Can The Rich Be Righteous?
Sermon
MONEY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Can The Rich Be Righteous; Can The Righteous Be Rich?
It was a beautiful day in Italy. Rome had been magnificent, but hot. The archaeological ruins, the magnificent churches crowned by St. Peter's, the unbelievable sculpture and art, the Catacombs, Colosseum, Circus, and Forums dazzled us like millions before us, and drew us back in time to the days of Rome's royal splendor.
Even the trees added to our memory of the pomp and circumstance which once was Rome's. Upon entering from the east, before us in the sunset was a stately line of the pines of Rome silhouetted across the peak of the hill. Many of us recalled Resphigi's marvelous tone poem, "The Pines of Rome," where the music depicts the triumphant return of the conquering Caesar. In the distance you hear the faint cadence of the drums and see the rising dust from the chariots and horses and thousands of foot soldiers.
Gradually the drums grow more intense. We seem to hear the marching minions and are startled to excitement by the majestic trumpets. Proceeding up the famous Appian Way, shaded some by the exquisite Roman pines, the drums quicken our pulse and the trumpets cause us to believe Rome is absolutely invincible and eternal, as Caesar leads his victorious armies home, the spoils and slaves of war stretching out behind for miles and miles of glory.
There were remnants of all that splendor, echoes of all that brute power and military energy for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. And for the perceptive mind and sensitive soul, the traces of administrative genius and unconquerable resolve were everywhere to be found. Ah, Rome! Dusty, hot museum of glory gone and faded power. Ah, Rome! Aged mother of the West, relegated to retirement with memories of dominion and triumph to be told to the attentive young.
But our next stop was a study in contrasts. No St. Peter's there with the world's largest dome. No forum where rulers of the Republic argued their views. No Colosseum for gladiators and wild beasts to battle to the death to entertain bloodthirsty crowds. No circuses for horse races and martyrdom of Christians. No Catacombs even for secret Christian worship and burial outside the walls of Rome.
None of that here as we ascend the hill toward a beautiful church and world--famous monastery. Looking out from the church and monastery, the peaceful plains with abundant crops remind us of the man who made famous this quiet place off the beaten track of the world's rich and famous. It was the village of Assisi, world renowned for its Giovanni Bernadore, later known as Saint Francis of Assisi.
In the church you can see the wonderfully simple frescoes by Giotto, the most famous being that of Saint Francis preaching to the birds. But had you been able to hear his father tell the story, he probably would have said that his son Giovanni (he would not have called him Saint Francis) preached to the birds because he was "bird--brained" himself.
Born in 1182, he soon gained the nickname Francesco, or Francis. His father, a wealthy cloth merchant, looked forward to his son's participation in the business and his share of the wealth. However, after a couple of military campaigns, Francis decided to undertake the unpleasant task of visiting the leper colony, a visit which surprisingly turned into pleasantness.
Once on a pilgrimage to Rome he thought he heard a divine command to restore that fallen house of God. Taking this quite liberally, he sold cloth from his father's warehouse to rebuild a nearby church. His father, thoroughly angered, took him before the bishop to disinherit him. So as Francis' father relinquished his fatherhood over Francis, Francis said he had no father but the Father in heaven.
Strangely and ironically, the demand by Jesus to the rich, young ruler of the first century was answered by a rich, young man twelve centuries later in Assisi. Francesco said, "Yes, Lord, I'll sell everything I have, including my inheritance, so that I might enter your Kingdom."
Soon he was assisting the poor, helping the lepers, restoring churches, preaching the gospel to the people. He and his growing band of followers had no money, depending only upon the gifts of the gracious. Soon the Franciscan Order became a powerful force not only in religion, but in agricultural and other innovations, and remains a powerful force to this day.
"Can the rich be righteous?" Francis asked himself. And for an answer he gave up everything to follow Christ. That is one reason why only two years after his death he was canonized "Saint Francis."
The question still haunts us: Can the rich be righteous? Can we be rich and be a part of the Kingdom of God? Can we be well--to--do and expect to enter heaven?
