Texts in Conversation
Zephaniah connects wealth to distress, affirming that this wealth will not save them from divine judgment. In Matthew, Jesus is depicted following this tradition, describing the difficulty of a wealthy person entering the kingdom of heaven.
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Zephaniah 1:18
Hebrew Bible
15 That day will be a day of God’s anger, a day of distress and hardship, a day of devastation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and dark skies, 16 a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. Judgment will fall on the fortified cities and the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on the people and they will stumble like blind men, for they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dirt; their flesh will be scattered like manure. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery wrath. Indeed, he will bring terrifying destruction on all who live on the earth.”
Matthew 19:23
New Testament
21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”
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Notes and References
"... The righteous God of Israel expected righteousness from the people. God wanted Israel to form an egalitarian society, different from that of the Egyptians or the Canaanites who had a monarchy that survived by the toil of the peasants. The law given with the covenant sought to prevent an accumulation of wealth and power by one group. When the people disregarded the intention of the covenant, their treatment of the poor and the powerless—the orphan, the widow, and the stranger—were indicators of the disease of their society. The prophets used harsh imagery and bizarre actions to penetrate the numbness and satiation of the wealthy, comfortable members of society ..."
Stout, Tracey Mark
"Would That All Were Prophets" in Kruschwitz, Robert B. (ed.) Prophetic Ethics
(pp. 9-15) The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2003
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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