THE RICH WILL BE RARE IN HEAVEN

Matt 19:23-26 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Also See Mark 10:23-27; Luke 18:24-27)

The lesson in this scripture is found in Matthew, but also in the gospel accounts of Mark and Luke. And in each recording, it follows Jesus' meeting and instruction of a young ruler regarding the use of his great wealth. Although he had obeyed God's moral laws toward his fellow man, he realized that there still remained a need. When he asked Jesus what he lacked to gain eternal life, Jesus told him that in order to be perfect and gain the hope of eternal life, he must go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me (Vs. 21). Evidently the young ruler was so sinfully obsessed with hoarding his great possessions that he would not part with them, even though it was his materialistic desires that were keeping him from the hope eternal salvation.

With that lesson in mind, Jesus turned to His disciples and taught them a similar lesson about the kingdom of heaven. Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. It should be noted here that riches, and their affect on inheriting eternal salvation, is a very relative term. To the poor and destitute, one week's rations of food and a place to lay one's head in the evening, is riches. To a young adult, a job that affords advancement, an automobile, a home that may even have a mortgage, and provisions to rear and feed a young family, is great possessions. An older adult, having gained those same things when young, will consider riches as a paid up annuity that assures early retirement. To the executive "millionaire," a grand estate, a summer home in the tropics, a yacht, and stock options with unlimited potential, are great possessions. With these relative values of riches in mind, we can note that Jesus did not say all rich men and women will be excluded from heaven, but that it would be more difficult for them to be saved and enjoy salvation and entering into the kingdom of heaven. It is not the fact that one has great riches determines where one will spend eternity, but rather the degree of trust one places on them regardless of the amount.

Indeed, it is be extremely difficult for one to struggle with, and overcome, the lustful temptations that result from great wealth. Earthly possessions can become, and often are, a great hurdle that must be overcome in order to be pleasing in the sight of the same God that allowed us to accumulate them. Greed, avarice, covetousness, envy, and many other like sins often result when one has great wealth. However, feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, sheltering the homeless, administering to the needs of those that experience various acts of misfortune, and many other charitable acts of loving kindness, are the good deeds that rich men and women can accomplish by wisely using their great wealth in a manner that God approves. Sorrowfully, most that are rich fail to use their God-given gifts charitably, preferring to selfishly hoard them for self gratification. Those in the latter description are liken to a rich man that shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

To illustrate the difficulty of rich men and women enjoying the hope of salvation, Jesus says that It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. This is a proverb, historians tell us, was well known to Jewish people. It was often used to describe, what seemed to be, the improbability of something taking place due to some great hindrance that must be overcome. Therefore, one having great riches is faced with this difficulty that must be dealt with rightly in the sight of God. All things come from God. We must recognize that any wealth we are privileged to accumulate in life does not belong to us. We are mere stewards of all these gifts - they belong to God, and we will, in the day of Judgment, give an account of how we used them. With this great difficulty - this almost impossible task of people dealing righteously with riches, Jesus' disciples asked this question: Who then can be saved? Jesus answered, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Only complete trust in God can overcome one's trust in riches and allow God's grace to bring salvation.