Jesus & Wealth?
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| Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10) - 1879, Beijing, China (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The rich young ruler’s countenance fell when Jesus told him to sell all his goods and give the proceeds to the poor. Frequently the Scripture gives this kind of warning to those who are blessed with a great deal of wealth.
As we consider the matter of wealth from a biblical perspective, we see that there is nothing particularly evil in itself about the possession of riches. Abraham and Job were both wealthy, godly men. Those who possess wealth, however, face a unique temptation. Along with wealth comes a measure of power, and with power a feeling of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficient people trust in themselves and in their own power, making them impoverished in the things of the kingdom.
Jesus addressed this issue in radical terms, saying that it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom (Luke 18:25). This bizarre image has generated a great deal of comment in the church. A few scholars have supposed that the word camel here was originally a word meaning “rope,” but there is no evidence for this supposition. Even if there were, it is still impossible to get a rope through a needle’s eye.
A more popular suggestion is that there was a gate in Jerusalem called Needle’s Gap, which was so low and narrow that the only way to get a camel through it was by removing all its baggage and forcing it to its knees to crawl through. Thus, the meaning would be that the rich can only get into the kingdom if they let go of their possessions and enter on their knees. This is a worthy thought, but it does not seem to be the idea here, because the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” This would indicate that they regarded Jesus as saying something impossible (v. 26). Jesus replied that nothing is impossible with God. In fact, rich or poor, no one can be saved apart from the work of God Himself.
We must be wary of the dangers of wealth. How can we distinguish between unhealthy accumulation of wealth and simply enjoying the prosperity and blessings of God? Seek to develop a balanced view of wealth so that the “eye of the needle” will not keep you from entering God’s kingdom.
