The Prayer of Jabez is at the root of the vast greed empire known as prosperity preaching, and it appears in 1 Chronicles 4:10. This is the verse: “Oh that you (God) would bless me (Jabez) indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” The last part is fine; it can be seen in a section of the Lord’s Prayer as well. It is the first part that is problematic, especially when compared to the only prayer Jesus taught His disciples. If you put them side by side, you can see that the idea of God giving us wealth and prosperity is nowhere in the prayer of Jesus. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us to ask for today’s bread, not riches or glory or favor. He tells us to live on earth as if we were in heaven. Since it is pretty widely accepted that we won’t have or need any stuff there, the idea of gaining wealth in this life isn’t a sign of God’s favor; it is the attribute of many different things, including hard work and luck.
When Jesus spoke about wealth, He used it as a metaphor in a number of ways. Wealth was to be gained and used morally. Wealth was a trap that could make us believe we would be untouched by pain and suffering. Our use of money was a sign of how we would behave with other, more important things. And while Jesus said that the poor would always be with us, I don’t think He meant that as a good thing. The context seems more like Jesus was discouraged than anything else. And it isn’t that we shouldn’t have wealth; Jesus spent a lot of time with people of all economic levels. I think Jesus was more concerned about how we make our money and how we use our money than He was with the amount in our bank accounts. Greed makes us afraid of losing what we have. Generosity brings life.
To preach that God gives more to those God loves more is the exact opposite of the teachings of Jesus. The Beatitudes are a perfect example of this; we are blessed when times are tough, not when we are full or rich or happy. Being blessed by God is not what we often say it is; winning in life isn’t because the losers aren’t loved. Life is far more complicated than that. I think Jesus taught that generosity is the source of blessings; it is when we give to others that we experience the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are to be used, the Apostle Paul said, to build up the community, not for personal gain. The first formal Christian community lived in a socialist paradise (until it wasn’t – that’s for another day). Good theology speaks to sharing – Bad Theology extols hoarding. Good theology promotes equity – Bad Theology supports individual gain. From a Jesus point of view, we win when we lose. We are first when we are last. We are blessed when we give, not when we gain. Sharing what we have is a Jesus thing to do. Hoarding is not.
Prayer – Forgive us for blaming the poor in their poverty by pitting You against them. Teach us to do good and to do well so that we can share with others. Amen.
Today’s art is “Greed’s Last Feast” by Arlie Marshall