I.
The first answer Jesus gives is a plain, blunt, straightforward, "No!" "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God! For 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," said Jesus.
These were difficult words for the disciples to understand. In the Judaism of their day, material wealth was seen to be a sign of God's special favor and blessing. In fact a wealthy man was often presumed to be a righteous man.
These notions had their basis in the Bible itself, in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy, which suggested if a man or nation kept covenant with God, he would be spiritually and materially blessed. In other words, a well--to--do person must be one who was keeping covenant with God. Based on the popular interpretation of the Deuteronomic theology, it was expected that the wealthy man would be saved because he was obviously righteous.
"I tell you," said Jesus, "it will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven!" The disciples at that time were aghast and so are the disciples of our time.
Consequently, some scholars have speculated that the needle's eye referred to the very small gate to the city of Jerusalem where a camel, with great effort, just might be pushed and squeezed through if you removed all of his baggage first. Others have speculated that the word kamelos - camel, has been interchanged for the similar word - kamilos "cable," meaning it is easier to thread the eye of a needle with a cable than for a rich man or woman to squeeze into the gates of heaven.
But in grand hyperbole and picturesque exaggeration, Jesus made his exasperating point. Wealthy people really have a difficult time being truly righteous, because it is so easy for them to believe more in money than in God. For the hard--nosed, entrepreneurial materialist and for the genteel, old--money sophisticate, the name of the real game is money.
Money, for many of us, is presumed to buy everything. Money may be able to buy justice, but it still cannot buy happiness. It can buy sex, of course, but it cannot buy love. It can buy the fawning admiration of upwardly--mobile underlings who forever esteem the wealthy man more than the holy man.
In the days of the Civil War, a Mississippi riverboat captain from the North was approached by a Confederate general. The general offered him a generous sum of money to transport soldiers and supplies for the South. The riverboat captain declined the offer. The general raised the amount, and the captain turned him down. A third and even more generous offer was made by the general, whereupon the captain exclaimed, "Get off my boat, get off my boat, you are getting too close to my price!"
The cynics say, "Every man has his price. Name it and you possess him." Jesus was no cynic, but he knew that truth! It is difficult to be both rich and righteous, because it becomes so easy to trust money more than God. But Jesus is looking for loyalty like that of Saint Francis and of the riverboat captain who will say to the tempter, "Get off my boat, get out of my soul, before you get too close to my price."
II.
Can the rich be righteous? Only if they learn to share.
It comes as a surprise to many to learn that Christianity is the world's fastest growing religion. Buddhism and Islam may be resurgent, but not as resurgent and effervescent as Christianity. And the cutting edge of the Christianity which is growing like wildfire is led by the Protestant Pentecostal Churches.
While they are growing in this country, they are growing like wildfire in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and even China. And their growth is taking place not primarily among the rich and famous, not primarily among the celebrities and sports heroes, not primarily in the elite clubs and prestigious neighborhoods. The growth is taking place primarily among the poor, the downcast, the exploited and disinherited, the neglected and oppressed peoples of the earth. In Pentecostal assemblies the distinctions of race and class, culture and nationality are broken down. People experience an overwhelming oneness in the Spirit of God.
This phenomenon is not unlike what happened in the beginning days of Christianity. As Paul says of the Christians in Corinth, Greece, "Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth" [that is, not many were of a wealthy background] (1 Corinthians 1:26).
In the later first century church, the picture has changed considerably. In the letter of James, written perhaps around 85 or 90 A.D., we have a diatribe against the well--to--do. He writes to a church that obviously has a wealthy constituency, saying, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you - your riches have rotted and your garments are moth--eaten - your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire."
James goes on to excoriate the wealthy people who have cheated the laborers out of just wages. He further repudiates them saying, "You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure ..." and in the end the truth will condemn you. You have laid up treasures on earth instead of heaven, because you have not shared (James 5:1--6).
