The Accumulation of Coats
I am just going to come out and say it: the moral problem with the rich is that they are, in fact, rich. Now, to some people this may sound controversial but for Christians this should come as no surprise. In Matthew 19:23-24, Jesus states to his disciples “it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.” This begs the questions, what is so wrong with being rich? To find that answer we must fully define rich.
Having a good income or large personal wealth does not make one rich in my eyes or in the eyes of the dictionary. The formal definition of rich is “having abundant possessions and especially material wealth” (Merriam-Webster). It’s not simply that you have wealth but that you have more than you actually need or could even reasonably want. The specific threshold is not uniform for every person, in every society, but the moral point can be easily proven when we look to the extremes. According to Forbes 2018 annual ranking of the world’s billionaires there was 2,208 billionaires in the world with an average wealth of $4.1 billion. In order to give our average billionaire the benefit of the doubt, we will set an extremely high bar for becoming rich. Let us say that $100 million in wealth is required to provide for the needs and wants of their family, and will not be considered abundant. That would still leave the average billionaire with $4 billion in wealth in excess of their reasonable needs or wants.
This becomes a moral issue because the over abundance a rich person has is not just theirs to do with as they wish.“The right to private property, acquired or received in a just way, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial… In his use of things man should regard the external goods he legitimately owns not merely as exclusive to himself but common to others also, in the sense that they can benefit others as well as himself. The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others” (Catechism 2403 – 2404).
Inherently, we all know this in our hearts and that is why some rich Christians and non-Christians alike give their money away to others. An interesting thing happens though when a rich man gives away the wealth that he has in abundance: while still possibly remaining wealthy he is no longer rich (in the material sense). The abundance he was a steward of has been well cared for and is now passed from him to others for the benefit of the whole world. Those who are rich and choose to retain their wealth, not for the benefit of society but for themselves, do so for one simple reason. This is highlighted perfectly by G.K. Chesterton in his book Orthodoxy.
“You will hear everlastingly, in all discussions about newspapers, companies, aristocracies, or party politics, this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is rich. The whole case for Christianity is that a man who is dependent upon the luxuries of this life is a corrupt man, spiritually corrupt, politically corrupt, financially corrupt” Orthodoxy – G.K. Chesterton
The rich have been bribed by what their own wealth can buy them and no external force is necessary for this moral corruption to overcome them. Let us look back to our average billionaire and their remaining $4 billion in wealth. They are not hungry yet retain enough wealth to buy 800 million $5 meals. Based on a USDA study of average food prices in the United States that could feed 831 thousand to 1.65 million people for an entire year. Who needs be able to buy 800 million meals when they already have enough wealth with $100 million to buy 20 million meals? They are not cold yet have enough wealth to buy 53 million $75 coats. Stated another way, this single individual has enough wealth to feed every homeless person in American for an entire year and provide each one a coat that will withstand the elements. It appears these individuals have misunderstood John the Baptist’s statement in Luke 3:1 “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
As a final thought, while a billionaire was given as an example, we must each look at ourselves regardless of income level, and ask ourselves: am I rich? Each of us may not be able to do much with our individual abundance but even the smallest action taken to support our brethren not only supports them, but Jesus himself (Matthew 25:40).
