“The only difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich get a longer rope to hang themselves with.” An old cowboy told me that once, and it stuck with me.
It always made me uncomfortable with how harsh Jesus seemed to be with rich people. Some of the most generous and kind people I’ve ever known have been extremely wealthy, and they use that wealth to bless others. Some rich people are stingy and mean, but isn’t the issue your heart, not your money? Why was Jesus often so blunt in speaking about the dangers of money with wealthy people—even those who seemed sincere?
Like the one rich guy who asked how to enter the kingdom, Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. The guy walked away, discouraged. As he was walking away, Jesus went for the jugular, saying,
“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!… It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” - Mark 10:20-27
The older I get, the more I see the connection between what Jesus said and what that old cowboy told me. I know why it’s hard for the rich to enter the kingdom. We’ve all got the same problems and make the same mistakes. But money buffers you from the harshest consequences of those mistakes. Wealth buys you time, space, and energy that most of us don’t get.
Are you struggling to care for your kids and put in your hours at work? When money isn’t an issue, you can hire a nanny or send them to bilingual daycare. Problems with wayward kids? Send them off to boarding school or expensive rehabs and hide them away. Car troubles? You buy a new one, which you probably already have, so you won’t end up with those car problems that come with driving a vehicle with 200,000+ miles on it.
The problem isn’t the money. The problem is what the money does. It buffers you from suffering. And suffering, for whatever reason, is the tool God has chosen to use to transform us into his image. There’s a verse in Acts that says the disciples went around encouraging the believers, telling them,
“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”. 14:22
That doesn’t sound like much encouragement to me. I wish he’d said we enter the kingdom through many donuts or ice cream. But the disciples had seen firsthand that the path to strength and, ultimately, redemption is through suffering. Necessary suffering transforms us. When you can buy your way out of suffering, you miss out on the work it does in your soul. That’s why James said,
“Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
Money can buy you out of suffering. But, even with money, eventually, you’ll face challenges in life that you can’t buy your way out of. You can send your wayward kids away, but they’re your kids, and you’ll always be dealing with the struggle of that relationship. You can buffer yourself with walls, security guards, and private jet travel, but if you venture out at all, you’ll be faced with the discomfort of reality. The finest and most modern medical care can prolong your life, but eventually, your time will come. You can’t buy your way out of death.
Perhaps the most diabolical problem with wealth is that it has a way of deceiving you. When you have the money to set up the world to your liking and remove discomfort, you have time to think up lofty ideas about reality that are completely disconnected from actual reality. You live in a bubble and are completely out of touch. Like the queen who was told, “There is no bread for your subjects.” And she reportedly responded, “Then let them eat cake.” The idea of lack can become so foreign to the rich that they propose ideas that are completely disconnected from reality. And they think themselves heroic and magnanimous while they do it. They hold fundraisers and pat themselves on the back for their generosity and brilliant ideas. Are the people they are helping actually at these high-ticket events? No, of course not. Sure, they may bring one in, dress it up, and parade it around as an exhibit to raise more money. But apart from that event, the poor have no access to that world.
Jesus showed up right in the middle of this as “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces.” (Isaiah 53:3) Or as an immigrant who crossed the border in Texas and was sent to Martha’s Vineyard. The very people the rich claim to care about and hold fundraisers and lobby the government to help, when in their backyard, they run them out. “Care for them somewhere else, we’ll send money.” And this is why Jesus was so savage with the rich. Wealth blinds you. But his truth opens your eyes and sets you free. Suffering is what sanctifies us. And here’s the thing. I am the rich. Really. I’m prone to everything, to a degree, I just wrote about. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.
May we be those who humbly recognize we're all in the same boat -- we're all in desperate need of grace. May we embrace the suffering of life that transforms us and stand in solidarity with those who have fewer resources than us because the only difference between the rich and the poor really is that the rich get a longer rope to hang themselves with. Let's use that same rope to throw to those who are drowning.
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He speaks at churches, conferences, and corporate events around the country and is the author of seven books, including Vision Map (Moody Press), Connecting the Dots, and Keep It Light. (Salem/Regnery) He and his wife Emily and daughter Elise live in Texas.
Find out more at: http://joelmalm.com
