Hi friends,
It’s an interesting riddle:
What do the rich and poor have in common?
It might be worth asking a friend, or taking a minute to think about it for yourself.
When I think about the question, it’s clear that we are all human. So, we share the same basic needs for food, shelter, community, emotional and intellectual capacities, and moral responsibility for our lives. We’re all mortal and face the common enemy of death.
But just listing these commonalities reveals the stark differences.
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The rich feast on luxurious foods; the poor endure hunger.
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The rich live in mansions; the poorest are without permanent shelter.
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The rich have many friends; the poor are shunned.
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The rich can access therapists; the poor must focus on surviving.
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The rich can hire lawyers to justify their decisions; the poor face harsh consequences for arbitrary reasons.
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The rich can prolong their lives with medical care; the poor usually die earlier.
Yes, we share the need for the necessities of life. But our ability to fulfill these needs is starkly different.
So, what prompted this reflection?
Today, in my quiet time, I read Proverbs 22:2. It says:
Rich and poor have this in common:
the LORD makes them all.
God’s love and concern for the poor is a theme that runs throughout the Old Testament.
So, it’s no surprise that it’s one that the New Testament authors also teach about.
For instance, in James 2:1-11 (CSB) we read,
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?
Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
George Guthrie, in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, draws out the clear implications:
In biblical theology, God is a God who chooses (e.g., Nu 16:5; Dt 4:37; 7:7; 14:2; Isa 14:1; 43:10), and his choosing to put special favor on the poor is grounded in his care for their plight (Dt 16:3; 26:7)… Thus it is not poverty per se that is affirmed here. Rather, James is reflecting on a poor person, part of the community of faith, and asserting that this person shares the high privileges and status of the kingdom, which is a kingdom that puts down the proud and lifts up the needy.
What do the rich and poor have in common?
It’s a revolutionary thought: Both are equal in dignity, worth, and value, because God makes us both.
Even more, both can be equal members of God’s family. Christ does not charge an entrance fee; anyone can come to him just by faith.
Every day, we are conditioned to view people differently. If there is a way to distinguish our social status, we do it: clothing, cars, haircuts, physical fitness, dental work… the list goes on and on.
But what happens when we see people the way that God sees us?