Just who are these rich people anyway? They must live in Westchester or on Manhattan's Upper East Side, or probably in Greenwich or Darien or even Beverly Hills or Malibu! Surely they are the people James is addressing. But the truth is, he is addressing a great number of Americans and perhaps especially those who live on the North Shore of Long Island, on the "Gold Coast" of the "Great Gatsbys," where the average household income is at least $90,000 to $100,000.
I can hear someone say, "But you've got it wrong. My name is not Whitney or Paley or Gatsby." But I can hear Jesus say, "No, I've got it right. You Americans on the North Shores of the world live better and have more than ninety percent of the world's people."
That may be, we hear ourselves telling Jesus, but we've earned it and deserve it, and besides, it costs a lot to keep up our standard of living and to live in the style to which we have become accustomed. Often both spouses are working long hours so we can afford both homes, three cars, club memberships, the boats, and nice vacations. "It's like I said," says Jesus, "you live better than ninety percent of the world's population. Are you willing to share some of it or are you going to keep it all for yourselves?"
III.
Can the rich be righteous? It's impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Some years ago at Thanksgiving time in my former church, I went to talk with the children in the nursery school. It was an annual event. That particular year I put on a black, broad--brimmed Pilgrim hat, and sat with the three--year--olds in a large circle on the carpet.
I opened my large, brown bag and gave five Tootsie Rolls each to Michael, Jennifer, and Michele. I then closed my big bag and went on talking about Thanksgiving and the importance of sharing, just hoping and praying I would get the expected reaction.
A forlorn look came over the faces of many. Others were quizzical, until finally one little guy could hold it no longer and blurted out, "Hey, what about me?" The others chimed in, "Yeah, what about us?" I asked Jennifer and Michele to share some of their Tootsie Rolls, which they gladly did. But Michael wouldn't budge. Tight--fisted, he refused to share. And wouldn't you know it: he was a regular in our Sunday school and his parents were pillars in the church!
It's almost impossible for God to do much with the tight--fisted Michaels of the church. But with the open and generous Jennifers and Micheles, almost anything is possible. Because they shared out of their abundance, they promoted a sense of community that led to more sharing.
The interesting thing about Jesus is that he didn't ask everyone to sell everything he had. Saint Francis felt called to do that, as did novelist Leo Tolstoy, whose wife had little enthusiasm for his "call." In the very next chapter of Luke, we have the story of Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector who defrauded many. Upon his conversion to Jesus' cause, he repaid the defrauded fourfold and gave to the poor. Jesus said to him that the Kingdom of God had come to his house even though Zacchaeus had plenty of remaining wealth.
But I suppose many of us remain in the frame of mind of that little nursery school boy who said, "Hey, what about me?" And like Peter, we want to say, "Hey, what about us?"
Jesus gave the famous answer of the ages. You will be rewarded with mothers and sisters and brothers and goods a hundredfold. But you have to be willing to exchange a life of narrow self--interest and limited outlook for the full and nobler and wider activities of the Kingdom of God. You need to see the joy of exchanging a small life for a great one, small pearls for the pearl of great price, small joys and cares for great joys and cares.
Years ago when the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity were held aloft during the French Revolution, a soldier wrote of his experience in the campaigns with Napoleon. "It was as if," he said, "we were marching into the dawn." That's how we feel when we really get hooked on the Kingdom of God. "It is as if we are marching into the dawn."
Can the rich be righteous? Only if they share, because with God, all things are possible.
Prayer
Almighty God who, out of your creative will, has brought forth life to bear life, seed within seed, to bring forth life abundantly and overwhelmingly, we praise you for the miracles of germination and growth and give thanks for seeds which multiply themselves a hundred, thousand, and millionfold.
You have made the world with abundance for all, but we confess our daily contests with greed and our regular struggle with compulsive acquisition. In the anxiety of abundance we worry about losing it all, and in the anxiety of power we fear becoming weak, and in the anxiety of being someone we fear becoming no one.
