Our context today is coming from the book of Luke, Chapter 18 verses 18-25.
"(18) And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (19) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. (20) Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. (21) And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. (22) Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. (23) And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. (24) And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (25) For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When we look at what takes place here, it is pretty profound. It’s one of those things where Jesus will be making a point, and using what he knows a person loves most to do it. Before we go further, let’s make sure we can really grasp one thing. Yes, rich/wealthy people can and will get to Heaven. When we look at many of the characters if the Bible, many were extremely well off. Take for example king David and the other kings. Kings would be the richest people in the land. 1 Kings 10:23 says king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. Luke, one of Jesus’s disciples was a physician. He would have been very well off. We would not for any instance think that any of them would not be part of the Kingdom of Heaven
Here are some verses that will help explain what Jesus was communicating.
Matthew 6:20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”
1st Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
(Note: mammon translation means riches)
Psalm 49:6 -7 "They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him”
Proverbs 11:28 "He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: But the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Even in today’s society, the wealthy/rich only care about staying wealthy and getting more. Greed is just as big a factor today as it was in the Bible days. If we were to look and dissect the worlds richest wealthiest people, especially those in power, we would probably find that the majority of them do not follow Christ or would not let go of their wealth to follow Christ even if Jesus Himself was to tell them. Their God is wealth and riches. That is why Jesus makes the statement he said. The issue Jesus knew the man had, is that he loved his possessions more than he did God. It wasn’t that the man was rich Jesus had the issue with, it was more his heart. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being rich or very prosperous. For us to be blessings for other people, we need to have the means to be a blessing. The bigger questions is, where is your heart? In this passage, Jesus was only addressing what he knew the man’s issue was, he loved his possessions. That is why he was very sorrowful when told to sell his possessions. Interesting to note is that when Jesus was asking if he kept the commandments, he was surely glad to say that he was.
When I read this, I think we can all relate that in areas in our life we can say yeah, I am keeping the commandments, doing the right thing, BUT, Are we still hanging on to things that are keeping us from truly following and putting our trust in Jesus? Is making money/fortune or any other self-accolade driving us more than truly submitting to Christ. How would we respond if Jesus was to tell us the same, sell all we have and give to poor and follow Him? In one version of the story from the book of Mark chapter 10. The Bible says Jesus was beholding and loving the man when telling him these things. Jesus loves and cares about us so much that he wants us to shed the things that keep us apart from him. It is truly a remarkable love story when you break it down.
This is why Jesus says it is harder for a rich man to get to Heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Let’s hear your thoughts and ideas, along with other scriptures you know of relating to this.
COMMENTS
[ posted by Cindy, 08/28/2022 09:05 PM ]
Material riches can be a great blessing and used to bless many in need and do great things for God's work. But they can also be a trap.
The gospel of Luke teaches the danger of riches and how it changes and/or affects the hearts of believers. Paul warned greed and the desire to be rich can become types of idolatry. I feel our society uses brand names, etc as symbols of being "rich". Designer things promoted by famous people, clothing, handbags,shoes etc that elite/wealthy/famous people use that people want them because it makes them feel "the look of wealth" that goes to a 'heart' problem
like "keeping up with the Jones'" We want recognition and status because we sport certain objects to have an appearance of what? Being rich? Being important? We have to also guard our hearts from those feelings. It is much easier for a poor man to leave everything and follow God.. why? Cuz he has less to lose. Now a rich man, referring to verse 22 Jesus says
sell everything and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, come and follow me... And he was sad because he was wealthy. He had just stated all he had done in his life and followed the commandments, but when Jesus said that, was it because he was shocked Jesus would ask him to do that, or was that kind of truth for salvation hard to believe, or is it hard to miss the truth when delivered straight and matter of fact? The man believed enough of who Jesus was to ask how to get that salvation, but didn't like Jesus' answer. And Jesus could see that even a rich man had a hard time giving up his fortune for what God offered.
[ posted by Priscilla, 08/29/2022 06:39 AM ]
Something to ponder....(not my own words but took it from Bishop Barron's Sunday homily)....If Jesus stood before you today and asked you to follow him, would your tomorrow look any different than your yesterday? What do we hold of value above following the Lord. Now let me use my "I" statements. What do I hold of value above following and doing the Lord's work?
[ posted by Mike, 08/29/2022 09:12 AM ]
Cindie and Priscilla, both great views. I believe we try to make value of what other people see us instead of the value in what God sees us. I think we try so hard for everyone else to have the "wow that guy really has it all" view of us instead of realizing that God has already given us everything according to His riches.
[ posted by Kimberly, 08/30/2022 05:55 PM ]
I agree with all he comments. People look at the outward man but God looks at the inward man. It's okay to have nice things but we should never let those things be our God or Idol. You will never see a U-haul following a hearse. So, yes, the question that Priscilla states, What do "I" hold of value above following and doing the Lord's work?
[ posted by wendi, 08/31/2022 03:01 PM ]
Sam once asked me a couple of years ago when we were living in the house close to mom, "Mom, why dont you get a bigger house". I told him "We dont need one and would he rather me spend all my money on a huge house or spend what we have and have money left over to go places and do things". I am trying to teach him young that we dont need big and fancy things and all it does is bring unwanted attention to ourselves. I dont make alot of money but I sure have all that I need. Cindy you were spot on in your response. It amazes me how many people you see that always have to have the newest IPhone, a new car every 2 years, etc. These things do not value your life or your relationship with God.