Would Jesus hoarde wealth and live self-indulgent greed or help the poor?

Question

Jesse Duplantis and Benny hinn both have millions of dollars worth of luxury cars and have hundreds of millions of dollars. Are they violating Scripture by letting others suffer when they could be helping them? Is this against Jesus and the Bible?

Luke 12:33-34
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.


James 2:14-18
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

Answer 1

Of course Jesus helped the poor as well as healing the sick and raising the dead, etc.

I don't know about Jesse Duplantis but regarding Benny Hinn, I think quite possibly that your figures are an exaggerated amount. Second, he DOES give to the poor and tithe. How much he gives to the poor besides supporting the hospital in India and the home/ school for orphans in Mexico I do not know.

Have you not read "Give and it will be given to you?..for with the measure you use it will be measured to you?"(Luke 6:38)NIV also "He who gives to the poor will lack no good thing?"(Proverbs 28:27)NIV. Perhaps one of the reasons behind their success is that they DO give.Perhaps they give a lot in secret like the Bible tells us to. They also make a lot of money from writing and selling books,CDs, DVDS, etc.

The idea of God wanting His servants to always be poor after an initial time(s) of sacrifice is not Biblical. God does not want His servants to be poor. How could they fulfill their personal responsibilities to their families and pay all the workers employed with their ministries?

I do not deny that it can be a stumbling block if someone is living too extravagantly but at the same time, no servant of God is to be judged by us "Who are you to judge someone else's master? To his own master he stands or falls.(Romans 14:4)NIV.and "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God"(Romans 14:12)NIV .

These men are not perfect. People with special giftings from the Lord have many temptations. We all need to be praying for them to set the best examples they can.

Answer 2

Jesus was a liberal with deep faith in the Holy One. So faithful he was killed by mean people who were Jealous. As he died there was a point where he said, "why has though forsaken me". Yet, I am sure his Spirit arose and appeared to the faithful. However, the modern right Christians are new in their thinking. Christians in Europe prior to Capitalism did help others. I suppose feudal lords and Kinds and such were not very good, but they did believe in helping widows and orphans and trying to help the peasants have work. Actually, this view at the time was conservative and being selfish and superior and so forth was considered liberal. So yes, Jesus would give you his last dime, his shirt, his life FOR THE PEOPLE!

Answer 3

Thank You Finally someone with some sense comes on and brings out the truth.Jesus said to love your enemies Give to the poor when you do this to the least you are doing this to Me. Jesus slept on a rock for a pillow when He could of took the money He received and lived like a King instead He helped the poor gave everything He had to people who needed help.Those preachers should be ashamed of themselves They are Blinded by satan.You have wisdom!!!

Answer 4

Jesus would definitely help the poor.
Most Christians use Christianity as one more layer of protection against - whatever. Like their cozy houses and padded cars. They've got cozy consciences because they've taken bread and wine. (Okay, a little generalization but mostly true if you look at American Christians.)
Jesus seems to have wanted to break down barriers, break down comfort zones, so that more people could share not only food and shelter, but joy and love as well. Jesus would not believe in security gates, I believe.

Answer 5

So...you're finally waking up to Religion, are you? Don't just pick on Duplantis and Hinn.....have a bit of a look at the Catholics and the Mormons. I think those latter two organisations have forgotten how much they have hoarded.

Answer 6

Jesus would already have all the riches of the physical world under his control, and has no need to be greedy! He would already have all of the spiritual world at his feet! Nothing I have ever seen tells me that he would do anything other than share what he has! God gave all things to us for free...it is mankind that needed to put a price on it!

Answer 7

Jesus, the one who is called the Christ, would look a lot like a male Mother Teresa if he were here today. Does that answer your question.

Answer 8

A great point.

Anyone who thinks that televangelists are living humbly is kidding themselves.

On the other hand, they need a certain level of security being celebrities.

But to live in constant excess is not Biblical. You are correct.

Answer 9

First of all who are these people, for the benefit of us who do not know them. Second if they are held up as examples for your argument, I can assure you they are poor examploes and show your argument to be just as weak.

Answer 10

Jesus himself was homeless after he began his ministry. He said quite literally, what you do to them, you do to me.