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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 5, 2007 It’s Dangerous to be Rich |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, February 5, 2007 by Fritz Foltz
Luke 6: 24-26 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 ‘Woe to you who are Full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
In my neighborhood rich was bad. Everyone in my gang was poor. None of us wanted to be rich. We knew how they treated us. We didn’t like their kind. There was no way we wanted to be like them.
Actually one kid who was kind of in our gang was rich. We liked what he provided: the ball we used and the field on which we played. But he was never totally one of us, because when he got mad, he would take his ball and go home. When his parents were mad, they refused to let us play on their field. We didn’t want to be like them.
Now I am rich. I am like them, and it makes me very uncomfortable. There are some things I absolutely refuse to do, because I try to convince myself I am not exactly like them.
I think I know what Jesus means. There is something very dangerous about being rich.
It forces me to acknowledge what Jesus said in the beatitudes, to remember Matthew has a different version, He says simply, “Blessed are the poor in heart” and let’s it go at that. Luke says, “Blessed are the poor”, nothing about spirit. Then he adds, “Woe to you if you are rich, for you have received yours already”.
I wonder if he said both of these or only one. Maybe a gospel writer revised one, but which one? Or maybe Jesus said both at different times and revised them himself. If so, did he think his first attempt was either too tough or too mild? Which was his final version?
I guess it really doesn’t matter. It still comes down to, “Be especially careful if you are rich. It is very dangerous”.
Let us pray: Keep me humble, Father. Enable me to keep all your gifts in circulation, and scare me when I don’t. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
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