The Rich and the Poor Have This in Common
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9; Mark 7:24-37
This really happened. At a megachurch in Illinois. The pastor, Rev. James McDonald, dressed as a homeless man and camped outside his church for a couple of Sundays. It was a test to see how his parishioners would respond. He had someone secretly video what happened. The video begins with the pastor dressed in layers of clothes with a fake beard and long gray hair pushing a shopping cart toward the church. When he reaches the church, he sits at the entrance to the sanctuary and takes out a cup to receive coins.
The first people to arrive pass by the pastor/homeless man without offering any help.
He begins to speak to passersby. “The closer a person is to us and the less common the struggle, the easier it is to love,” he says. “How common is homelessness?” he asks. “How frequently is the homeless person someone dear to us personally?” He answers, “Never.”
The last Sunday of this test is especially dramatic. On the last Sunday, he enters the sanctuary of the church. He slowly pushes his shopping cart down the center aisle. The ushers must have been in on this. The sanctuary is full of people. They watch as he reaches the chancel steps, walks up to the pulpit, and begins to take off the costume and reveal his true identify. This is what he said to his congregation that day:
So I took a few moments a couple of weeks ago and camped outside (our church) …. I wanted to see how we were doing when it is hardest to love. Do you know that your father in Heaven is giving the same graces to the person that is hardest for you to love? …He doesn’t play favorites. He is giving the grace to everyone. If we are going to love like our father in Heaven loves, we don’t get to play favorites (either).
Someone asked him how his congregation did in the test. Did they pass or fail? He said they were “awesome.” He said that underneath the beard and the rest of the costume he was weeping because of the kindness of the people. Some gave him money. Others offered him food or comfort or prayers. The video, which you can watch online, ends with these words of Jesus, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (The Christian Post, October 16, 2018)
The Old Testament book of Proverbs puts it this way: “The rich and the poor have this in common; the Lord is the maker of them all.”
I sometimes hear people say, “Pastor, I don’t like the Old Testament. The God of the Old Testament seems mean and vindictive. I much prefer the God of the New Testament.” I get that. There are parts of the Old Testament that give me a bit of consternation too. But the Old Testament gets this right: how to care for the poor and vulnerable of the land. They didn’t have the social services we have today, so the people took care of each other. It was written into the laws of the Old Testament. In the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, farmers, which was just about everyone, were commanded not to harvest the edges of their fields. That grain was to be left for the poor. They were told that some grapes from their vineyards were to be left ungathered. They were to be left behind for the poor and immigrants. Deuteronomy specifically says to leave some for widows, immigrants, and orphans. Neighbors took care of neighbors.
They even taught this to their youth. The book of Proverbs was their textbook. Scholars think the book of Proverbs was originally an instruction manual for Jewish adolescents. The sages of the community would take the youth aside and teach them the values of the community.
The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart,
and do not rely on your own
insight.
In all your ways acknowledge
him,
and he will make straight your
paths.
The boys were told to stay away from “loose women.” Good advice. Boys and girls were told to keep their fathers’ commandments and their mothers’ teachings. They were taught to not be cruel to animals, to work hard, respect their elders, seek wisdom, and avoid the company of fools. In chapter 22, our text for today, they were taught the importance of a good name, an honorable name, a good reputation. A good name, the sages taught, is to be favored over gold and silver. I would agree. And then this. They were reminded of what the rich and the poor have in common. God made them both, the sages said. Those who plant and harvest the land and those who gather scraps along the edges. God made both. Then the sages told them this, “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.”
God does not play favorites, and neither should we.
A heresy is alive in some churches in this country. It is called the Prosperity Gospel, and it is strong in mostly affluent, suburban, evangelical churches. It is sometimes called the Health and Wealth Gospel. Some critics call it the Name It and Claim It Gospel. Its sharpest critics call it the Gospel of Greed. It focuses on your own material blessings: abundant financial wealth, good health, fine clothes, expensive houses, luxury cars, and success in business. You know, all those things Jesus talked about. Jim and Tammy Fay Bakker popularized the Prosperity Gospel in the 1980s. Today pastors like Joel Olsteen, Paula White, and T. D. Jakes, evangelists like Kenneth Copeland and appropriately named Creflo Dollar, and many others preach this Prosperity Gospel. Here’s how it works. The preachers claim we all have a right to health and wealth. To unlock these blessing from God we must do two things. First, we must envision it. See yourself driving your Rolls Royce into the driveway of a multi-million dollar house. Picture yourself rising from that hospital bed where you are undergoing chemotherapy. People are encouraged to say it aloud. Name it, they say. Then claim it. Then you must sow seeds of faith, which means giving your tithes and offerings to the church. Give now, they say, and get later.
Some of these preachers of the Prosperity Gospel live like rock stars, living in multi-million dollar houses, driving luxury cars, and flying in private jets, all purchased with the seeds of faith sown by the faithful.
Here’s the cruel part to the Prosperity Gospel. Your blessing is supposedly an indication of God’s favor. The greater your blessing, the more God favors you. But what if your blessing doesn’t materialize? No multi-million dollar house. No Rolls Royce in the driveway. No remission of your cancer. The implication is that God does not favor you.
The Washington Post identified the Worst Ideas of the Decade of the early 2000s. It included vaccine scares, the Battle of Bora Bora, where Osama ben Laden escaped U.S. capture, the Torture Memos related to Guantanamo Bay prisoners, and others. Another of their Worst Ideas of the Decade was the Prosperity Gospel. And it is growing even stronger in this decade.
God doesn’t play favorites. God gives grace to all: rich, poor, healthy and unhealthy. It doesn’t mean you will become rich or that your cancer will go away. God’s grace is much deeper than that. God doesn’t play favorites, and if God doesn’t, we shouldn’t either.
I think the sages of ancient Israel got it right. The rich, the poor, all God’s people have this in common. God made us all. We all have a common Maker, which makes us all brothers and sisters to each other. We all share a common humanity. We all come innately with worth and dignity. God intended that we would be neighbors taking care of neighbors. Let us teach that to our youth. Let us practice that with one another and our community. And let us always remember these words of our Lord: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Closing Prayer
Lord, save us from greed. Save us from covetousness. Shape us to be more like your Son, our Lord, who came not to be served but to serve and giv
his life as a ransom for many. Amen.
