My Favorite Verses - Vol II (Mar 15 to Jul 16)

P.S. For those who argue that Jesus himself was wealthy – and therefore was
accepting of, if not an advocate for – the accumulation & maintenance of personal riches,
please consider the following truths:
*The question is not whether or not Jesus was poor, but rather why some are so
determined to say that he wasn't -- especially when doing so would show Jesus to be at
least a partial hypocrite (see Matthew 19:21 + Mark 10:25 + the verses I mentioned in this
original post, for starters) -- and we all know how much Jesus clearly hated hypocrisy &
how much he vehemently disliked hypocrites (see Matthew 23 et al).
*Jesus clearly said, ―If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions and give
the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come thereafter and
follow me.‖ (Matthew 19:21)
*Jesus did not have a lucrative occupation ... The Greek word in Matthew for Jesus‘
occupation has been frequently translated as ―carpenter‖, and yet a more accurate
translation would change that word to ―laborer‖.
*Jesus and his disciples were actually quite poor, at least according to
archaeological evidence … Eric Meyers, a professor of archaeology at Duke University
and editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, says he has
personally excavated the village of Nazareth where Jesus lived. He pointed out that the
Bible says Jesus was so poor that he couldn‘t afford his own tomb for his burial. ―There
is no way to speak of wealth in that context,‖ he says. ―This is living at the margins of
society, eking out an agricultural existence.‖
*When Jesus was first presented in the Temple, his parents sacrificed two turtle
doves which, according to the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 12:2-8), was the sacrifice
offered by poor people.
*When a scribe came to Jesus and declared his intentions to follow him, Jesus said
to that man: ―Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have
not even a place to lay my head‖ (Matthew 8:20). Jesus did not have a home to call his
own. As an itinerant preacher he probably depended on people like Lazarus and his
family and well-to-do admirers to provide for him and his disciples.
*If Jesus‘ family was wealthy, why then did Mary in her praise say, ―He has filled
the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.‖
*In Matthew 11:7-8 Jesus noted: ―What did you go out into the wilderness to see; a
reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see; a man clothed in soft garments?
Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.‖ …
Neither John nor Jesus dressed as those who show God's blessings today with thousand
dollar suits and shoes.
*Jesus made it quite clear that his Kingdom is ―not of this
world.‖ (John 18:36)
*Jesus was buried in another man’s tomb. It is reasonable
to assume that if he (or his family) was rich, he would have
been buried in his own (or his family‘s) tomb.
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