Thread: Jesus became poor

So where does it say that ? It says that somewhere in the main NT discourse on church finances, 2 cor 8 and 9.

The context is believers giving of their abundance to other believers who have a lack, and this being an act of grace (8:6-7). Then we have the verse that says that Jesus became poor :

9 For you know the grace*of our Lord Jesus Christ,*that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,*so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Their act of grace was in giving of their abundance to those who had lack. Jesus' act of grace was in becoming poor (literally crouched as in beggarly) so that we would become rich. Not indirectly, our riches are said to come through his poverty.

Nothing is given to any of us except through the new covenant which is based on the redemption. The redemption did not begin until the cross. Nothing Jesus ever did before that had any redemptive effect, at most it functioned as a prelude to the actual redemption. Therefore it is absolutely impossible that the verse would specifically speak of Jesus' walk during his ministry prior to the cross.

Specifically it speaks of his crouched, beggarly poverty and absolute lack in every possible sense as he died on the cross, forsaken by God. By that poverty, we might become rich. In every sense, and particularly in eternity. Just like he was rich before his incarnation. His walk was of course somewhere in between those two extremes but exactly what that walk was like matters little to the big picture of going from the throne to the cross and the grave or Sheol. Any scenario would qualify as an in between. Which was what it was, his transition from riches to poverty began with that walk, just like our transition from poverty to riches begins with our walk in him, in this world. And is completed when we receive our reward in heaven.

Do I think Jesus became poor as in crouched down and beggarly during his walk ? No. That is crippling poverty and is still the definition for being truly poor in many parts of the world. Even Jain monks arent technically crippling poor as long as they are in an environment where Jain non-monks will give them the food that they require. Crippling poverty is when someone isnt sure when they will have food again or when they have no idea if they will be able to shelter themselves from the cold. Possible remedies may be begging or if the begging isnt enough, prostitution or other criminal activities. In many cases begging will keep people crippling poor but alive. I'm not talking about professional beggars who beg from rich people, i'm talking about those who beg within their local communities. Having no relatives or being mentally or physically incapacitated may be the root cause. Slavery may also be the root cause where people are kept alive and able to perform work but still crippling poor, having no belongings. Or being a refugee who is fleeing with nothing more than the clothes on his back.

That is how poor Jesus became and that happened on the cross where he was stripped of everything and to the point of death, in our place. Before that he had no real lack, only shifting and difficult circumstances. Plus what he imposed on himself like fasting out in the wilderness, but that was not in order that he would feel or appear to be crippling poor.

Do you consider John the Baptist crippling poor

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

Do you consider John the Baptist crippling poor

I'm not sure what to think of him because he had disciples that were able to take care of his needs. He lived a lifestyle in the wilderness of eating wild honey and stuff like (he also drank no wine, a staple at that time) but it seems to have been a matter of choice which makes him more of an eccentric than poor. There is nothing that indicates that he didn't have proper shelter, proper clothing and enough food to sustain himself.
The general rule of the rabbis of that time was that they were required to support their disciples and in turn that typically required that people with means supported the rabbis themselves like was the case with Jesus. To which degree they then chose to live simple or even eccentric lifestyles is a different matter. In Jesus' case whatever lifestyle they chose was quite clearly not an expression of a lack of influx of money into his ministry, the Bible mentions faithful supporters from near the top of society.

We know that Jesus' family were (at least originally) relatively poor because they offered the poor version of the required sacrifice after Jesus was born, two pigeons. The day workers would qualify as crippling poor when they were unable to find work, as their pay was the cost of simple food for one day. Joseph was a carpenter which suggests regular employment and a steady supply of food. The family of John the Baptist was not from the poorer segment of the population, however :

Luke 1:8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

His father Zechariah was a priest serving in the temple which excludes poverty. They were quite old so they could have died and orphaned John the Baptist and we don't know what he was doing until he became a preacher in the wilderness. But his birth was not lowly and that mattered in those days. So he was most likely living his simplistic lifestyle entirely by choice.

I believe that Jesus was neither poor nor rich while on this earth. He lived in a way where He trusted the Father for all necessities of life. He had no jets to fly so he "flew" with the devils on middle class donkeys. He was not like Trump with his billions but identified with those who are poor who had to exercise their faith to make it. And He did! He had a powerful faith and lived a life of miracles.