Abstract
Beyond ‘Rich and Poor’ Proverbs
Many years ago a Christian activist dramatically cut out all the references to the rich and poor in Scripture. The result: a mutilated Bible. But what was the point of doing what might seem sacrilegious? By eliminating money from the Bible he demonstrated, literally, how the poor were central to the Christian scriptures.
Certainly, the rich and poor permeate two of today’s passages. Verse 22 of Proverbs 22 says do not rob the poor; and James 2 talks about neither privileging the rich nor dishonouring the poor. But let’s turn to a contemporary proverb, which I’m sure you’ve heard, and likely you’ve said yourself: ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’—said with regret. Although this seems true, it’s misleading. How so? Well, it might have been true in olden times, but in the modern era it’s more: ‘the rich get richer, and so, too, do the poor’. How come? Well, for most of history life has been a zero-sum game: because there was only a limited sized pie, if some got more, others inevitably got less. That zero-sum game is reflected in biblical verses on the rich and poor—and why the rich were looked upon with suspicion (see James 2.6–7). Today, we do not live in such a world. In modern times, the pie has been increasing to such a degree that all of us are better off than we were. When I think of my 1950s childhood, we had no TV, no telephone, no fridge, no central heating, no car, no computer—all things that many now regard as essential, yet back then they were the stuff of dreams. The ‘Great Enrichment’ (as the Anglican economist Deidre Nansen McCloskey terms it) has happened and this ‘betterment’ is a tremendous achievement, with millions of people being lifted out of absolute poverty, and most people having a higher standard of living. However, people continue to think we’re still in a zero-sum world. The good news is that we don’t. So, we have to exercise care when reading about rich and poor the Bible.
There is a contemporary variant on ‘the rich get richer’ proverb, which is just as common. When an Anglican theologian (Alison Milbank) went to her local market one Saturday and asked them what they were bothered about, among other things they said: ‘the gap between rich and poor is widening’. Now, I’m sure you’ve often heard that or said it yourself. But, once again, it’s misleading. How so? The difference between the pre-modern world and our own is that whereas the few rich people were a static group with almost everyone else poor, now who is rich and who is poor, and all those in between, keeps changing. But what about the apparent ‘widening’? Although on some measures it is rising, remember the way life, on the whole, is better for everyone. Even if rich folks are getting better off, it does not generally mean that everyone else is not doing better themselves, even though it may not feel like it; and it won’t feel like it if we spend all our energy on noticing how well the elite are doing. Of course, the destitute, roofless, and starving among us are not doing well: and they are the poorest of the poor. But that’s not where most people are; although even the middle class in many places can feel that they’re not doing well when they look at how the conspicuous elite are doing.
There are so many disparities we can point to in life that offend our moral instincts. Why are some people so much better off than others? However, unless you adopt a moralistic approach, it’s really difficult to answer that question about a widening gap. Merit, luck, hard work all have their place, just as natural advantages and good fortune play a part. The problem is that the more you stress the gap and bemoan it, the unhappier you become—it is spiritually dangerous. Differences and disparities do not mean discrimination or injustice (as the black economist Thomas Sowell points out). It’s an ethical fallacy to imagine that simply because there is a disparity, of whatever kind, it must be the result of injustice.
So how can the ancient Book of Proverbs, embedded within an ancient zero-sum world, help us in our modern world of betterment? Does the fact, thankfully, that we don’t live within a zero-sum world anymore mean that what the Bible says to us about rich and poor is redundant? Not so—and Proverbs helps us to see that. These biblical proverbs continue to be more useful to us than the familiar proverbial wisdom of our own day.
The Book of Proverbs reminds us, first, that both rich and poor have something in common: ‘the Lord is the maker of them all’ (v. 2). In other words, rich and poor are not different categories but fellow human beings under the One God. Secondly, it reminds us that ‘a good name’ is more important than ‘great riches’ (v. 1), and so challenges any inordinate focus on making ourselves rich. Thirdly, it tells us that ‘the blessed’ are not those who are rich but those who are ‘generous’ for ‘they share their bread with the poor’ (v. 9). In contrast, another proverb warns us, fourthly, not to rob the poor, for the Lord is on their side (v. 22f.). And all this points us to the Gospel which goes beyond proverbs. When Jesus tells us who the blessed are: the poor (Lk 6.20b); and commends Zacchaeus for giving away from his riches (Lk 19); and challenges the rich young man to give his wealth to the poor and follow him (Lk 18); and tells his disciples (who are not rich) that they can always aid the poor (Mk 14.7). So, there is a zero-sum game after all, but it’s a spiritual one. If we fail to honour the poor, if we fail to be generous to those poorer than ourselves, if we fail to follow Jesus because riches mean more to us than following him, if we do not give to the needy we are not following Christ. Being rich is not the problem, it is basing our trust on riches, failing to be generous in service of others—and it’s no surprise that Jesus points to a poor widow who shames us by her generosity (Lk 21.1–4). As Jesus’ great parable of Dives and Lazarus demonstrates there’s a great gulf fixed between rich Dives and poor Lazarus, for Dives is so inordinately wealthy he hasn’t got time for beggars and uses none of his conspicuous wealth to help them (Lk 16.19ff.). No wonder that Jesus says in his grotesque image: it’s harder for the rich to enter the Kingdom than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Lk 18.25). Jesus challenges where we see honour and prestige, and opens our eyes to see the poor as blessed and as citizens of God’s Kingdom.