and with the building up of the other person in mind. And it must never come from a position that somehow "I am the possessor of all truth because of my understanding of the Word." As I said, there are some doctrines that are foundational and must be defended against ANYBODY who would attempt to alter them. But there is a lot more that we allow to divide us when we should not ... but should rather submit ourselves to God, not becoming quarrelsome over minor points.

[josua]

Being rich does not necessarily mean to have a lot of wealth, gold and money.
I don't think Jesus was rich in terms of wealth, gold or money. The danger of this kind of richness is that you focus your thoughts on your own plans and in some or the other way around money.

Being really rich for believers should be defined as to never miss whatever you need right now. In that way, Jesus WAS rich. Whatever he needed he just got it in the very moment he needed it. I think this is the right approach. It is first of all based on faith in the father and a continuous walk in faith rather than on man-made wealth. This may look stupid from a natural point of view, but wisdom of men is foolishness to God - and the other way round!