You know, Jesus, being the Son of God, has access to all the amazing things that come with being divine. Seriously, our Lord has it all—power, authority, glory, honor, you name it (Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; John 1:1, 8:58, 10:30, 17:5; Colossians 1:15–18, 2:9–10; Hebrews 1:3). But here’s the thing: when He was on earth, He decided to give up that eternal wealth and a lot of the perks that come with being the Son of God. He took on the role of a humble servant (Zechariah 9:9; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:6–8). By the time He faced the cross for us, He had nothing but the clothes on His back, which the soldiers ended up dividing among themselves.
It’s kind of a letdown, right? There are a bunch of prosperity preachers out there who want you to believe Jesus was rolling in riches while He was here and that God’s main goal is to bless His kids with tons of material stuff. Below is a list of the richest pastors in the United States.
- Kenneth Copeland $400 million
- Pat Robertson $100 million
- Joel Osteen $100 million
- Benny Hinn $60 million
- Steven Furtick Jr. $55 million
- Andy Stanely $45 million
- Creflo Dollar $30 million
- Rick Warren $25 million
- Jesse Duplantis $20 million
- T.D. Jakes $20 million
- Greg Laurie $15 million
- John F. MacArthur $14 million
- Franklin Graham $10 million
- John C. Maxwell $10 million
- Joyce Meyer $8 million
The wealth of these pastors is a drop in the bucket compared to those outside of America
- Edir Macedo – Net Worth: $1.9 Billion – Brazil
- Alph Lukau – Net Worth: $1 Billion – South Africa
I mean, if Jesus was wealthy, it would make it so much easier for them to convince people that God wants them to be rich too. But honestly, the idea of a wealthy Jesus just doesn’t match up with what the Bible says. If you take a quick look at the scriptures, you’ll see that our Savior wasn’t wealthy in a worldly sense. Throughout His time, Jesus and His disciples depended entirely on the generosity of others as they moved around (Matthew 10:9–10). And remember when someone wanted to follow Him? Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head” (Luke 9:58).
It’s kind of a bummer that this misleading idea about Christ being wealthy and the whole “gospel of greed” has crept into the churches these days. But, like Solomon said, “There’s nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Paul faced similar stuff in his communities too: “My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away from them! They want to serve themselves and not Christ the Lord. Their flattery and fancy talk fool people who don’t know any better.” (Romans 16:17–18). CEV
And when Paul shared his thoughts in his first letter to Timothy about folks who think godliness is a way to cash in, it really drives home what Christ warned us about when it comes to chasing after worldly wealth. He mentions, “People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. 10 The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.” (1 Timothy 6:9–10). CEV
You know, the New Testament really has a lot to say about how Jesus calls out the rich while lifting up the poor. He reminds us to “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.” (Luke 12:15). Plus, He tells us not to “store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19–21). Our Lord knows what’s in people’s hearts and understands how tricky riches can be, often tripping us up. That line from Proverbs 30:9, which says, “I may have too much and disown you and say ‘who is the LORD,’” really echoes throughout the whole Bible. So, it would be quite the twist—definitely something that would water down the gospel message—if Jesus were part of the wealthy elite who, as He pointed out, would struggle “to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23).