Introduction
We move from the doubting person to some more general instructions of living as a Christian. Our focus tonight will be on the poor man and the rich man. The case for the rich and the poor stems from the trials that all believers, regardless of status, will face.
Commentators agree that the poor referred to in verse 9 are “poverty-stricken Jewish Christians” (Kent Hughes). As we discussed in verse 1 of this chapter, there were debates as to whether these brothers were Jews or Gentiles. Verse 9 helps us to better understand that these dispersed brothers were Jewish Christians.
We would all agree that the purpose of trials is twofold: 1. To bring us closer to Jesus, and 2. To humble us in some way. We have already looked at seeking wisdom from God in verse 5, and now we turn to the humility side of things.
The humble (poor) person (v.9)
The person in humble circumstances was a person who was poor financially speaking. We don’t know the cause of poverty. It could have been due to a trial or it could have been the inability to work and come up from it. One thing we cannot do for certain is that we cannot automatically attach being poor as necessary to being a Christian which is how people apply this text and the Beatitudes in Luke 6:20-21. The monastic movement that began in the 3rd century would have applauded the idea of being poor and appropriating that to a higher means of spirituality. In other words, for you and I, it is quite fine to be in our Bibles studying, having the bare necessities, all the while eating a homemade cheeseburger. By no means is this a call to live a poor and remote lifestyle in order to attain what James calls a “high position.” Nor do we have to go through intense suffering like Job in order to attain a high position. What James wants us to get at is that for the Christian who faces trials, God is humbling you and sometimes it is through financial means. It does not matter whether or not you have an abundance of goods or not. In this case, it seems as though this brother of humble circumstances does not have much thus showing the contrast between him and the rich person.
It may come to a surprise that the poor man is urged to boast. Typically, we see boasting as a bad thing or something that is negative. Here, the Greek tells us that this boasting “carries with it an emphasis of trusting in something” (Mounce). So, then, are we to boast in our high position as the text says? Why yes we should. Why? Let me ask you this. Who has given us such a high position? The Lord Jesus Christ has. These poor Christians had everything to look up to because their best life has yet to come. This is not the person of rich wealth being urged to boast in his wealth. Quite the opposite. The poor man is to boast in the exceeding riches that he has in Christ. These Christians would have rightly understood verse 8 of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 which reads, “He raises the poor from the dust; He exalts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of glory” (Psalm 113:7-8). It is Yahweh God who exalts the poor person because He is merciful, kind, and faithful to His people. Romans 8:16-17 promises this same exaltation in Christ through the Spirit by the Father>>>. Therefore, any person who is poor at this current moment, yet has trusted in Christ has every reason to boast! Listen! This world is not our home, whether rich or poor, let us fix our eyes upon Jesus who has fixed us a place in heaven that is far better than any wealth on this earth.
For the poor person, I would say further that every Christian must only boast in what Christ has done. Galatians 6:14 puts the proper place of boasting in perspective>>>. Whether it be financial straits or physical affliction all such boasting is done unto the Lord. Paul speaks of boasting amidst the thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” You could easily equate weakness to any difficulty that is not self-inflicted. I am sure each of us can point to a time where life was hard. In that hard time or place to whom did you turn to, to Whom did you boast in? In the same way with these poor Christians, God lovingly uses circumstances and situations to humble us. The question is, are we ready to go through them?
The Greek word for boasting also means ‘to rejoice’ (Mounce). I bring this up because we can boast in Christ to say that we did it, but is there joy in this boasting? Remember when James said to “count it all joy” when enduring trials? I ask you this, do you consider those moments of poverty or affliction as times to rejoice in what God is doing in those moments? I ask because this is what James is desiring for the brother who is afflicted with poverty. It very well could have been the case that these brothers were experiencing this because, afterall, they are scattered everywhere. No longer were they in the comforts of their own homes and familiar surroundings. A verse that would have been encouraging to them and is encouraging to us is 2 Corinthians 8:9 where Paul is telling of the great cost to Jesus it was being poor although having accessibility to riches that you and I cannot fathom. In other words, if Jesus can become poor and rejoice in it, what excuse do I have for not doing the same?
