Leaders Give and Recruit Resources – Jesus (Part 2)

Last week, we were left wondering about Paul’s comparison in 2 Corinthians 8:9. 

We suggested that Paul was making a comparison to motivate the Corinthians to give generously. He had already cited the Macedonian example (2 Corinthians 8:1) 

But when we keep reading, we see Paul making a much more profound comparison.

Look at whose earnest love Paul focused on:

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV)

Paul was comparing the Corinthians’ love for God and other people with Jesus’ love for the Father and us.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that although the Philippians were to be commended for their sacrificial giving, the Corinthians had an infinitely greater example to look to for comparing and evaluating their giving. 

Paul reminded the Corinthians of Jesus and the self-sacrificial gift of His very life that He freely, willingly gave.

Considering the teaching in Psalm 24, that God owns everything, we might want to stop and consider Jesus’ leadership in giving.

The Lamb of God

Jesus gave us a truly incomparable gift of love. 

In each of the four clauses of 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul focused on an essential aspect of our Savior’s incredible love:

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ – Grace is “unmerited favor” and, in this context, reminded the Corinthians of the unmerited favor the Lord Jesus Christ had shown them.

Because of His death, the Corinthians—and we—have received such gifts as the forgiveness of sins, a personal relationship with God, and new eternal life.

Though He Was Rich

Psalm 24:1, 1 Chronicles 29:11, and Psalm 50:12 describe the extent of our Creator God’s possessions.

John 1:1, John 5:18, and Philippians 2:6 clearly teach that Jesus and God were of the exact same nature.

Since “though He was rich” appears in a discussion about material giving for the Jerusalem offering, it seems clear that He was rich is a reference to material riches. 

Jesus does have an amazing real estate portfolio including North America and the Hawaiian Islands, the tundra of Russia and the desert plains of Africa, the rainforests of South America, and the icy expanse of Antarctica.

Jesus’ commodity holdings include all the cattle on a thousand hills as well as the world’s gold, valuable minerals, and precious jewels. In addition, Jesus created and owns every person. 

Although Forbes magazine identifies the richest people on the planet every year, none compare to Jesus.

Yet For Your Sake He Became Poor

For the sake of the Corinthians, Jesus became poor. 

The Greek (ἐπτώχευσεν) is from the same root as the word used to describe the poverty of the Philippians earlier in 2 Corinthians 8:2.

In this case, however, we understand the word to mean that Jesus impoverished Himself (Kruse, 154-155). Jesus’ poverty did not result from an economic downturn; instead, Jesus chose to give sacrificially and impoverish Himself.

He gave up all He owned. He did so in the incarnation itself. During His three-year ministry, Jesus owned no property. His material assets were basically the clothes on His back.

A teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:19-20 NIV)

Then, at the climax of His ministry, Jesus was stripped of His clothing before He gave His final material possession—His own physical body—to be scourged and nailed to a cross.

The richest One became the poorest One. This was the greatest act of sacrificial giving in human history. The leader who had given all.

So That You, Through His Poverty, Might Become Rich

Through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice of His life, through His offering of His body, the Corinthians became rich.

The earlier reference to the Philippians’ poverty and this section’s opening reference to grace preclude the notion that Jesus died so we can become materially rich.

Furthermore, that thought would interrupt the obvious flow of the argument.

Through Jesus’ willing sacrifice—because He gave up everything, including His physical body—we can experience the priceless forgiveness of our sins and the rich Spirit-filled life that God intends us to live.

Effective Leaders Are Sacrificial Givers

At this point, the enormous weight of Paul’s message becomes very apparent: Paul was seeking to motivate the Corinthians to follow through on their commitments to God’s work.

He cited first the example of the Philippians and then the unsurpassable example of Jesus who gave everything for the Corinthians, making it possible for them to live in a right relationship with their Creator.

If that fact does not motivate us to give, then nothing will. If we are thankful for the gift of our salvation, received because of Jesus’ sacrificial death, then giving materially is one way we express our love and gratitude.

Woven into this profound message is the fact that as a leader, Jesus gave generously and sacrificially.

As the perfect Leader, His giving was utterly perfect, reminding Christian leaders today that effective leaders are sacrificial givers.