Like Parents, Like Children

The expression, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” describes how children inherit their parents’ traits, characteristics, and mannerisms. In younger years, many children purposefully try not to be like their parents. But eventually, they do the same things their parents did.

The Lord Jesus explained how poverty, hunger, sorrow, and hatred didn’t separate someone from God’s rule and kingdom (Luke 6:20–22). Then, he hinted at the source of their suffering – people, especially wealthy people.

“Rejoice and leap for joy in the days of suffering because your rewards will be great in the heavens. These were the insult their parents made toward the prophets.

Woe to you, rich people –

You have received your comfort now.

Woe to you!

Now, you are well-fed, but later you will be hungry.

Woe to you!

Now, you laugh, but later you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when everyone flatters you!

Your parents made such flattery of false prophets” (Luke 6:24–26)

In Jesus’s time, a few aristocrats owned the entire land. They subleased their land to people to work. Often, they didn’t pay them properly and withheld their wages. James said, “See, the wages of the workers who tilled your land – they cry out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the LORD Almighty” (Jas 5:4).

People were poor, hungry, crying, and being insulted, not because the land was infertile or harsh but because the landowners were cruel and withheld the poor people’s wages. Jesus alerted them that their riches were short-lived. Then, they were comfortable, well-fed, laughed, and heard praises from their friends. But one day, they will be hungry, mourn, weep, and hear blasphemy against them. Wealth is always fleeting. Instead of hoarding them and hurting the poor, the rich should learn to share them and care for the poor, their workers.

God isn’t against wealth or wealthy people. One sign of God’s blessing is prosperity. But when people hoard wealth at the expense of hurting others, then God fights against such wealthy people. Recently, someone said that Zacchaeus was not fully converted because he was willing to let go of only ½ of his wealth. But Jesus didn’t expect that. He blessed him as Abraham’s child because he was ready to repay what he had wrongfully gained from others.

Riches and being wealthy are not evil or wrong. But how we gain wealth matters immensely. If we withhold someone’s pay or walk over someone to gain our wealth, we will face the same woes that Jesus proclaimed against the rich of his time, who walked over the poor to be rich.