DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
1 Timothy 6:17-21 (12/10) Epistle
for Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week after Pentecost
Church As Community IV ~ Includes
The Wealthy: 1 Timothy 6:17-21, especially vs. 17: “Command those who are rich in this present age
not... to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly
all things to enjoy.” When a wealthy young ruler discovered he was not willing to
pay the required price for acquiring the treasures of heaven, he went away
sorrowfully from the Lord Jesus.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Assuredly, I say to you that
it is hard for a rich man to enter the
Our compassionate and loving Savior knows the deceitfulness
of riches (Mt. 13:22), their uncertainty in this present age, and their
potential as deadly, spiritual obstacles!
Deep down, rich and poor, men and women, slave and masters, young and
old, all yearn for true Life (1 Tim.
6:19), and so Christ Jesus enlightened His Apostles to
understand both the spiritual pitfalls and the potentials for good inherent in
material wealth. Thus, in the
present reading,
Let the rich “...not...be haughty...” (1 Tim.
6:17). The insidious deceiver, from
the beginning, has used material things to distract us from God and lead us to
believe that we might “...be like gods...” (Gen.
3:5) through knowledge.
Things are “...pleasant to the eyes...” (Gen. 3:6), but also
the lie may appear as truth that one must be wise since he has
possessions. Seeing material wealth
and not men’s hearts, one can be seduced to believe that their
possessions are the result of wisdom.
Awash in this falsehood, hearts easily become “...lifted
up and...forget the Lord your God...” (Deut.
8:14), Who can bring anyone into Life through
Christ. Yes, Christians may become
haughty through material riches, for wealth gives temporal power and capacity
to those who possess, tempting them to believe that they are superior
to, or more important than others.
Let the wealthy not “...trust in
uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to
enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Note: wealth does bestow power,
influence, status, and capacity, and the insidious deceiver suggests that we
should trust in riches. Such trust
is a devil’s bargain.
As the God-illumined Apostle reminds us, material riches are uncertain,
ephemeral, and passing. Markets crash.
Technology makes obsolete.
Sickness eats up estates.
Let each one, rich or poor, first and foremost, trust in
the living God. When we trust in
Him Who is, we are free to enjoy and do good with whatever He has given us,
whether we are great or small among men (see vs. 18). However, do not be confused about the
meaning of doing good. The
Apostle cites three aspects of using wealth to do good:
“...be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share...” (vs. 18). There
are plenty of needs among fellow Christians and among the impoverished
and destitute of the world. Each of
us can be rich in good works, giving, and sharing with those who need. Notice what follows though: by good
works we store up “...a good foundation for the time to come...” (vs. 19).
In the original, storing up
literally means treasuring up. It is the same root word the Lord used
with the rich young man: “...you will have treasure in heaven...”
(Mt. 19:21). Thus, as Saint Maximos says: “If...Christ dwells in our hearts
through faith (Eph. 3:17), and all the treasures of wisdom and spiritual
knowledge are hidden in Him (Col. 2:3), then all the treasures of wisdom and
spiritual knowledge are hidden in our hearts....in proportion to our
purification.”
O Lord, Who providest far more
than we require, enable us to love Thee in all things and above all things that
we may obtain Thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire.
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