Jerusalem Daily News

What Jesus Borrowed by Tom Wacaster In the thirty-three years that our Lord sojourned upon this earth, He never once demonstrated a single shred of materialistic desire. I doubt seriously that He ever scanned the Jerusalem Daily News to see whether the stock market was up or down, called His bank to see how His investments were doing, or worried as to how much inflation might be eating away at His little "nest egg" tucked away in some shady corner of His humble abode. For you see, He possessed none of these. On no occasion do we find that He carried with Him one single farthing. When He was asked about paying tribute to Caesar, His disciples had to bring Him the penny, for He was penniless. His only "purse" was the mouth of a fish that Peter caught, and when they parted His garments they did not discover any coin or notes. On one occasion his disciples encouraged Him to eat, but He said unto them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not..My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his wo rk" (John 4:32, 34), and warned all of us, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rush doth consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rush doth consume, and where thieves do not break through and steal" (Matt. 6:19-20). He not only preached that message, but lived that message to its fullest extent. Our Lord never owned any property, never built a house, never laid by in store, never had a passbook savings account, never organized a "garage sell," and never placed an ounce of importance on what one might possess in this life. When His life was finished and His course completed, the only thing He could call His own was stripped from His sinless body and gambled away at the foot of the cross by the Roman soldiers while their Master and Creator hung on the cross close by. Having no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58), He found His rest in the homes of those who were gr! acious enough to provide His daily sustenance, and grant Him a place of repose when the day was done. Today Fortune 500 would rank our Lord a failure; Forbes Magazine would not waste paper and ink to mention His name; and few, if any who are enamored with this world's material things would consider His words worth their attention. This they have demonstrated by their rejection of things spiritual in exchange for the glitter of the world. But history will attest that the greatest man that ever walked the face of this earth (if we dare call Him a "man") was the most contented, and the most influential individual who has ever lived. What He needed, the Father supplied; what His heavenly Father did not provide, our Lord did not need. Would that our affluent society would learn that lesson today. He depended upon others to be used as tools in the Father's hand to minister to His need. From the cradle to the grave, never did a man live in such poverty, deprive himself of the things of this world, or depend upon others for his physical well being, as did Jesus of Nazareth. Though He may have borrowed those things He needed from time to time, those who were gracious to "loan" unto Him what they possessed soon learned that their "investment" returned mighty dividends that could not be measured in monetary value. What makes our Lord's poverty even more astonishing is that He chose to live that way. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). When we consider the life of Jesus we stand amazed at His complete denial of self. He gave up the riches of heaven, came to this earth, took upon Himself the form of a man, and truly demonstrated where the true riches are to be found. I for one am glad that He borrowed those things He needed in this life. In so doing He demonstrated the undeniable truth that it is not things that are important, but one's relationship with the Father in heaven. I do not know who penned the f! ollowing, but it is certainly thought provoking, and a fitting conclusion to this week's article: They borrowed a bed to lay his head When Christ the Lord came down; They borrowed the ass in the mountain pass For him to ride to town; But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore Were his own - the cross was his own! He borrowed the bread when the crowd He fed On the grassy mountainside; He borrowed the dish of broken fish With which he was satisfied; But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore Were his own - the cross was his own! He borrowed the ship in which to sit To teach the multitude; He borrowed a nest in which to rest - He had never a home so rude; But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore Were his own - the cross was his own! He borrowed a room on his way to the tomb The Passover Lamb to eat; They borrowed a cave for him a grave; They borrowed a winding sheet; But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore Were his own - the cross was his own! [this article was first written in 2007 and updated for this week's 'Tom's Pen]