Articles
The Haves, and the Have-Nots
I read recently about a ball held in New York City for the uber-wealthy. The extravaganza, a $7.5 million production, was attended by 1,200 A-listers who paraded down the red carpet on their way to the “fairyland” venue perfumed with countless orchids and roses. “Police held back excited crowds straining to see the chosen wearing resplendent costumes.” One woman wore and Electric Light Dress, a satin gown interlaced with gold and silver threads, glass beads and diamonds. To complete the ensemble she carried a battery-powered torch which caused her dress to glow like a radiant sunrise.
The New York Times reported that the gathering of glitterati “agitated New York society more than any social event … in many years. Scarcely anything else has been talked about … It has disturbed the sleep and occupied the waking hours of both male and female social butterflies for over six weeks.”
You say you missed reading about this event in your news feed? That’s because the ball happened in 1883 at the mansion of William Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, a “robust industrialist” about whom biographer T.J. Stiles wrote, “Probably no other individual made an equal impact over such an extended period on America’s’ economy and society … He vastly improved and expanded the nation’s transportation infrastructure, contributing to a transformation of the very geography of the United States. He embraced new technologies and new forms of business organization, and used them to compete so successfully that he forced his rivals to follow his example or give up” (quotes from Cooperative Living, 5/2023, p 26-27).
They exist in every age and every culture. They are the “haves,” the movers and shakers, the wealthy insiders who move the needle of a whole nation. In our day it is Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and countless other multi-billionaires who alter the landscape through ingenuity, innovation and industry. Oh, and money. We read of their massive incomes, sprawling mansions, private jets and celebrity hobnobbing. And truth be known, we may feel a tinge of envy for what we perceive as the “good life” that such men enjoy. We imagine ourselves basking in such an opulent lifestyle while maintaining our spiritual values and moral clarity, unsullied by the pollutions of enormous wealth.
It has been noted in many studies and anecdotes that the lives of lottery winners, heirs and aristocratic scions have been ruined by easy-come wealth. The Bible also warns of the danger of radical abundance:
“Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven … it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:23-24).
“And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim 6:8-10).
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure … You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter …” (Jas 5:1-3, 5).
Of course, we swiftly interject that attitude, not wealth alone, that makes money sinful. While true, it misses the broader point. While money is neutral, we assume that we wouldn’t be corrupted by it, and in so doing we ignore the plain truth taught both in Scripture and in life: Few people can handle abundance and retain their spiritual and moral integrity. In spite of this, most of us probably fancy ourselves to be the exception.
But every era and every society also has its “have nots,” those who are on the outside looking in, those who eke out a living day after day, those who aren’t sure whether they will be able to pay their basic subsistence bills. They envy and loathe the filthy rich who reciprocate by despising the lower classes (Job 24:1-14; Ps 10:1-11; Jn 7:49; 9:34). Neither side thinks clearly, and they cannot relate to the other side resulting in class division and mutual ill-will.
“For you have the poor with you always …” said Jesus (Mt 26:11). Why is this so, especially in a society like ours that provides educational opportunity, job choice and physical and social mobility? Many are poor by choice; they simply do not want to invest the time, energy, creativity, discipline, etc. that it takes to improve their economic standing. This is one reason lotteries generate billions of dollars; and it explains why people would rather stand on a median in rain, cold and heat rather than actually do something productive and begin to build economic independence.
Sometimes poverty is situational, but more often it is created by single-parenthood, drug abuse, drinking alcohol, a sense of entitlement – all of which cripple the basic attitudes that it takes to compete in a free society. But the consistent expectation in Scripture is work in a productive capacity and being compensated for what is contributed:
“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat … Now those who are such [disorderly busybodies – 3:11] we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread” (2 Th 3:10, 12).
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Eph 4:28).
Which category are you in? The lines are fuzzy between wealth, abundance, adequacy and poverty. But rather than evaluate ourselves by arbitrary categories, perhaps Paul’s approach is best: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Ph 4:12-13). With this outlook, we can turn loose of man’s expectations and live peacefully in confidence and comfort that whatever we need, God will supply.
