Tuesday , August 29 2023

Is it against Jesus teachings to get rich? Can Wealth be both physical and spiritual?

“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” said Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:19). Jesus wanted them to learn from Him, understand His Mission and His Message. Though the Message was so clear and still today, the majority of the Christian priests either didn’t understand Him or simply and consciously choose to ignore His Message.

Despite the fact that Jesus wanted us to follow his path, wanted us to spread his teaching to the world, wanted us to radiate love and compassion to every living been on earth, and in contrast to some good religious men and women, a large number of priests and monks willfully choose a different path.

“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3).

Although their tongues teach us about love, forgiveness, mercy and compassion, their hearts steer into the opposite direction. Instead of leading by example, they’ve sought a luxurious life, earthly wealth and vanity.

Being rich isn’t a sin. Wealth is a powerful tool in the right hands. It enables Christians to make good use of it by helping out the most in need. While this may be true, being rich at the expense of others is an unforgivable sin. Adding bitterness and misery to people in need by emptying out their pockets contrasts with Jesus teachings, contrasts with love and compassion. And Since they’ve made a deal with the devil, they’re no longer fishers of men!

 

In fact, they have made great fortunes and built up big empires from a variety of businesses such as educational and medical institutions, printing and publishing companies, real estates and many other profitable businesses. It is equally important to mention that the church provides aid to persons in need through their charities’ institutions, but it only covers a very small part of the Christian community. Few number of priests following Jesus’s teachings helps people in need as well.

With this in mind, I really don’t understand how they can seek shiny diamonds and a mundane life while educating young generations to follow the teachings of Jesus!

In addition to that, a priest approached me and advised me to drop my classes and enroll in the ecclesiastical school to become a priest myself. “Why should I drop my classes?” I asked him. He said that I would make more money and above all he would gladly show me how.

This personal experience instilled in me painful feelings of disappointments and disgusts.

It’s time for us to understand the true Message of Jesus’s teachings, which we can summarize in one word, Love, rather than selling our soul to the devil. One question remains unclear whether those priests betrayed the church or they are still loyal to their ancient Jewish sect, the Pharisees who crucified Jesus!

Reporting by Elie Mattar; Editing by Michel Noujaim. This article appeared first in AbyadAswad.com. BEIRUT – LEBANON. Jan 27
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