The Messiah of …

... the Poor & Rich

Jesus is there for the rich and poor. If you read the gospels He seems to have come more for the poor. In the video The Chosen you meet Abby. Her family is poor and they have little to nothing. Jesus knows this and, in addition to His Love and Wisdom, He gives her a gift. She receives a little wealth from Jesus.

In the video clip, Jesus writes to her, "I have not come only for the rich." Often in countries where poverty is a problem, we see that people are often happier and they, despite having nothing, trust Jesus.

In Matthew 19 you read that it is difficult for the rich young man to follow Jesus and to do what Jesus asks of him.

As a church in the city Groningen, in the Netherlands, we play sports every week with children and youth in two neighborhoods (sports communities). Our volunteer team grew which allowed us to go into an additional neighborhood. There were two options: a somewhat poorer neighborhood and a much richer neighborhood with many two-income earners, and many houses with two cars in the driveway.

We were going to prayerfully explore this. Whereas we always had a lot of compassion for people on the margins of society, now for the first time we experienced compassion for the people from the richer neighborhood. It was as if God said, "This is where you need to be. There is so much closed-mindedness among these people, it's everyone for himself. But I have come for them too." So whether you are poor or rich, the Messiah is there for you.

Young & Old

So it is for young and old. Jesus came for both. Sometimes we forget about this as adults. Do we give young people enough space, as we read yesterday? Can Jesus speak to us through a young "Samuel"? So beautiful to read, let's not prevent the children from getting close to Jesus. For as we have seen, Jesus loves to spend time with them. He listens to their stories and questions, and by sharing His Story with them, He tells them what it means to be part of His Kingdom.

Take the following questions to think about:

• What is wealth for you? Knowing Jesus or owning a lot of money?
• What place do children/youth have in your life? In your environment? In the church you are part of? Do you feel they are given enough space?

Prayer

"Lord, thank You that I may know You. That all the riches of the world are disproportionate to the Love You have for me. Help me to live from that Love and, like You, to be there for rich & poor and for young & old. Amen."