Jesus and Rich People
Apparently, He Didn’t Like Them
And again I say to you, 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.” Matthew 19:24
Let me begin by saying, I’m not a Christian. I’m not a card-carrying member of any religious club. I’m a humanist if I must have a label. I believe that when we need help we must turn to other humans. That’s all we’ve got. A god has never fed a hungry child. If humans don’t step up to the plate, the child will starve. So, it’s our job to create a better world for the children we insist on producing.
However …
There’s a strong movement of radicalized Christians who claim to believe in the Bible and love Jesus but don’t seem to want to follow his directives. You know — like when he said unto a rich man — “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.” Matthew 19:21
Wow! That old Matthew was not materialistic and neither was Jesus.
Yet, in this country of money worshippers, poverty is most often seen as a personal shortcoming. The only thing we truly admire is money. It’s all about money, money, money. And don’t get me started on the rich. We hate them, but we want to be them. They can be nasty, selfish, or even insane, but if they have money, we marry them, give them our undivided attention, and even try to make them our president.
Let me ask you something.
Have you ever seen a camel go through the eye of a needle? Have you ever heard of one doing so? In your wildest dreams, do you think it’s even possible for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle? I can barely thread a needle to tell you the truth. So what exactly was Jesus saying?
Hmm …
Could it be that if there’s a heaven there won’t be any rich people admitted? Will the pearly gates of this private community be closed to anyone with too much money? Yowsah! If it’s easier for a camel to crawl through the eye of a needle, then I think Jesus didn’t like rich people, didn’t admire them, and didn’t want them to be part of the next life.
They’ve been banned.
In “the best country in the world”, the number one issue that Republicans are screaming about is immigration. The names they’ve called them aren’t very flattering. These poor and desperate families are called subhumans, animals, and criminals by a former president who also claims to LOVE the Bible, and even sells Bibles. He’s supposedly super rich but was court-ordered to pay $2 million for illegally using T____ Foundation Funds. Apparently, he claimed to be a philanthropist but hadn’t read the Bible so he didn’t realize that lying is a sin.
Sorry, I didn’t want to write his name thus T____.
If this is as good as it gets to be a so-called Christian nation, then we’re doomed. Of course, we’re not a Christian nation but the radical right has been pushing an agenda spawned by Christian nationalists. They’re grabbing power while ignoring the commands of the very god they claim to adore. It’s a scam. They’re a fraud. Trust me, I could list hundreds of verses the Christian movement ignores. Sometimes, I wonder if they’ve ever read the Bible.
I know you know who hasn’t.
In the meantime, we’re living in a world where social progress is desperately needed. We need to limit the power of the super-wealthy, raise the wages of the poor, improve the safety nets for those who’ve fallen upon hard times, help those who are disadvantaged, and acknowledge that there is room in our society for immigrants.
Otherwise, we’re not Christians.
We’re not even good humanists. We’re an abysmal failure and have no idea what constitutes a great society. We aren’t pro-life. Instead, we’ve embraced competition over cooperation and sharing. Human suffering doesn’t move us to work toward anything noble or inspiring. We prefer a class system and consider the poor to be the untouchables of our modern American system. If there’s a heaven, will the gates be permanently closed to Americans?
As I said, I’m not religious, but I like your Jesus. He seems like a fine humanist. I would vote for him.
Teresa is an author and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
