“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NET).
2 Corinthians 8:9 makes reference to the riches Jesus possessed. Yet it also appears that Jesus held few material or financial assets during His life. So in what sense can we say He was rich? Well, a look at Jesus’ pre-incarnate existence (or His existence prior to His human birth) can help reveal many of the answers to that question.
We can begin by considering Jesus’ deity, or His divine nature. You see, the Scriptures tell us that there is One God (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Bible further identifies this one God as a unity subsisting in three Persons- the Father (Ephesians 5:20 and Jude 1:1), the Son (Hebrews 1:8 and Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4 and 2 Corinthians 3:17). As mentioned earlier, we commonly use the word “Trinity” to describe this concept in regard to the nature of God.
As the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is omnipotent (or all-powerful), omnisciencent (or all-knowing), and omnipresent (a word that defines the ability to be in all places at once). He also possesses all the glory, honor, and majesty that belongs to God. Therefore in the words of one commentator, “The riches of Christ are those riches which pertained to his status with God and equality to God before the world was (John 17:5), the riches of His eternal power and Godhead, the riches of His everlasting divinity and glory.” (1)
Yet Jesus humbled Himself by laying aside these riches to become our atoning substitute. Jesus did not cease to be God at any time in accepting the limitations of humanity but as the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, “…(Jesus) had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17 CSB).
Finally, one source offers another important insight regarding this passage by observing, “…(That you) might become rich refers to the spiritual riches that Jesus gives to all who place their trust in Him: He offers forgiveness, justification, regeneration, eternal life, and glorification. Jesus purchases us from slavery to sin and makes us children of God. He gives us the right and privilege to approach God with requests and praise.” (2)
(1) James Burton Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, 2 Corinthians 8 [Verse 9] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/2-corinthians-8.html
(2) Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1505). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.