Was Jesus Wealthy or Poor?
Matthew 2:1 Wise men (not just
three but, perhaps, many wise men) from the east bearing gifts of Gold.
How much gold? A hundred pounds? More? A caravan of camels can
carry a tremendous weight of gold. They knew they were searching for a
King. The queen of Sheba (I Kings 10:2) brought “ a very great train, with
camels, that bear spices and very much gold..” Solomon. A little
gold went a long ways in those days.
Jesus earthly father, Joseph, had a
(relatively) good high-paying profession. He had money to provide a house
for Mary and Jesus to live in for two years in Bethlehem. (Mathew 2:11,
“And when they (the wise men) were come into the house, they saw the young
Child” not baby). Part of the wise men’s gold financed the trip to Egypt
and 3-5 years living expenses for the family.
Jesus had a ministry team of 12 core
staff and numerous fulltime and part-time followers. The ministry had to
be prosperous and properly funded to support 3.5 years of
evangelism. The ministry headquarters was at Capernaum on the Sea of
Galilee. Mark 2:1 says Jesus “was in the house”. Couldn’t Jesus own
a house? One big enough to provide rooms for His staff? Lakefront
property! When He stayed at other people’s houses the owners were
identified by name, Zacchaus (Luke 19); Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Luke
10:38-42). Matthew owned a house, Luke 5:29, big enough for a “great
banquet” with a “large company of tax collectors and others”. Peter owned
lakefront property too, Matthew 8:14, and at least one “ship”. Fishing was
at least an upper middle class business. Fully equipped fishing boats,
today and they, are very expensive. Peter, Matthew, James and John, and
the others were “astonished out of measure” at the teaching of the difficulty of
the rich man entering the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:17-31). There were two
reasons they were astonished. 1. They were, themselves, “rich
men”. 2. They did not yet understanding that Jesus was teaching
about loving money being evil. We are to love God and to love
people. Having money and using it to serve others and to finance the
expansion of the Gospel is good.
Jesus’ followers, included the very
wealthy and very powerful. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (John
19:38-42) were secret followers as were the aforementioned Zacchaus (Luke
19); Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Also, according to Josephus, Pilate’s wife
(Matthew 27:19) was a follower.
Jesus ministry had a treasurer, Judas,
the keeper of the bag. Jesus ministry was constantly giving money to
the poor. At the last supper, John 13:29-30, Judas left unexpectedly and
the others assumed that Jesus had sent him to give alms to the poor.
Evidently this was a commonplace occurrence because they did not find it unusual
at all.
Jesus wore designer clothes! In
John 19:23-24 the solders cast lots for His valuable tunic. It is
described as “seamless, woven (in one piece) from the top throughout.
Roman soldiers would not argue over a worthless item of clothing.
Philippians 2:7 says that Jesus
took on the form of a servant. Rich people can serve others too. He
came to serve, to teach, and He came so “that we might have life more
abundantly”. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you
through His poverty might become rich. When the Prince of Heaven became a
man he became relatively poor. He had to have significant financial
resources to travel and to minister effectively.