What is this ‘high position’ that James refers to? Is it a status of great wealth after years and years of poverty? Professor Robert Plummer of Southern Seminary in Kentucky suggests that James “could mean that the lowly brother should exult in his current high status of being, by faith, seated with Christ in the heavenly places or…a forward looking referent, anticipating the ultimate status of the lowly brother in his final, glorified state, free from all want or pain.” Whatever this high position is, it is a means of boasting in it because this high position is in Christ.
The rich person (vv.10-11)
This text is often used for people to claim that rich people cannot get to heaven because they will pass away. But, is this true? Are rich people excluded from heaven because of their wealth? Most assuredly this is not true! We would have to forsake the patriarchs of old if this were true. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were men of incredible wealth, and they were men who practiced an incredible amount of humility. We do not read in Scripture that these men were proud braggers of everything they owned. Nor in verse 10 of James does it say that the rich person is guilty of doing so. Instead, the rich man is to boast in his humiliation. Jeremiah 9:23-24 sets the stage for us going forward>>>. The rich man in every generation is to boast in God only. Nowhere in the Jeremiah 9 passage does Yahweh God exclude the rich person from obtaining salvation, for our God does not show partiality. The rich person is encouraged by Paul through Timothy to set their hope on God (1 Timothy 6:17). This verse alone would negate any idea that God expels men based on riches.
The same is true for the death of the rich and the poor. James makes no distinction of status in 4:14 speaking on how short our lives are. This is true of the rich and poor, the weak and the strong. All men will pass away. Therefore, we cannot attribute a worse fate for the rich person simply because he is rich. Nor can we attribute a lesser fate for the poor. The text does not tell us these things. Instead, the text focuses on the reality that the rich person will die one day regardless of what he/she possesses.
Another question that is commonly asked is, do rich people face trials like poor people do? Are certain people exempt from trial because they are rich? I think we would all agree that they most certainly do face trials like everyone else. Again, because we believe that scripture is relevant for every age and generation, we must come to the conclusion that both the poor and the rich undergo trial, and they are both encouraged to persevere through them. Everyday, rich people experience tragedy whether it be a loss in the family, a financial setback, a repair in a home or vehicle that was unplanned. Naturally, we quickly go to the conclusion that they have money so they can fix breakdowns. In some cases this may be true, but we cannot assume this automatically. Why? Because God uses trials in the lives of his people to humble them and bring His people closer to Himself.
In verse 11, James uses a picture to describe the one who is rich and whose desire is nothing but riches. This is a warning for every Christian. The end is the same. The rich man, whether humbled by God, or whether he lives out his days seeking out more riches will die. The picture that is used in verse 11 suggests that as long as the rich person continues to funnel his riches for more riches, his flower will bloom, but the moment he no longer does (when he dies) in an instant all his riches fade away. For he cannot take them to his eternal abode. The picture of a scorching sun sets the tone for the expediency of the riches fading away. This is not speaking of passing riches from generation to generation. This is speaking of riches in the eye of the person who possesses them in his/hers lifetime. And because life is short, the possession of riches is short. All that can be bought and obtained is in the same category.
This is a simple question. Can a dead person inhabit a house? There was a house that I used to drive by on 663 on my way to work. It is a large, beautiful house with several acres of land just down the street from two local businesses. For the longest time this house was up for sale, the weeds and grass were out of control as they hadn’t been taken care of for some time. You could see the ivy climbing up the front of the house. Eventually, the house was sold at auction. I just drove by it again on Tuesday and saw that the lawn looked a little better. The point being is that the person who originally owned this house or had it built is not currently enjoying the benefits of it. The original owner has no say in what goes on in the house he had built because he is dead. This is simple and obvious, but the scripture is clear that a lifetime of seeking riches ends in death. Psalm 49:6-14 as well as Luke 12:16-21 speaks of such a person who trusts in riches as a fool. Listen to verses 11-14 in Psalm 49… This is the American dream, a land of prosperity where you can have whatever you want whenever you want it and it will last forever throughout your generations. However, this is not God’s ‘dream’ for His people. He offers so much more!
Conclusion
James would ask this question if he were sitting among us this evening. What do you seek? Are you seeking riches that only last for a short lifespan? Or have you been born again to a living hope, to obtain an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading, having been kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4)? It is in obtaining this unfading inheritance that we find ourselves in the high position that is spoken of the humble brother. This is what God has promised to His people.
