Thursday 31^st January

Mark 10:23-31

Money and wealth and temporary, God’s grace and love is eternal. So why do the majority of people in Western societies put so much effort in ‘earning’ perishable and temporary wealth instead of accepting God’s ‘free’ gift of Salvation? He has already paid the price so all we need to do is accept His gift. Yet today’s question or topic is not so much about wealth in and of itself, but rather if it’s possible to be rich and enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Yesterday we saw Jesus challenge a man to sell all he had and give his wealth to the poor. Jesus wasn’t saying this because He thought the man could gain his salvation by good works. On the contrary. Jesus knew the condition of his heart and knew that he valued his wealth more than God Himself. It was this man’s heart condition that Jesus was really addressing.

In the following verses found in Mark 10:23 onwards, Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. That statement threw His disciples back, they were absolutely astonished at this teaching. Being rich in a Jewish context had ‘advantages’ in the Pharisees ideology of salvation. The more you give, the more likely it is that you gain Salvation (remember the story of the woman who gave 1 coin and the Pharisees who showed off by their exuberant giving).  Jesus’ teaching went exactly against this idea and taught that in fact it was harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Heaven. There have been a lot of different ideas as to what this actually means but the most reliable translation is that of a literal one. Simply put, when was the last time you saw a camel go through the eye of a needle? Never, right. Well this is Jesus’ point. It is almost impossible for someone of great wealth to enter Heaven. Ok.. wait! They best is yet to come.

Before we discuss the above point I wanted to highlight Jesus words to the disciples. Notice that verse 23 and the beginning of 24 refers to the disciples as disciples. However, when Jesus told them that it is almost impossible to enter Heaven if you have great wealth, their reaction makes Jesus refer to them as children. Why? My opinion is that they just didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them. It almost like Jesus is saying, ‘you understand things as children’. He then gives them the illustration of a camel and then finally they get Jesus’ point. But still they ask, “who then can be saved?”

Then Jesus gives the answer they were all waiting for. “With man salvation is impossible, but not with God. With God all things are possible!” (paraphrased from verse 27). Wow. Praise God. Jesus is highlighting here that salvation, entering the Kingdom of Heaven, is not something that can be earned or purchased. It is of God’s doing, lest man should boast of his good works (Apostle Paul and James’ words). The fact that Jesus said that it is almost impossible, that people with wealth cannot enter Heaven, may not mean that it is wrong to be rich but that those who have much are more worried about loosing it and therefore less likely to give it up. It therefore becomes an idol in their life and takes the place of God. Wealth in itself is not wrong but it is the attitude of the heart and it’s worth in your life that determines your entry into the Kingdom of God. Don’t make the same mistake as the rich man. Put God as number 1 in your life. For whatever we give up on this earth, God will reward in the age to come….eternal life.