DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON ONE ANOTHER OR HUMILIATE ONE ANOTHER –
FOR EVERYTHING IS GRACE, PURE GRACE
Sakkie Parsons
Someone wrote to me as follows:
“I am very sad and upset, Sakkie, because a man who is very wealthy looked down on someone in my family who is struggling to make ends meet, and he humiliated him badly in front of others in a joking manner.”
I share my response with you as follows:
Our Lord has nothing against people who are wealthy.
After all, it is He who allowed them to have what they have.
But the Word, as I understand it, gives a very, very serious warning to such people. According to my understanding of Scripture, it can be summarized as follows:
Wealth gives you an easy, level road through this life—as far as this life is concerned.
But because human nature is what it is, with the nature we have, it becomes a frighteningly difficult road through this life toward heaven.
And the frightening part of walking toward heaven in this way is that—just like in the case of high blood pressure—you do not experience the great danger until it is too late.
For the greatest danger for wealthy people is not always that they do the wrong things, but that they do not do the right things, because they do not believe that they are heading in the wrong direction. Their wealth—consciously, or in many cases unconsciously—places them in their own minds just slightly above other people, and even above their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let us take the rich man about whom Jesus tells us in Luke 16:19–31.
As I always say when I speak about him:
We read nowhere that he lived a sinful life.
In fact, if we read only Luke 16:19, Jesus actually speaks about him positively—from a human point of view.
He was rich, and he enjoyed his wealth.
There is nothing wrong with that, is there?
So why does he then open his eyes in hell?
Well, it is obvious when you remember what ultimately is the only way to escape eternity in hell—and that is to arrive on the other side of the grave together with Jesus.
Therefore, as I also always tell people when we discuss this passage of Scripture:
It is not what the rich man did that caused him to end up in hell.
It is what he did not do that caused him to end up in hell.
Wealthy Christians usually become so blasé about their faith and their Christianity that they do not notice how they drift further and further away from Jesus. They do not even realize that Jesus has already disappeared over their Christian horizon—and when they arrive on the other side of the grave, Jesus is completely out of their sight.
Then they discover that they disconnected themselves from Jesus long ago, even though they sat in church every Sunday and—even in some cases—served on every possible committee because of their money.
I can truly show you many examples from Scripture of how dangerous and difficult the road to heaven is for people with great wealth—but I will limit myself to the following:
Matthew 13:22
And the one who was sown among the thorns—this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (In the end he ends up in hell)
Do you see what you read there?
Matthew 13:22
“…and he becomes unfruitful.”
He was not unfruitful.
He was fruitful—but he became unfruitful.
Put differently:
He was on his way to heaven, but is now on his way to hell.
Matthew 13:22
And the one who was sown among the thorns—this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and (in the end he ends up in hell) he becomes unfruitful.
James 5:1-2
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
Luke 1:51–53
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
1 Timothy 6:9-10
9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Someone might say that I am exaggerating somewhat, and even add that I am quoting Scripture out of context.
Well then, I simply underline everything I have set before you with the words Jesus Himself spoke on one occasion:
Matthew 19:24
“I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
Being rich is therefore not wrong – but it is a danger of drifting away from Jesus.
To be filled with pride and self-exaltation, looking down on someone who does not possess wealth, is an insult to his Creator:
Proverbs 14:31
Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors Him.
1 Corinthians 4:7
For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?
James 4:6
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
James 2:5–6
“Did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith? … But you have dishonored the poor man.”
Psalm 49:16–21
16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success.
19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.
We have another glorious wealth, and I leave you now with the following:
Ephesians 3:16–19
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Greetings,
Sakkie