Middle Class Snobbery

Jonathan held court in his adult Bible class last Sunday. Remarking on the disdain with which we look on the Rich Young Ruler of Mark 10:17, he said, “Have you ever noticed how we look down on the very rich? We envy them for their lifestyles and fancy cars, and we accuse them of being uncaring for the poor and only spending their millions on themselves.”
“Then on the other hand,” he continued, “we scorn the very poor, as if it’s their own fault that they’re poor.” True enough, poverty often comes because of bad choices and lack of enthusiasm for work. Proverbs 6:10-11 reads, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.”
“Poor people have poor ways,” says the English proverb. Yet, it’s not only poor choices that make one poor. Sickness and disability can render one incapable of earning a sufficient living to support oneself and family. The community may be disadvantaged, where there are few jobs for workers without college degrees, or the economy may be depressed, with major employers closed down, leaving many out of work and out of hope.
Jonathan pointed out that the middle class tries to give itself all the breaks. Yes, it’s true that middle class people will often lend their hands to volunteer service; they seem to do most of the servant work around church, and give generously (so they imagine—remember how Jesus praised the widow’s mites) to charity.
We have a habit of meting out harsh judgments on those above or below us on the socio-economic ladder. It’s never a good idea. Jesus warned, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” –Matthew 7:1, 2.
It wouldn’t take much for middle class people to become poor. Many of us carry enormous credit card debt. If the economy went south or something detrimental happened in the Middle East, or if Hugo Chavez decided to turn off the spigot, we would all be singing the song of the poor: “Use it up and wear it out. Make it do or do without.”
The same could also be true for the rich. And of course, death is the great equalizer for all, as the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus warns.
It just doesn’t do to pass judgment on others.