Was Jesus actually wealthy?
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
-2 Corinthians 8:9
When I read this verse explaining that Jesus was rich, I interpret it as his wealth being in the heavenly realm.
It suggests that He possessed abundant riches in heaven, with all its splendor, and willingly relinquished everything to embark on a rescue mission to earth, with the purpose of saving us all.
Research findings on Jesus’ wealth
But I recently found out that a guy named Peter J. Daniels commissioned a team of historians to research the magi and the gifts that they brought to Jesus when he was born.
They concluded that over 300 kings came bearing gifts for Jesus with an estimated value of over $4 million in today’s dollars.
I doubt there is any way to confirm the accuracy of this, but if it is true (or even close to it), many of us are left scratching our heads wondering what He did with the wealth.
While we will never know for sure, we can be sure He didn’t put His trust in it, depend on it for security, or let it be a symbol of his status, importance, power, or influence.
And He surely knew earth was never his home (nor is it ours), so he likely focused on using it as a tool to help Him fulfill His mission.
Let’s do the same.
