You are judged by the company you keep. Fair or not, that is the truth. I've heard it said that you will earn close to the same amount of money as your 10 closest friends or acquaintances. All that to say, I think Ben Sira is on to something in the chapter. His advice to "not lift a weight that is too heavy for you" v2 reminds me of my grandmother saying, "Don't think of yourself as too high and mighty."
I found it interesting toward the end of the chapter when he distinguishes between the rich and the humble. It seems that he is saying the humble will be criticized and looked down upon, while the rich will have the appearance of blessings. My experience has been that while many give the wealthy preferential treatment, that wisdom is found in both the rich and the poor. Perhaps that is what he means in v24 "Riches are good if they are free from sin. Poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly."
For some it is sport to bash the rich. But as a wise priest once pointed out, "The Good Samaritan would not have been able to do anything if he had been poor." He could only take the beaten man to the innkeeper because he had the money to do so.
Ben Sira seems to be agreeing with Jesus: that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. I remember Dan Elsner, while over the Archdiocesan office of Total Catholic Education in the 1990s, would love to "help" the wealthy find a worthwhile use for their money. A win/win.
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