Woe to you who are rich (luke 6:24)

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation."

Most interpretation for this verse would say that the rich that Jesus meant simply means having extra material possessions. But when I look at this verse, i began to think about it in my life and how does it apply to me. Did Jesus really address this woe merely to the materially advantaged or more than just that.

I remembered an illustration a while back during summer camp. It was a challenged more than a story, a challenged that was given to a boy (hypothetical example) who was asked to put a red mark on the things that he owns - that will burn when a fire is lit over it and a green mark on the things that won't. At the end of the story he found out that everything else have a red mark except for him and his family. So the moral of the story was - don't pursue things that won't last - but give your life to those that will like your friends, family etc.

When i heard that illustration - a warning signal went off in my head.

Is it true? will our family, our friends, our body last through the "baptism of fire"? Are they the ones whom we should spend most of our time for?

Jesus said later on that ""So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."(Lk14:13). So did He meant that we should renounce our material possessions and not the people that we "treasure"?

Many might hate me for saying this - but the richness that Jesus was addressing in Luke goes beyond material possessions (I know that the book of Luke is often said to have been targeted to those who are rich - but let us not close possibilities because of that). I believe, i've seen and i know that there are different definitions of richness.

You can be called rich if you have loads of money, or you can also be called rich if you have loads of friends, you can also be rich if you have loads of self-confidence, or skills or talents. The definition of "rich" depends on the things that the person treasured most isn't it?

I know people who are glad, proud and calling themselves rich (not literally) because they are socially rich - they are good at talking and making friends, a loads of people seems to be fond of them. They are most content with their condition even though they may not be necessarily rich in terms of money and such.

I know those who are proud of what they know. Their wisdom and intelligence is the measure in which they define "rich". The more they know the richer they are.

Because remember - even the world knows that "there are certain things that money can't buy" (and for everything else there's Master Card).

So why did Jesus give this woe in the first place? Was He just trying to be radical, different and controversial? I don't think so.

At the moment, I'm reading the book "Don't waste your life" by John Piper. And I'm up to the point where he is talking about how we use our money n such - and as expected he brought up this verse to back his argument.

I am not speaking against the fact that "money is the root of all evil" but i think - so is everything else in this world that takes our eyes away from God. I don't think money is the only thing -as i've already established.

Money may takes our time away from our family, friends and makes us a stingy, bad tempered, ill mannered, and competitive bastard (sorry for the coloured language). But so is our friends, lover, family - they can take our eyes away from the Person who truly mattered - the goal of this life.

I know that i too have the tendency to choose to serve in places where I know the people are nice, loving, supportive and God-fearing. I hate to be hated by my friends for what i believe in. I often held back my tongue to non-believers because i know the Gospel will be offensive to them. I join in in unhelpful, sinful and unhealthy conversations. Many things i do i know are wrong and displeasing to God but i do them because i was thinking of myself and how i would look like in front of others.

Yes, maybe, because of those things that i do - i am rich towards my friends. I have a lot of people who would flatter me and want to be my friend. But am I rich towards God?

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation."
What consolation?

(just in case you want to know, the princeton definition of consolation is :"the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment; "second place was no consolation to him")

Well... doesn't the word express it clear enough what Jesus meant.

When i have friends who "likes" me, I feel comforted, i feel secure, i feel like i have everything that i ever need to live another day. But when they are taken away, my world shatters.

Jesus said woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. What do they really mean?

It meant that woe to the rich - because to be rich, to maintain that status, we have given up many things that are God's. We have forgotten the Maker of the Universe, and traded them with the made. And yes, we trade them - and we got it. but only for a temporary period of time until the day comes - when God will test all things. He will burn the buildings that we build and test it's materials.

At the end of our life - do we bring Him shells, or do we know that He needs nothing of us but a life fully devoted to Him.

You know, when you burn your house, the entire house will burn - your furniture, your tv, your ipod, your dog, your sisters, your brothers, your mother, and your dad - even you. But there is one thing that will last - and that is the life that you live for Him. That will last - because He promised that it will.

Only one life,
'Twill soon be past
Only what's done
for Christ will last

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Matthew 8:36)