참 부자

Real Rich

전도서 3:12-14

▮Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3 : 12-14

▮Title: True Rich Man

Yonsei University Church(2021/07/18, Morning Service)

Currently, Korean society can be said to be the era of materialism, where wealth and annual salary become personalities. It is difficult to be treated as a human being if you do not have an acceptable property or income. Parents, children, and blood brothers and sisters feel burdened when financially difficult and even distance themselves from each other. This phenomenon of the era can be expressed in one word, <Affluenza>, which is called the disease of the rich. This word is a compound word of affluence and influenza. The disease of the rich is said to be accompanied by overwork, debt, worries, waste symptoms, helplessness in life, and excessive stress that result from an attitude of constant pursuit of possessing more. In other words, influenza refers to social pathologies such as cravings for having a lot but not being satisfied, shopping addiction, and chronic congestion. In this era, money is clearly highlighted as the best value. Money, it is really necessary and important, and if you have this, you will be freed from a lot of worries and anxieties, and you will be able to live life happily and happily. The more moncy, the better? So, what does the Bible teach about “money”?

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:24)

That is why we/Christians live with two separate hearts/double standards. Although the contents of Ecclesiastes are from thousands of years ago, they are very similar to today's Korean society, which values material things as the highest value. The background of the book of Ecclesiastes is as follows: Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia (now Greece), began to conquer the world in earnest in the 4th century BC. Alexander the Great was the first king of Europe to conquer Asia and Africa. It took only 10 years to conquer the three continents. Israel, too, was geographically sandwiched between them, so it could not escape the imperialistic situation of Alexander the Great. Alexander's influence was not limited to just expanding his territory. What he called for was Hellenization, which, in today's terms, is globalization. Its motto was “the world is one”. He said that for the world to become one, humans, language, and culture must be one. In the 4th century B.C., Alexander the Great and his successors conquered the surrounding territories to realize this national ideology. Alexander the Great, who thought that marriage without racial discrimination was necessary for human beings to become one, made himself and his advisors marry Asian (Persian) women. In addition, the language was unified in Greek, and the culture tried to unify the world through sports and culture with the city of polis. Hellenization/globalization spread so quickly that the New Testament we read was written in the Greek used by Alexander the Great.

Israel, which was under this influence, was affected by Hellenization and faced a situation completely different from the way it had been living. By interacting with Asians, Europeans, and Africans, Israel was unable to live with the Jehovah-centered way of life that Israel had so far lived, the traditional and religious way of raising sheep and farming wheat and barley in Jerusalem. They traveled the world, traded and learned other forms of living. Then, suddenly, the people of Israel opened their eyes to the new value of “money” in their life that had been so simple. In fact, the Jews traveled all over the world, accumulating wealth and gradually increasing the wealthy. This is the background to the writing of Ecclesiastes. In the book of Ecclesiastes, various rich people discovered by the evangelist appear.

i) Lonely rich man (4:8)

There was a man all alone;

he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,

“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”

This too is meaningless—

a miserable business!

Here comes the rich man, the so-called successful rich man with considerable wealth. However, he is a workaholic who is obsessed with his work to be successful, more precisely, he works like a man born to make all the money in the world. He made a lot of money because of it. However, he is not satisfied with the wealth and is just more focused on accumulating and collecting. One day, I suddenly ask myself this question. “Why do I live without enjoying myself? Who the hell am I to do this for?" But the thought lasts only for a moment. He lives alone without any satisfaction or happiness, but he can't stop working.

It is unknown how he ended up living alone, but he was single with only money. Although he is rich, he lives alone, ignoring his family and friends. He feels the need to change, and he feels the need to change, but he doesn't seem to know how to live otherwise. It is not much different from the appearance of modern people who are satisfied with increasing savings and rising real estate prices and work day and night to join the ranks of the rich. The evangelist who watched the rich man complains that life is vain. How could he be the only one?!

ii) Rich man with misfortune (5:13-14)

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,

14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,

so that when they have children

there is nothing left for them to inherit.

