Where's your wealth?

 

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VERY OLD TAPE - RESTORED.

5 MINUTES

In Mark Chapter 14 we read about Jesus visiting Simon and whilst He was eating a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of expensive perfume made of nard.  

Now I must admit I don't know what nard is, or what it smells like. But when the people saw this expensive perfume they said what a waste. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Jesus said to them the poor will always be with us. What a pity, I think, that nobody asked Him why? Why did He say the poor will always be with us? Is He actually saying that all our efforts to beat poverty are wasted and we might as well not bother?

No I don't think He's saying that. I've thought about this time and again and this is my interpretation. See what you think.

I believe Jesus was trying to teach us wealth with responsibility. No matter how wealthy we are in life, we might be living just moderately within our means, there will always be somebody less well-off than ourselves; and I think here Jesus is teaching us that we owe a responsibility to those people less financially well-off than ourselves.

But then, perhaps He is not just speaking about monetary wealth. There are different kinds of wealth. How about people who are healthy, they are wealthy in health if you see what I mean.

Is Jesus saying that these healthy people have a responsibility to those who are ill by visiting them in hospital perhaps or visiting them at home and helping them with the shopping the cleaning or the gardening or whatever?

How about those people who are wealthy in education and in knowledge? People who have the ability to learn? Do they not have a responsibility for those less bright than themselves? To help them to educate them and not to look down their nose and treat them as stupid?

There are of course people who are wealthy in influence, celebrities for instance, you see them on the news on TV or on the media and they have masses and masses of followers; and whatever they say people follow their example and do like them. Do they not have a responsibility to their followers to give them a good example to follow?

And then, of course, there are those who are wealthy in spirit and in faith. No matter what happens to them their faith is forever strong. Do they have a responsibility to those people who stumble and fall whenever difficulty comes into their lives? Do they owe them a responsibility to tell them about God's love and God's caring; and to help them in their weak faith.

Priests for instance … I believe priests have a special responsibility in that respect. They took on the job of being shepherds and their job is to lead as many of their flock as possible to the gates of Heaven. The shepherd who lets his sheep be devoured by the wolves … well he is not a good shepherd is he? And I'm sure the Master will have something to say when they meet face-to-face!

So I think that's what Jesus was trying to say when He said the poor will be always with us. There will always be people financially poor, poor in health, poor in education, poor in influence, poor in spirit, poor in faith, or whatever; and we who have been given talents and gifts owe it to them to use these gifts to help them.

Thank you for listening. God bless.