Prof. Matthew UMUKORO

 

Human nature abhors poverty and prefers prosperity, just as we naturally opt for pleasure instead of pain, But many modern-day Christian pastors preach the Gospel of Pleasure and Prosperity, assuring their members that pain and poverty have been banished from their lives for ever. Yet, Jesus has repeatedly pointed out that wealth is a potential distraction from focusing on the Kingdom of God. He tells his disciples: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew, 19:24). The ‘eye of a needle’ metaphor is believed to refer to the smaller gate into Jerusalem which was difficult for a fully-loaded camel to pass through, without first being divested of its encumbrances. Even then, it would still have to crawl on its belly to be able to enter.

 

This is also similar to the advice Jesus prescribes during his Sermon on the Mount as stated in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter ye in at the straigth gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because straigth is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

        The road to the Crown passes through the Cross, and the individual follower of Christ must carry his or her own cross to gain the ultimate pleasure that lies beyond the ordeal. Even the humanity of the divine Jesus initially recoiled at the prospect of tasting the bitter cup during his agony in the Garden, but immediately submitted himself to God’s will.

Any teaching that denies pain and suffering on the road to salvation is patently false and misleading, for blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. Temporary terrestrial pain cannot be equated with eternal damnation in hell, and a choice has to be made between the two, by every living individual, whether we like it or not.

        Jesus himself tasted both pain and pleasure. He made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem the week before his persecution began, riding a lowly colt instead of a horse as foretold in Zechariah 9:9. The same people that hailed him ‘Hosanna’ one day were to ask for his crucifixion shortly after, for no sin committed, while Barabas, the criminal, was publicly pardoned.

         To be sure, Jesus is not against wealth and prosperity. Rather, he is against the worship of mammon, where wealth is placed above everything else, including the love of God and man. “No man can serve two Masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew, 6:24).  The wealthy man who claimed to have observed all the commandments missed heaven just because he was unable to follow the Lord’s command to dispose of his enormous wealth and give it to the poor, to gain heavenly treasure (Matthew, 19:21). 

Instead of undue attachment to wealth and other vain possessions, the Lord enjoined: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The centurion at Capernaum whose servant was sick of the palsy was both influential and wealthy, but he considered himself unworthy for Jesus to come under his roof, “but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed” (Matthew, 8:9). So significant is his statement that it has been incorporated into the Eucharistic liturgy. This exemplifies the sort of humility Jesus expects of the rich and powerful, to enable them join the centurion in heaven.

        Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), a Scottish-American philanthropist proclaimed the Gospel of Wealth in an 1889 article of that title, calling on the rich to use their wealth to improve the society. In other words, apart from playing down on their wealth, the rich are expected to share their wealth with the less privileged in order to gain eternal kingdom. Hoarding or selfish appropriation of God-given wealth is thus a sin of both commission and omission. The Bible is full of wealthy and powerful people who used their wealth to further the Kingdom of God.

Abraham, Job, David, Solomon, Cornelius, among others, were not poor by any means. Solomon chose wisdom and knowledge for effective governance of his people, over and above material possessions, but God granted him enormous wealth in addition, making him a successful ruler of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah, and he is credited with building the first temple in Jerusalem.

 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounced beatitudes on the poor and the persecuted for being denied terrestrial privileges which are replaced with heavenly glory, while the selfishly rich miss paradise because they have had their rewards on earth.

        To the non-Catholic, the cross carries no image because of the logical argument that Christ is no longer on the cross; but the crucifix still bears the image of crucified Christ as a constant reminder of the enormous sacrifice that Christ made for the sins of mankind, past, present, and future. Although the resurrected Christ has moved beyond the cross, the fact of his crucifixion remains undeniable. The bare cross could belong to either of the two criminals crucified simultaneously with Christ, one of whom gained a last-minute reprieve and admittance into paradise. 

        Every Christian has a cross to carry, and no human life is entirely free of trials, tribulations and temptations. The claim by some that “suffering is not our portion” is an empty wish for a life completely devoid of hardship, sickness, and poverty, Sainthood comes with a heavy price. Rather than making the unrealistic request for a crown without the cross, the true follower of Christ should pray for the spiritual capacity to carry their cross beyond the crown of thorns to the ultimate crown of glory.