From Riches to Rags

In the Christmas movie classic It’s a Wonderful Life, the main character, George Bailey, becomes hopeless as he finds himself on the verge of bankruptcy and facing possible jail time for the costly misplacement of bank funds by a family member on his staff. The town rallies around him in support to replace the funds with even more, making him the richest man in town, much to the chagrin of the greedy miser, Henry Potter, a rival businessman who had stolen the money.

In some ways it’s a classic story of rags to riches. In an ironic twist, Jesus bucks the trend, choosing to go from riches to rags.

For you know the generous 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, NLT).

The apostle Paul admonishes Christians at Corinth to be unselfish in their giving to support suffering believers in Jerusalem. He reminds them of the generous grace the Lord Jesus has extended to them to serve as added motivation.

Christmas is a good time to reflect on and praise God for His compassion toward us through His son, Jesus. It’s also an opportunity to find ways to share this grace with others.

REMEMBERING THE GENEROUS GRACE OF JESUS

Jesus was rich

Paul uses the term rich to describe Christ’s character and being. Prior to His entrance to Earth as a helpless baby, Jesus resided with the Father. The disciple John reminds us that not only was Jesus with God, but He is God (John 1:1). Jesus is eternal and was present at the creation of the world because He is divine and has always existed. These are the building blocks for our doctrine of the Trinity.

John also says that in the beginning all things were made through Christ so He was preexistent and involved in the act of creation (John 1:2,3). Jesus is superior to all created beings. There is none like Him on Earth or in heaven. Jesus is preexistent, distinct, and He is God. Paul’s description of Christ as rich speaks of His divine glory before His incarnation.

Jesus became poor
Though Christ was rich, He became poor. John says the Word (Jesus) became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14). An angel visits His mother, Mary, to say the child would be called Immanuel, meaning, ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). God became a man.

Jesus entered humanity. He was born of the virgin Mary and grew as any normal child. It’s been said His life was like ours, “from womb to tomb.” Though He was still God, He was also a man who experienced weariness, hunger, and thirst as well as a full range of emotions such as love, joy, sorrow, and compassion.

Though divine, Jesus left His usual place with His father and accepted the conditions of human life and environment, with all its limitations. Why would the God of the universe do this?

We were poor

Paul says it was “for our sake” that Jesus became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9). We were not poor in that we lacked money, but, a far more serious poverty — we were spiritually poor. Destitute. Hopeless.

Man in his logic simply tries to do his best. You probably have friends or neighbors like that. Maybe you were like that. Well, I’m just doing my best and hope a good God will let me in.

However, God cannot contradict His character. He is holy and His standard is perfection. We must be completely righteous, never breaking any of His commandments or disobeying Him even once. And, we have all fallen short of the standard.

We have all sinned and the consequences of sin is spiritual death. We are guilty and condemned and face an eternity separated from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). We have no right to be a child of God or be allowed into His heaven. We are without hope. This is the poverty we found ourselves in, which Christ entered.

We became rich.

Paul reminds us of the generous grace of Jesus who through His poverty redeems those in need of salvation. Not only do we think about the incarnation and humanity of Jesus at Christmas, we also look to the Cross and His resurrection. In what’s known as The Great Exchange, Jesus takes our sin and in exchange we receive His righteousness.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Christ became a man that He might redeem men. Jesus takes our place and makes us right with God. I’ve heard said, “What God’s justice demanded, His love provided.” God’s justice demanded holiness and perfection, but His love provided the solution to sin in the person of His own son, Jesus. Now, all who ask Jesus to forgive their sins and be their Lord become children of God, His heirs (Romans 8:16,17; 10:9).

Christmas is a great time to pause and reflect with awe on what Jesus has done for us. Remember His generous grace, His righteousness for our sin, His riches for our poverty.

As we think about God’s grace in our lives, we can look for ways to extend that same grace to those around us.

SHARING THE GRACE OF JESUS

The holiday season may afford us challenging situations. Whether in family gatherings, work parties, or even store parking lots, we may encounter people we find difficult to be around. Christ’s example reminds us that even in those interactions, we can offer grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We should look for opportunities to bless others and show God’s love. We can share kind words of encouragement in person or through a Christmas card. We can give of our time by helping someone in need by serving at a local mission or volunteering at a long-term care facility. And, as many of us shop for gifts for those closest to us, we may consider giving something meaningful to others who may be less fortunate. Christmas is a good time to reach out to those we have been praying for throughout the year — a neighbor, co-worker, or barista at the local coffee shop. Invite them to a Christmas service. Be ready to share the good news of the hope you’ve found in Jesus.

As we pray and seek ways to bless others, God will give opportunities. This Christmas, take some time to reflect on the generous grace of Jesus whose birth and resurrection gives Christians life and salvation. Then, ask God to help you be generous in sharing His love with others.