Let the brother of low degree rejoice
in that he is exalted.But the rich,
in that he is made low….James 1:9-16
What’s with that?
Why should a rich person rejoice at losing his riches?
Why should a well-to-do individual rejoice at becoming indigent?
Why should anyone rejoice at being humiliated?
This sounds that it was likely written during the inaugural ‘all things in common’, or communal, (communist ?) phase of the fellowship of Christ.
So, first, materially. The brother of low degree was ‘exalted’, in that the communal arrangement immediately delivered him from a state of destitution or poverty.
Meanwhile, the rich could rejoice in that they were ‘made low’, because in so doing they were delivered from all the trappings of material wealth and its attendant social status, obligations, and corruptions for a new life of freedom from the entaglements, snares and stresses that come with personal wealth.
In the New Testament, abundant material wealth and prosperity is not highly valued, as it is say, in Washington, or in Hollywood, or even in the Old Testament, where it is enshrined as a testimony of God’s favor, a’la Job, Abraham, Solomon, etc., etc., etc. While on the contrary, Jesus warned that the rich “will hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven”. He made that very clear. Materialistic desire is a corruption of the flesh. Jesus’ teaching was/is very subversive to the established order, and this is why they felt they needed to crucify him.
Yet, many so-called Christian denominations and churches, totally in denial of Christ’s denunciation of material excess, heartily embrace the ‘prosperity gospel’ and erect ashura poles of desire and esteem for material priapism in the center of their values sanctuaries. This is metaphorical, but still just as real.