O God, help us to place all our anxieties upon you, knowing that you care about us, and desire that not any of us should perish. You provide for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Not a sparrow falls but you notice. Increase our faith and trust. Remind us that we hold all our possessions in trust from you. Grant us courage and compassion to open our hearts and checkbooks to share in the church work of mission and benevolence and helping. Help us to give liberally out of the abundance that is ours. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Even the trees added to our memory of the pomp and circumstance which once was Rome's. Upon entering from the east, before us in the sunset was a stately line of the pines of Rome silhouetted across the peak of the hill. Many of us recalled Resphigi's marvelous tone poem, "The Pines of Rome," where the music depicts the triumphant return of the conquering Caesar. In the distance you hear the faint cadence of the drums and see the rising dust from the chariots and horses and thousands of foot soldiers.
Gradually the drums grow more intense. We seem to hear the marching minions and are startled to excitement by the majestic trumpets. Proceeding up the famous Appian Way, shaded some by the exquisite Roman pines, the drums quicken our pulse and the trumpets cause us to believe Rome is absolutely invincible and eternal, as Caesar leads his victorious armies home, the spoils and slaves of war stretching out behind for miles and miles of glory.
There were remnants of all that splendor, echoes of all that brute power and military energy for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. And for the perceptive mind and sensitive soul, the traces of administrative genius and unconquerable resolve were everywhere to be found. Ah, Rome! Dusty, hot museum of glory gone and faded power. Ah, Rome! Aged mother of the West, relegated to retirement with memories of dominion and triumph to be told to the attentive young.
But our next stop was a study in contrasts. No St. Peter's there with the world's largest dome. No forum where rulers of the Republic argued their views. No Colosseum for gladiators and wild beasts to battle to the death to entertain bloodthirsty crowds. No circuses for horse races and martyrdom of Christians. No Catacombs even for secret Christian worship and burial outside the walls of Rome.
None of that here as we ascend the hill toward a beautiful church and world--famous monastery. Looking out from the church and monastery, the peaceful plains with abundant crops remind us of the man who made famous this quiet place off the beaten track of the world's rich and famous. It was the village of Assisi, world renowned for its Giovanni Bernadore, later known as Saint Francis of Assisi.
In the church you can see the wonderfully simple frescoes by Giotto, the most famous being that of Saint Francis preaching to the birds. But had you been able to hear his father tell the story, he probably would have said that his son Giovanni (he would not have called him Saint Francis) preached to the birds because he was "bird--brained" himself.
Born in 1182, he soon gained the nickname Francesco, or Francis. His father, a wealthy cloth merchant, looked forward to his son's participation in the business and his share of the wealth. However, after a couple of military campaigns, Francis decided to undertake the unpleasant task of visiting the leper colony, a visit which surprisingly turned into pleasantness.
Once on a pilgrimage to Rome he thought he heard a divine command to restore that fallen house of God. Taking this quite liberally, he sold cloth from his father's warehouse to rebuild a nearby church. His father, thoroughly angered, took him before the bishop to disinherit him. So as Francis' father relinquished his fatherhood over Francis, Francis said he had no father but the Father in heaven.
Strangely and ironically, the demand by Jesus to the rich, young ruler of the first century was answered by a rich, young man twelve centuries later in Assisi. Francesco said, "Yes, Lord, I'll sell everything I have, including my inheritance, so that I might enter your Kingdom."
Soon he was assisting the poor, helping the lepers, restoring churches, preaching the gospel to the people. He and his growing band of followers had no money, depending only upon the gifts of the gracious. Soon the Franciscan Order became a powerful force not only in religion, but in agricultural and other innovations, and remains a powerful force to this day.
"Can the rich be righteous?" Francis asked himself. And for an answer he gave up everything to follow Christ. That is one reason why only two years after his death he was canonized "Saint Francis."
The question still haunts us: Can the rich be righteous? Can we be rich and be a part of the Kingdom of God? Can we be well--to--do and expect to enter heaven?
I.
The first answer Jesus gives is a plain, blunt, straightforward, "No!" "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God! For 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," said Jesus.
