CLOTHED IN WEALTH

I recently had the pleasure of re-watching ‘Coming to America,’ the iconic movie from the ’80s, starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. Murphy plays Prince Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda, who travels to the USA in the hope of finding his Queen. In order to attract a woman who will love him for himself and not for his immense wealth, Prince Akeem and his personal aide, Semmi, rent a squalid tenement in Queens, New York, under the guise of poor foreign students. After a while, Semmi grows tired of this impoverished lifestyle. Against the Prince’s approval, he secretly sends a telegram to Akeem’s father, King Jaffe Joffer, requesting a ‘cool $1Million’ because they were in dire straits! As the King was unaware of his son’s plan to live in such poor conditions, he grew concerned. He decided to travel to America in person to bring his son home. When he arrives at Akeem’s apartment, he discovers, to his horror, that his son was ‘At work!!’ In his anger, he accosts Semmi and reprimands him for not taking better care of his son. As punishment, the King orders Semmi to confine himself to his royal suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Although he was suitably dressed, by anyone’s standards, the King orders his aides to give Semmi a thorough bath and to cloth him in decent attire! Unable to hide his joy, Semmi cries,

“Oh, thank you, your Royal Majesty!”

King Jaffe’s reaction towards seeing his beloved son living below his privilege somewhat reminds me of the loving father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. He, too, was a man of great wealth, and upon seeing his son in the distance, returning home barefoot, dirty and in rags, rushed out and kissed him.

Having wasted his inheritance on wild and excessive living, his son had fallen on hard times. Reduced to feeding pigs and perishing with hunger, he came to himself and decided to return home to his father. Believing he was no longer worthy of being called his son, he hinged his hopes on his father being merciful enough to hire him as one of his servants. However, his cry of unworthiness fell on ‘deaf ears,’ and his father ordered his servants to clothe him in the best robe, put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet (Luke 15:11-22).

This act, however, signified much more than a change of clothing. It was the ancient custom of clothing someone in wealth and power. The same thing Pharoah did when he made Joseph ruler over all Egypt.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. (Genesis 41:41-42)

In clothing his son with wealth and power, the father restored his son’s dignity, inheritance, and identity.

Like the prodigal son, your divine identity demands for you to be rich! God has ignored your cries of unworthiness and has decreed that you be clothed with wealth and power. As with the proud and noble King of Zamunda, the Most-High God does not want you to live below your privilege. You are royalty! Your life should be such that a small gesture from you elicits great joy, much like Semmi was overjoyed when he heard how he was to be punished! Like the prodigal son, you don’t have to do anything to get back into your Father’s ‘good graces’, for Christ has already done that for you. God only desires for you to ‘Come to Yourself.’ To be awakened by the revelation of His Son in you (Galatians 1:15-16). To know and understand that you are more than what your circumstance depicts. You are, indeed, more than your color, more than your race, and more than how society sees you. Only when you realize that ‘You Are More’ can God restore your dignity, inheritance, and divine identity. After all, the restoration of these things is what ‘Salvation’ is all about.