Another rich man that the evangelist looked at accumulated a lot of wealth, but in the end, it hurts because of it. He lives with the highest value and meaning in the materials he has collected through his diligent efforts. Fortunately, he was able to amass as much fortune as he wanted. How much envy would he have from those around him? How much envy and jealousy would he have received in return? In the end, he even harmed himself because of the property. I don't know the specifics of the situation, but I can imagine that a robber or a fraudster who was trying to steal the property took his money and harmed his body... Even if he had a life, he could be considered a lucky man, but he inherited nothing to his later-born child I ended up being penniless with nothing to give. How did you accumulate wealth? He has no protection for himself, let alone his hard earned fortune. He may have loaned or invested the property to his friend or business man, and he may have lost money and the people around him. He was rich, but he lost his fortune and now he lost not only his money, but also his health. He lived in darkness all his life, suffering from all kinds of resentment, suffering and anger because of his unfair memories, and may have died from anger.

iii) Meaningless rich man (6:2)

God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

Another rich man. He is a noble and dignified rich man who has everything, including children, wealth, longevity, and honor. So this rich man had to lead a happy life. However, for some reason, he worked hard and worked hard and accumulated only wealth, but strangely, other people are prosperous with the wealth, and he cannot enjoy the pleasure or the honor of the property. If so, what will the wealth, children, and honor that he has earned throughout his life be of any benefit to him? Isn't this the same situation as the Korean proverb, “Everything’s gone to the dog”?

26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

iv) Wisdom Better Than Folly (9:13-15)

13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.

The evangelist's interest in various human beings is endless. The evangelist is now interested in another kind of person who is not rich, a poor but wise man. This man had his extraordinary wisdom which led him to rescue his city from outside invasions. But despite such great merit, the people of his town did not remember him simply because he was poor and had no background. Whether praising and acknowledging him undermined the authority of political leaders, or whether his presence was negligible, his merits were buried anyway. However, the evangelist attributes the reason to his poverty, which shows how great material worship was at that time. It is a prime example of how all human values at that time were measured in money. His wisdom and achievements were forgotten because of the economic conditions of poverty. This was the contradiction of the times that the evangelist saw.

In this way, the evangelist introduces the various rich people, but says that such rich people are not worthwhile. The lonely rich, the rich who have become good debtors, and the vain rich are being evaluated as vain. However, the evangelist does not turn away from the reality that poor people who do not have money are ignored. So, what is the image of the rich in Korea?

There are criteria that Koreans think of above the middle class: △ Owning a house of 30 pyeong or more without debt, △ Monthly income of 5 million won or more, △ Owning a mid-size car with 2,000 cc or more, △ Holding a deposit balance of 100 million won or more, △ Traveling abroad at least once a year not

There are more than middle-class standards that French people think: △ Must be able to speak at least one foreign language, △ Must enjoy sports, △ Must be able to play an instrument, and △ Be able to cook dishes that taste different from others. △ Participate resolutely in 'public outrage' △ Help the underprivileged and continue volunteering

The standard of wealth for Koreans is money. The amount of money is the standard of wealth and treatment. In France, on the other hand, the criterion of wealth is not money, but culture and social consciousness. Of course, because the culture and history are different, it is impossible to determine the standard of wealth based on this, but it clearly shows that money is the most important thing in Korean society right now. Then, who is the “rich” for the evangelist?

v) True rich man(3:12-14)

The rich man that the evangelist speaks of in today's text is a man who does good with a glad heart, eats, drinks, and enjoys his work. The evangelist knows that other people can have more money than me, but he says that wealth is not the only criterion for being rich. For that wealth to be a blessing, the possessor must be content with what is his, and be able to do good with gratitude and joy. He observed many rich people. But the rich were surrounded by people, but they never found peace. Moreover, the rich cannot even use the wealth they have acquired. Also, the rich suffer because of their wealth, and greed, disease, anger, and harm never leave. The evangelist also says that no matter what a man does, he must find pleasure in the labor and hard work he does. Then he says he is rich. People often worry too much about their misfortunes or an uncertain future, so they don't even enjoy what they have in the present.