These were difficult words for the disciples to understand. In the Judaism of their day, material wealth was seen to be a sign of God's special favor and blessing. In fact a wealthy man was often presumed to be a righteous man.
These notions had their basis in the Bible itself, in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy, which suggested if a man or nation kept covenant with God, he would be spiritually and materially blessed. In other words, a well--to--do person must be one who was keeping covenant with God. Based on the popular interpretation of the Deuteronomic theology, it was expected that the wealthy man would be saved because he was obviously righteous.
"I tell you," said Jesus, "it will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven!" The disciples at that time were aghast and so are the disciples of our time.
Consequently, some scholars have speculated that the needle's eye referred to the very small gate to the city of Jerusalem where a camel, with great effort, just might be pushed and squeezed through if you removed all of his baggage first. Others have speculated that the word kamelos - camel, has been interchanged for the similar word - kamilos "cable," meaning it is easier to thread the eye of a needle with a cable than for a rich man or woman to squeeze into the gates of heaven.
But in grand hyperbole and picturesque exaggeration, Jesus made his exasperating point. Wealthy people really have a difficult time being truly righteous, because it is so easy for them to believe more in money than in God. For the hard--nosed, entrepreneurial materialist and for the genteel, old--money sophisticate, the name of the real game is money.
Money, for many of us, is presumed to buy everything. Money may be able to buy justice, but it still cannot buy happiness. It can buy sex, of course, but it cannot buy love. It can buy the fawning admiration of upwardly--mobile underlings who forever esteem the wealthy man more than the holy man.
In the days of the Civil War, a Mississippi riverboat captain from the North was approached by a Confederate general. The general offered him a generous sum of money to transport soldiers and supplies for the South. The riverboat captain declined the offer. The general raised the amount, and the captain turned him down. A third and even more generous offer was made by the general, whereupon the captain exclaimed, "Get off my boat, get off my boat, you are getting too close to my price!"
The cynics say, "Every man has his price. Name it and you possess him." Jesus was no cynic, but he knew that truth! It is difficult to be both rich and righteous, because it becomes so easy to trust money more than God. But Jesus is looking for loyalty like that of Saint Francis and of the riverboat captain who will say to the tempter, "Get off my boat, get out of my soul, before you get too close to my price."
II.
Can the rich be righteous? Only if they learn to share.
It comes as a surprise to many to learn that Christianity is the world's fastest growing religion. Buddhism and Islam may be resurgent, but not as resurgent and effervescent as Christianity. And the cutting edge of the Christianity which is growing like wildfire is led by the Protestant Pentecostal Churches.
While they are growing in this country, they are growing like wildfire in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and even China. And their growth is taking place not primarily among the rich and famous, not primarily among the celebrities and sports heroes, not primarily in the elite clubs and prestigious neighborhoods. The growth is taking place primarily among the poor, the downcast, the exploited and disinherited, the neglected and oppressed peoples of the earth. In Pentecostal assemblies the distinctions of race and class, culture and nationality are broken down. People experience an overwhelming oneness in the Spirit of God.
This phenomenon is not unlike what happened in the beginning days of Christianity. As Paul says of the Christians in Corinth, Greece, "Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth" [that is, not many were of a wealthy background] (1 Corinthians 1:26).
In the later first century church, the picture has changed considerably. In the letter of James, written perhaps around 85 or 90 A.D., we have a diatribe against the well--to--do. He writes to a church that obviously has a wealthy constituency, saying, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you - your riches have rotted and your garments are moth--eaten - your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire."
James goes on to excoriate the wealthy people who have cheated the laborers out of just wages. He further repudiates them saying, "You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure ..." and in the end the truth will condemn you. You have laid up treasures on earth instead of heaven, because you have not shared (James 5:1--6).
Just who are these rich people anyway? They must live in Westchester or on Manhattan's Upper East Side, or probably in Greenwich or Darien or even Beverly Hills or Malibu! Surely they are the people James is addressing. But the truth is, he is addressing a great number of Americans and perhaps especially those who live on the North Shore of Long Island, on the "Gold Coast" of the "Great Gatsbys," where the average household income is at least $90,000 to $100,000.
