S32P4 – A future look at Jesus: poor

Isa. 53:8‭-‬9
After oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who concerned himself with the fact that He was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with the wicked, but He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

At the first law firm I worked out of school, I was assigned a pretty incredible legal secretary. Not only was she really good at what she did, and very attentive, but she never had a harsh word to say about anyone or anything. It was a small firm, but the environment could be rather chaotic and uncomfortable. I remember wondering how she was able to deal with my boss so gently and kindly when he was otherwise. It did not matter how he behaved or how curt he was, she always treated him as she would treat anyone else. Her loyalty and respectfulness were unmatched. If you surveyed the various positions in that office, hers was likely the lowest paid. But that did not mean that she was the poorest of us. In terms of character and spiritual riches, she had amassed the greatest wealth. She was rich where it matters

Jesus could have done as men do and tried to amass great wealth while here on Earth. He could have invested in the temporary instead of investing in the eternal. Instead, He amassed riches through the perfect kindness of his behavior and speech. Scripture tells us that there are two places where we can build wealth. We can build it here, where moths and rust can destroy. Or we can build it in heaven, where it is most secure. Jesus may have died with no possessions, but He died the richest of all because of the eternal wealth He built through his life on Earth. This is what the Father calls us to do as well. He wants our actions and our words to do what those of his Son did, which is to build eternal wealth. This does not mean that we stop being practical and completely ignore financial obligation and sensibility. It means that we make sure to focus our wealth-building efforts on the eternal as a priority.

Oh, how poor our Savior must have looked on that day. There was no time to anoint him with oil. He had no tomb of his own in which to be laid to rest. After his death, the last of his possessions, his garments, were taken by a soldier. Appearances, however, can be quite deceptive. Jesus gained the greatest riches, the highest throne, because of what He did here for us. If we must choose one place to concentrate our efforts, let It be on building eternal, spiritual wealth. Let us focus on what we build in eternity before focusing on what we build in the here and now. Let us learn to use the physical resources with which we have been blessed to affect eternity in the heavenlies. Father, teach us to be like your Son, concerned not with building earthly wealth that fades but eternal wealth that lasts.