The Third Reflection – Fruit of Greed
I think many of us agree that Jesus and the bible has a lot to say about wealth and greed. It is for that reason that I find it disturbing that some who worship Jesus are the same ones who despise it when the government gives out “handouts.” These individuals rarely seem content with any form of governmental welfare for the poor. It has been my observation as well that they seem the most eager to defend the richest among us, even though their path to such wealth is well documented to have been obtained by less than savory nature.
They call the marginalized and poor names. Instead of trying to understand their plight, I have heard some Christians close to me say that they are lazy or drug-addicted. I would encourage them to try and put themselves in the shoes of those on the street. It is a rather hard exercise even for me, if not unfathomable. I have never once slept on concrete or in a tent in 100-degree heat or blisteringly high winds on a freezing night.
Is it not our responsibility as a nation and as Christians to help the weakest among us, regardless of the reason? Why limit acts of charity to a church or personal desire? St. Basil the Great used his political and religious influence to create hospitals and expand care for the marginalized of his city. I also find it insincere that these individuals benefit, or will benefit, from social security and some are reliant on it.
So what was it that Jesus had to say about wealth and greed?
“‘Take care! be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’”
Luke 12:15 NRSVUE
Other references to greed include: Luke 11:39, 14:33, 16:14 (NRSVUE). We also have the story of the rich man and Lazarus starting at 16:19. Many like to make this a story only about heaven and hell when in fact it is also commentary on the rich man being unable to see the suffering he caused in life and how he still does not understand it in death because he continues to treat Lazarus as a servant in the afterlife.
In Matthew, we have an incredibly stern rebuke of greed and wealth. I’ve only quoted Matthew 19:21 for readability, but 22-24 are each vivid attacks on wealth made by Jesus.
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money[d] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21-24 NRSVUE
In the Hebrew Bible, we have countless condemnations of Greed, here are but a few:
10 The lover of money will not be satisfied with money, nor the lover of wealth with gain. This also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 NRSVUE
The Hebrew bible has even more to say than the Greek New Testament about gross abundance and hoarding of wealth. Such as: Habakkuk 2:5, Job 20:50, Jeremiah 6:13, Ecclesiastes 5:12, Proverbs 1:19, 10:3, 11:28, 14:21, 15:27, etc. Proverbs alone has a lot to say on greed; I did not provide the full list, but you get the picture.
The bible has a lot to say on greed and the pursuit of wealth. So why then do Christian Nationalists and some Evangelicals seem to have an interpretation that either ignores or softens these views?
One way I think is the overemphasis on the wealth of the Hebrew patriarchs: Abraham, Solomon, etc. While the ancients did view the rich as blessed by God, Jesus certainly did not. As I referenced Jesus’ through the eye of the needle quote, when the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” It wasn’t about how difficult it was for the rich man to get in heaven; It was about the utter hopelessness that all of the marginalized had. Their assumption was that all rich Jewish individuals were already blessed after all.
I once had an evangelical Christian tell me that a wealthy individual already has a lot of money and therefore cannot be bought. I was taken aback by that statement. I do not remember what I told them, other than they only get that unfathomable amount of money because of their incredible lust for wealth. Even if they do somehow quench that thirst, power and sex are the next things to obtain.
In a way, I think it is a good show of character that they believe one’s desire for wealth could ever be quenched. It shows their own resistance, if not naivete, to the nature of greed. I bitterly wish they were right, but it is simply not the reality of human experience.
Other famous christians, like Dave Ramsey, try to avoid the issue of accumulating wealth. They interpret the words of Jesus into hyperbole and metaphor as an excuse to continue their lust for gain. They also say that it is not theirs, that it is God’s, but they conveniently keep everything for themselves, like Ananias did.
The early Christians certainly didn’t think it was a metaphor. In Acts, Peter (or God, it’s confusing) kills a rich couple for not giving all of their proceeds to the church:
…4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died…
Acts 5:1-11 NRSVUE
The prevailing view is that his sin is about lying to peter and the church, not necessarily about the money. But I have to ask, lying about what? Is the greed simply an incidental addition to the story? I think not, considering the theme of Jesus’ teachings is an inversion of the social order. The sermon on the mount begins with an inversion: “Blessed are the poor.”
For a more historical analysis of early Christianity. Scholars such as Bart Ehrman note that the Roman Empire was utterly confused by the staggering generosity and selflessness of the Jesus movement. They created orphanages, public hospitals, and senior care houses; they were the first in Roman history, in fact. Celsus, a second-century Greek philosopher, mocked Christianity and called it a religion for “Women, little children, and slaves.” I bitterly wish that spirit were still alive in Christianity.
So what am I to make of this fruit?
In America today it is a well known stereotype that conservative Christians are close-fisted with their money, at least on a national and policy level. While I acknowledge the unfairness to judge a group based on stereotype, one needs only look at the recent actions of republicans passing the presidents “Big, Beautiful Bill.” which is considering by many economists to be the biggest shift of wealth from the lower classes to the upper class in modern history.1
If this series reveals nothing, it should reveal at least the hypocrisy of the actions of evangelicals in politics. These fruits make me bitter indeed.
Footnotes/Citations
