The System of Wealth

I was part of an interesting conversation this morning about wealth.  I guess it wasn’t really about wealth but about the unofficial ‘system’ that has much determinative power over people in terms of their ability to achieve, succeed, and have some measure of control over their destiny in life.  We have been studying the systems of first century Israel—the time and place that gives context to Jesus’ many statements about wealth and his indictment of those who are greedy, selfserving, and oppressive.  In this system, the top 10% of people had most of the wealth and power.  The bottom 90% were poor.  There was no middle class.  So priests, landowners, tax collectors and the like had control, while carpenters (like Jesus), fishermen (like most of his disciples), and others were among the poor. 

 

These distinctions were rigid and very rarely did anyone cross between the two.  It’s like starting a game of monopoly with one person having all the properties, more cash, and then stacking the rules against their opponent.  So, oh by the way, that was the conversation this morning.  In koinonia Sunday School, we played Monopoly.  Only by first century rules.

 

So, the priest team got Boardwalk and Park Place with hotels on it.  They got surrounding property as well.  Everytime their opponents made any income, the priests got a cut of it.  Likewise, the taxcollector team had its advantages.  They had property and hotels and houses.  And everytime a fine or tax was paid, they doubled what was really owed like the 1^st century tax collectors, skimming off the top.  The third team, the poor people, only had those two crummy purple properties and a little bit of money. 

 

Other than that everyone had to obey the rules, roll the dice and pay up.  In short, everyone had the same opportunities, but not everyone had the same resources and safety net.  The game was predictable.  All the money flowed one direction, which left the poor with only the kindness of the rich to either give them alms or float loans enough to keep the poor in the game, all the while losing ground with every turn.  It’s easy to see how frustrating and helpless this would be in the first century.

 

The salient question is: to what extent is this game being played in America today?  To what extent is the division between the rich and poor such that the poor are basically powerless over their own destiny, unable to genuinely affect the destiny of their and their kids lives?  Is this really the land of opportunity?  And what is the trajectory our nation is taking?  Are we becoming more of a place where people can achieve or are becoming more of a place where people are locked in? 

 

And, then what is the church’s role in all of this?  Many would say that we have no role in it except to give to help those in need.  That’s great.  I have no problem with that.  But what happens when my faith calls for more than just being kind—it calls me to be just.  I think the church is also called to a prophetic role of living Jesus ‘Upside-Down Kingdom’ (Thanks to Donald Krabill for that description).  Somehow the church has got to find a way to really make a difference in our communities—a difference that models God’s Kingdom, that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.