“Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Luke 18:24 ESV
Reflection: what are you willing to give up to enter the kingdom of God?
In a way, it is kind of strange, or possibly even a bit comical, all the striving we do through life to build up wealth and to collect things. I don’t think we have a great track record to be able to either prolong life, or to take any of it with us. Some cultures throughout history have tried to bury wealthy people with some of their treasures, only to have it excavated after their death by thieves or other collectors. So what is this drive in us to build up physical wealth when we cannot take it with us? And, for those that have been able to gain great wealth, the need to hold on to it as if they will be able to keep it forever?
In the story today, a wealthy man approaches Jesus with a question. “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” Luke 18:18b ESV. He is used to getting his way, a man of power and wealth. So the way he is asking the question is very interesting. Did you notice that he is mixing something that is earned (what must I do), with something that is given by God (inherit); namely eternal life. It seems manipulative, in a way, because what he probably wants to hear is a list of things, works, which was what the Pharisees taught. But keep in mind that he knew that only God could give eternal life.
Right before this exchange, Jesus has just been with the children, where he made a profound statement to the religious leaders and his own disciples “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:16b-17 ESV. The wealthy man might have thought that since even a child can enter the kingdom of God, it must be pretty simple. Just need to know what to do, what steps he must take. And, as he expected, Jesus starts listening the Law; of which he was familiar and had tried his best to follow.
At least externally, that is.
Because the very next item on the list was completely unexpected. Jesus calls his bluff, where his heart truly was. Let’s read what happened “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”” Luke 18:22 ESV. Oh, the very thing he had worked so hard for, his status as a wealthy man. Successful. A ruler; possibly part of the religious elite. To give all of that up? What about his lifestyle? His family? His legacy?
“But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” Luke 18:23 ESV
We see Jesus response in our focus verse today “Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Luke 18:24 ESV. And he makes this famous analogy that it is easier for a camel to enter “the eye of a needle”; a small entry gate into a city. To do that, the camel most likely had to leave behind all baggage it was carrying, and crawl through. A fitting description of what it takes to enter the kingdom of God. We cannot bring anything, we must humble ourselves, and can only enter
empty-handed. No baggage allowed.
Peter has been observing this exchange, and is now wondering about them. “And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.”” Luke 18:28 ESV. They literally dropped everything and followed Jesus. There is a deep message here for our modern society, where we tend to spend so much effort building and collecting stuff for a few short years in the world, and only crumbs building up eternal treasures. I don’t think Jesus minds us having a bunch of stuff here, but he makes it clear that it weighs us down. It makes it much more difficult to enter the kingdom of God.
So let’s check ourselves – If Jesus asked you to give up whatever is most valuable to you in order to follow him, would you respond like the wealthy man, or like Peter?