WEALTH TRAP (40 OF 49)
Scripture: Mark 10:17-31
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Wealth Trap (40 of 49)
Lectionary, Year B
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 10:17-31
Jesus had an inordinate amount to say about wealth during his ministry. Meanwhile, other than prosperity gospel proponents, the church has had relatively little to say on the topic. On one hand, it is a reaction to the health and wealth proponents. On the other hand, it is a response to those whose only message about wealth is that it should be given to the church, or perhaps more directly to high profile preachers. Barring some basic teaching on tithing that results in some material blessing down the road to the giver, we tend to rather much ignore what Jesus had to say. How can we recover Jesus' teachings on wealth and economics without falling into the trap set for us by the bad actors around us?
Growing up in Brazil, I went to church with poor people. I went to private schools with classmates from very different socioeconomic standing. They were children of diplomats and business owners. They were children of ex-pats working for multinational corporations. They were children of wealthy Brazilians who wanted them to learn English as native speakers, to advance well in society. Some were children of missionaries, like me. Over the back wall of the school property, however, was a population struggling to put a meager amount of food on the table, surviving one day to the next. Somewhere between, but closer to those over the school's back wall, were those I saw in church.
It was like living amid several different worlds and not being sure where I belonged. I lived in a nice house, but it was not ours. I was provided an quality bilingual education my parents did not pay for. I had good clothes to wear, shoes on my feet, a home library, and the freedom to study, play, and explore the world around me. By anyone's definition, I was privileged, even if our family could not hope to compete economically with most of my classmates. When I went to church, I was the one with whom other ...
Lectionary, Year B
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 10:17-31
Jesus had an inordinate amount to say about wealth during his ministry. Meanwhile, other than prosperity gospel proponents, the church has had relatively little to say on the topic. On one hand, it is a reaction to the health and wealth proponents. On the other hand, it is a response to those whose only message about wealth is that it should be given to the church, or perhaps more directly to high profile preachers. Barring some basic teaching on tithing that results in some material blessing down the road to the giver, we tend to rather much ignore what Jesus had to say. How can we recover Jesus' teachings on wealth and economics without falling into the trap set for us by the bad actors around us?
Growing up in Brazil, I went to church with poor people. I went to private schools with classmates from very different socioeconomic standing. They were children of diplomats and business owners. They were children of ex-pats working for multinational corporations. They were children of wealthy Brazilians who wanted them to learn English as native speakers, to advance well in society. Some were children of missionaries, like me. Over the back wall of the school property, however, was a population struggling to put a meager amount of food on the table, surviving one day to the next. Somewhere between, but closer to those over the school's back wall, were those I saw in church.
It was like living amid several different worlds and not being sure where I belonged. I lived in a nice house, but it was not ours. I was provided an quality bilingual education my parents did not pay for. I had good clothes to wear, shoes on my feet, a home library, and the freedom to study, play, and explore the world around me. By anyone's definition, I was privileged, even if our family could not hope to compete economically with most of my classmates. When I went to church, I was the one with whom other ...
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