“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again – it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!’” (Matthew 19:23-24 NLT)
Is Jesus saying here that it is impossible for a person of wealth to enter the Kingdom of God? I certainly hope not, because on world standards Americans who are counted among the poorest are still rich.
In Jesus’ day many larger communities were walled with gates. After dark the gates were closed, but within many gates were smaller doors called “the eye of the needle,” through which a camel could enter, but without its load. Jesus isn’t saying it’s impossible for the rich to be saved, but it’s highly unlikely due to their allegiance to their riches.
What comes to your mind when you think of “riches?” Years ago, it was rare to find a person who generated more than a million dollars a year. Today there are a growing number of billionaires who own companies worth trillions of dollars. And how has all of that money profited the world?
Gratefully there are those who invest their wealth in humanitarian and even spiritual causes. But, on the other hand, who do you think funds the illegal drug market, sex trafficking, prostitution, arms used to slaughter millions of innocent people, and many other God-dishonoring enterprises? Rich people too often have “rich taste” that includes the degradation of children and adults against their will.
It causes me to ponder the ways that I overlook the poor, hungry, and destitute in my spheres of influence. Am I unable to get through “the eye of the needle” because of the burden of my riches? Satan’s strategy is to keep us focused on “them,” with the express intent to keep our eyes off our own hypocrisy in the ways we misuse the “riches” with which the Lord has blessed us.
Billy Sunday said: “The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer still.” The longer I walk with the Lord the richer I realize I am. But I also realize how indebted I am to my Savior. If you want to measure how rich you actually are, calculate what will be in heaven when you get there. What is the “treasure” you’re accruing in heaven?
Certainly, the souls of the people we’re leading to and influencing to follow the Lord, but what about the things that can’t be calculated by human measurements? The kind words spoken – to a child, a homeless person, a grieving parent, a struggling teen, someone doing a menial task. How about the person in whom you invest time, not for something you can get, but simply for the vital contribution you can make in their lives?
How about the hours you invest in volunteering at your church or community ministry that feeds and clothes those who can’t afford to provide those things for themselves. I think of the ministries of churches of which I’ve been a part and the selflessness of those who have and are giving time, money, and effort for no other reason than to glorify God and help those who can’t help themselves.
Do you not realize the Creator of the universe keeps a record of every one of those precious moments? Riches entail so much more than dollars and cents, just as poverty of soul involves so much more than a singular focus on the accumulation of wealth.
In my mind the poorest person isn’t the one who has no wealth, it’s the one who has no need of a Savior. “Holy Father, glorious Savior, powerful Spirit, enable us by your richness and indwelling presence to reach those in our spheres of influence who are so desperately in need of You!”
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 