I’ve heard many things regarding the financial status of Jesus when He walked in the earth.
Those who thought He was rich point to the guards gambling for His clothes—who would gamble for rags? Or the fact that He had a treasurer—would a poor man need someone to watch the money? Or the fact that many rich women supported His ministry, or that He and Joseph had a successful carpentry business before He began His ministry.
Those who say He was poor say He had nowhere to lay His head—their literal translation of that phrase has Him sleeping on a park bench somewhere, covered in newspaper. Or those who say Mary’s offering for Him as a baby was a poor person’s offering—turtledoves instead of a lamb.
But the reason I know He was rich was that a curse without cause cannot alight. [Proverbs 26:2] Wealth accompanies righteousness.
Because as many as are the promises of God, IN HIM they are yes [2 Corinthians 1:20] and there is no time limit, either back or forward, in that verse.
Because in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [Colossians 2:3]—read the book of Proverbs to see what those might be. Hint: they’re not poverty or lack… He was without sin—so the curse, or penalty of sin as described in Deuteronomy 28 or anywhere else in the Old Covenant could not alight on Him…and that curse includes not only sickness but poverty, lack and debt as well. [Deuteronomy 28:15-68]
We don’t read anywhere in the New Covenant that He was ever sick. Why would we assume that He was poor? And while Mary and Joseph may have been poor to start with—the Bible doesn’t really say—the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, enough for them to make the trip to Egypt and live there for 2 years without becoming slaves or worse.
Poor people would not have been able to make that trip, whether their provision and protection came from the wealth the Magi brought or from the supernatural provision of God…either way, they were not poor.
You see, the riches HAD to come, because the Word states that there is great wealth in the house of the righteous…wealth and riches are in his HOUSE! [Psalm 112:3, Proverbs 15:6]
In fact, that’s why the wise men brought riches to Him—the Word had to be fulfilled in His life, and they were one of the conduits of the fulfillment of those promises! We know that the Word does not describe every detail of Jesus’ life—John said if all the things He did were written, the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. [John 21:25]
He wasn't on the earth very long before people were bringing him wealth. And the three wise guys with little boxes theory has pretty much been debunked...it was evidently a caravan or wealth-laden camels. No where in the Word does it say three.
So we can assume that we don’t know everything about His life, either. Jesus WAS the Word made flesh, and that included every blessing and none of the curse, because He was the righteousness of God and without sin. So if God’s word was going to be true for anyone, it would’ve been true for Him.
He WAS every blessing, the SEED of Abraham. And we know that Abraham wasn’t poor by any standard. If God blessed Abraham, who lied about his wife twice and let her go to a king’s harem to save his own skin, how much more would He bless the Son of His love? AND we are One Spirit with the Lord!
What about 2 Corinthians 8:9?
‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.’
Most people explain that as a factor of His laying aside His heavenly glory to come to earth as a mere man, and I think that it does mean that. But nowhere in that passage does it say that it means only that! If you’ve spent any time in the Bible, you know that each word has layer upon layer of meaning.
The same sacrifice that bought our salvation and healing also made us rich. The Blessing of Abraham has come upon us in Christ Jesus.
Another point of view
Let’s look at it another way…what’s wrong with Jesus being rich?
Wealth and riches are obviously a blessing of God—read the Old Covenant, and Jesus perfectly fulfilled it!
No, we’ve been brainwashed—hoodwinked by a lie! And why do you suppose that is? Because if we believe that Jesus was poor, we’d have to accept poverty as part of the Christian life. If we believe that He was rich, we’d have to come to grips with the fact that once born again, the same reasons for His wealth would apply to us as well.
We’ve been deceived that righteous wealth is bad…that rich people are inherently bad and poor people inherently good. If you think poverty is so wonderful, take a look at 12-year-old girls selling themselves to feed their families in third world nations. Or mothers who can’t produce enough milk to keep their babies alive. Or children with the distended bellies of starvation.
Do you really think that’s what God planned for Jesus? For us?
Why would Jesus have to die to redeem us from the penalty of sin if that penalty or curse was part of His will for us? How is it that we have fallen for such heinous heresies? Let’s face it…poor, sick Christians can’t do much in the earth for the Kingdom. And if we really examine ourselves, deep down, we don’t want to be poor or sick.
Why?
Because we know better. Because we’re one Spirit with the Lord, and as He is, so also are we in this world. [1 Corinthians 6:17, 1 John 4:17]
Because we have an anointing from Him which teaches us all things [1 John 2:20, 27] and Jesus became to us wisdom from God [1 Corinthians 1:30]
We have the mind of Christ [1 Corinthians 2:16]. We know inherently that poverty and disease and every other evil is not part of our salvation [Gr. soteria—look it up] and we know that His will is for us to reign in life through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness! [Romans 5:17]
Because we are one Spirit with the Lord and we just know. That’s why we spend so much time trying to better ourselves—we know instinctively what is good and what is not.
Wrapping it up…
Okay, okay, enough ranting. I know that Jesus wasn’t poor because God cannot lie, period. And I also know that it is not His will for us to be poor, either, no matter how many sermons are preached to the contrary.
Because as He is, so also are we in this world. Because we’ve been made the righteousness of God in Him [2 Corinthians 5:21] and a curse without cause cannot alight.
Hallelujah!