“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 is found in the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. Can't he just get into the kingdom of God just because he has a lot of money? It must be said that those who are not rich cannot enter the kingdom of God.

The evangelist is finding out what is important and how to live in the image of a rich man when many people at that time are getting sick because of the desire for money and success. Today, wealth is used as a measure of success and failure in our lives. Even if you have education, you have fame, you have a cause, but you are poor if you are lack of money. The present is similar to the age of the evangelist. So, what is richness for us Christians? A person with a lot of money is not a rich person, but what he has now is a gift from God, and a person who lives happily doing good while being satisfied with it and grateful for that moment is a truly rich person. In other words, the real rich are those who work hard and are grateful for the joy of waking up in the morning as a miracle. A person who sometimes listens to good music, is fascinated by fragrant flowers, is grateful to be alive, is grateful and rejoices in being able to be with loved ones/family/neighbors.

Paul says this say (2 Corinthians 6:9-10),

9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Paul also said that the real rich are those who are poor in money but are rich in spirit. A rich man is a person who can eat and drink now, is satisfied and happy with his job, and does good to those around him. That life truly becomes a gift from God when he can be content with the present and live happily. A person who lives happily, gratefully, and contentedly in the present life here and now should be truly the rich man, the rich man we Christians envision.

<성경본문>

마태 6 : 24

한 사람이 두 주인을 섬기지 못할 것이니 혹 이를 미워하고 저를 사랑하거나 혹 이를 중히 여기고 저를 경히 여김이라 너희가 하나님과 재물을 겸하여 섬기지 못하느니라

눅 18 : 24

예수께서 그를 보시고 이르시되 재물이 있는 자는 하나님의 나라에 들어가기가 얼마나 어려운지

전 4 : 8

어떤 사람은 아들도 없고 형제도 없이 홀로 있으나 그의 모든 수고에는 끝이 없도다 또 비록 그의 눈은 부요를 족하게 여기지 아니하면서 이르기를 내가 누구를 위하여는 이같이 수고하고 나를 위하여는 행복을 누리지 못하게 하는가 하여도 이것도 헛되어 불행한 노고로다

전 5 : 13-14

13 내가 해 아래에서 큰 폐단 되는 일이 있는 것을 보았나니 곧 소유주가 재물을 자기에게 해가 되도록 소유하는 것이라

14 그 재물이 재난을 당할 때 없어지나니 비록 아들은 낳았으나 그 손에 아무것도 없느니라

전 6 : 2

어떤 사람은 그의 영혼이 바라는 모든 소원에 부족함이 없어 재물과 부요와 존귀를 하나님께 받았으나 하나님께서 그가 그것을 누리도록 허락하지 아니하셨으므로 다른 사람이 누리나니 이것도 헛되어 악한 병이로다

전 2 : 26

하나님은 그가 기뻐하시는 자에게는 지혜와 지식과 희락을 주시나 죄인에게는 노고를 주시고 그가 모아 쌓게 하사 하나님을 기뻐하는 자에게 그가 주게 하신다.

전 9 : 13-15

3 내가 또 해 아래에서 지혜를 보고 내가 크게 여긴 것이 이러하니

14 곧 작고 인구가 많지 아니한 어떤 성읍에 큰 왕이 와서 그것을 에워싸고 큰 흉벽을 쌓고 치고자 할 때에

15 그 성읍 가운데에 가난한 지혜자가 있어서 그의 지혜로 그 성읍을 건진 그것이라 그러나 그 가난한 자를 기억하는 사람이 없었도다

고후 6 : 9-10

9 무명한 자 같으나 유명한 자요 죽은 자 같으나 보라 우리가 살아 있고 징계를 받는 자 같으나 죽임을 당하지 아니하고

10 근심하는 자 같으나 항상 기뻐하고 가난한 자 같으나 많은 사람을 부요하게 하고 아무 것도 없는 자 같으나 모든 것을 가진 자로다