Was Jesus Rich or Poor When He Lived on Earth?

Dear reader:

The apostle Paul wrote: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (1 Corinthians 8:9). Christ left His throne of glory so that through His life on Earth, the world might be saved. Nothing on this Earth compares to the glory of heaven. Jesus came to Earth, where He was born to a poor family. One hint that Jesus' earthly parents were poor is that when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple shortly after His birth, they offered "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24). The offering of birds reveals that they must have been poor. Had Joseph and Mary been rich, they would have offered a lamb (read Leviticus 12:8).

During His ministry, Jesus did not even have anywhere that He could call "home." He once said: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). Jesus came to Earth for the purpose of seeking and saving the lost. He did not come to Earth to fulfill any pleasures. Earth has no pleasures comparable to those in heaven. In everything that is good, Jesus was rich. He was rich in knowledge, faith, and love, and it is that type of richness for which we ought to strive.

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