I can hear someone say, "But you've got it wrong. My name is not Whitney or Paley or Gatsby." But I can hear Jesus say, "No, I've got it right. You Americans on the North Shores of the world live better and have more than ninety percent of the world's people."
That may be, we hear ourselves telling Jesus, but we've earned it and deserve it, and besides, it costs a lot to keep up our standard of living and to live in the style to which we have become accustomed. Often both spouses are working long hours so we can afford both homes, three cars, club memberships, the boats, and nice vacations. "It's like I said," says Jesus, "you live better than ninety percent of the world's population. Are you willing to share some of it or are you going to keep it all for yourselves?"
III.
Can the rich be righteous? It's impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Some years ago at Thanksgiving time in my former church, I went to talk with the children in the nursery school. It was an annual event. That particular year I put on a black, broad--brimmed Pilgrim hat, and sat with the three--year--olds in a large circle on the carpet.
I opened my large, brown bag and gave five Tootsie Rolls each to Michael, Jennifer, and Michele. I then closed my big bag and went on talking about Thanksgiving and the importance of sharing, just hoping and praying I would get the expected reaction.
A forlorn look came over the faces of many. Others were quizzical, until finally one little guy could hold it no longer and blurted out, "Hey, what about me?" The others chimed in, "Yeah, what about us?" I asked Jennifer and Michele to share some of their Tootsie Rolls, which they gladly did. But Michael wouldn't budge. Tight--fisted, he refused to share. And wouldn't you know it: he was a regular in our Sunday school and his parents were pillars in the church!
It's almost impossible for God to do much with the tight--fisted Michaels of the church. But with the open and generous Jennifers and Micheles, almost anything is possible. Because they shared out of their abundance, they promoted a sense of community that led to more sharing.
The interesting thing about Jesus is that he didn't ask everyone to sell everything he had. Saint Francis felt called to do that, as did novelist Leo Tolstoy, whose wife had little enthusiasm for his "call." In the very next chapter of Luke, we have the story of Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector who defrauded many. Upon his conversion to Jesus' cause, he repaid the defrauded fourfold and gave to the poor. Jesus said to him that the Kingdom of God had come to his house even though Zacchaeus had plenty of remaining wealth.
But I suppose many of us remain in the frame of mind of that little nursery school boy who said, "Hey, what about me?" And like Peter, we want to say, "Hey, what about us?"
Jesus gave the famous answer of the ages. You will be rewarded with mothers and sisters and brothers and goods a hundredfold. But you have to be willing to exchange a life of narrow self--interest and limited outlook for the full and nobler and wider activities of the Kingdom of God. You need to see the joy of exchanging a small life for a great one, small pearls for the pearl of great price, small joys and cares for great joys and cares.
Years ago when the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity were held aloft during the French Revolution, a soldier wrote of his experience in the campaigns with Napoleon. "It was as if," he said, "we were marching into the dawn." That's how we feel when we really get hooked on the Kingdom of God. "It is as if we are marching into the dawn."
Can the rich be righteous? Only if they share, because with God, all things are possible.
Prayer
Almighty God who, out of your creative will, has brought forth life to bear life, seed within seed, to bring forth life abundantly and overwhelmingly, we praise you for the miracles of germination and growth and give thanks for seeds which multiply themselves a hundred, thousand, and millionfold.
You have made the world with abundance for all, but we confess our daily contests with greed and our regular struggle with compulsive acquisition. In the anxiety of abundance we worry about losing it all, and in the anxiety of power we fear becoming weak, and in the anxiety of being someone we fear becoming no one.
O God, help us to place all our anxieties upon you, knowing that you care about us, and desire that not any of us should perish. You provide for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Not a sparrow falls but you notice. Increase our faith and trust. Remind us that we hold all our possessions in trust from you. Grant us courage and compassion to open our hearts and checkbooks to share in the church work of mission and benevolence and helping. Help us to give liberally out of the abundance that is ours. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
