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Was Jesus poor? Definitely No! But He had made Himself poor!
[I was brought to this video in youtube where this pastor named Kong Hee was teaching something new to my ears. I'm also a Christian and this pastor has captured my keen interest in religion.]

"Was Jesus really poor?", the pastor (Kong Hee) confidently asked his members. Then he began his best effort to wrestle the truth in the scriptures with his '9 reasons' of why Jesus was rich. Let's see how he explained these teachings and I will try, with God's help, to explain how he was so blind in interpreting the scriptures.

Reason 1: Jesus was showered with great treasures!

“They (Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus) are in a stable not because they couldn’t afford a room but because there was no more room available.”

This pastor is now belying the humblest beginning of our Lord Jesus. This is a grave mistake in the scriptures!

The Father God, who is the creator of heaven and earth, can effortlessly make His Son be born in the most majestic place in the world if He wanted to. Or He can simply reserve a more convenient place in Bethlehem. But He did not and allowed His Son to be born in a stable.

Imagine this, God has let His Son lay in a manger to show His humbleness then here come a pastor saying “That’s not true!” This is surely a blasphemy against God.

It is very clear from the start of his speech that Kong Hee is erring and showing his ignorance of the scriptures and of the power of God.

Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Kong Hee then cited Matthew 2:11 and said, “As a baby when He was born, He was showered with great treasure” and he told a story about how people in ancient time give gifts to a worldly kings then added that “He received huge treasure of god, huge treasure of myrrh, huge treasure of frankincense”. Now, let us see the verse if that is true.

Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

In this verse, the word ‘treasure’ means ‘a store’ and there was no mention about the quantity of the gifts and definitely no word ‘huge’ used. But after Kong Hee told the story, he used it as his basis to add the word ‘huge’. Intentionally adding of the word ‘huge’ based on a story from nowhere is not a Christian's attitude:

I Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; they ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written.

Saint Paul has an admonition not to think above that which is written. And Kong Hee is doing the exact opposite of it.

Also, the time when the wise men had come to offer the gifts is not on the day of birth of Jesus, but it was only after about two years from Lord Jesus' birth. We can see in Matthew 2:11 that Mary and the young child were already in the house and not in stable. And when we read down to verse 16 it says:

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Herod sent forth, and slew all the children two years old under because he wanted to kill the young Jesus whose age is approximately about that, that is two years old, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

So, it is a huge lie to preach that our Lord Jesus was showered with great treasures from the day he was born!

Even Lord Jesus’ parents are not rich. And there was no hint in the bible of such riches as what Kong Hee is telling in his story; what we can read in the scripture is this:

Luke 2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which said in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

We can see through this verse, soon after Lord Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary cannot even be considered rich (financially) for the reason that they can only afford a pair of turtledoves or pigeons as offering, instead of expensive offerings which is lamb as commanded by the law:

Leviticus 12:7 ''Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or female. And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.''

Even the first 30 years of Lord Jesus’ life, before He went out to preach, He had lived a very humble life as a carpenter in Mark 6:1-3 it says:

Mark 6:1-3 ''And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.''

“What wisdom is this which is given unto him? Is not this the carpenter?” asked by his countrymen because they saw how our Lord Jesus lived His whole life.

Lord Jesus can be a very wealthy man if He wants to but yet he chose to live a poor’s life. He can easily work on a better-paid profession than a carpenter but he did not.

As what Saint Paul has said:

2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

“Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” Did this happen only on the cross? As what this pastor is trying to prove. A big lie! This happened from his humble birth in the manger up to his sufferings and death on the cross.

Our Lord Jesus was poor not because He doesn’t want to work hard, or He cannot take up other profession, or lazy, or lacking of skills, just like an ordinary man. But He was poor because He makes himself poor. And that’s totally a different thing!

Proverbs 13:7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Kong Hee makes himself rich, yet he has nothing. He knows nothing about the scriptures (I noticed that he read only once then just do a lot of talking to prove his Reason 1).

Reason 2 to be continued with God's help.

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