We read the account of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-27..."And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words.
What can we learn from this exchange? First of all, this young man was very prideful, and full of self righteousness, as he claims to have kept all of the commandments from his youth up. We know that there is no one, other than Jesus Himself, who kept all of the commandments, as we read in Romans 3:23...For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." Still, Jesus had love and compassion for him, and tells him to part with his worldly possessions in order to give to the poor, and to come and follow Jesus. However, the young man is grieved, because he does not want to part with his wealth, and he goes away sorrowful, as his choice is made, and his fate is sealed. Jesus goes on to express to his disciples how difficult it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God, and this is hard for the disciples to understand, as well, and they question among themselves if anyone can be saved. Jesus then reassures them that although it is impossible for men to be saved on their own, that all things are possible with God.
It is not the wealth itself which corrupts. The story of Zaccheus confirms this as we read in Luke 19:1-9..."And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, which was chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and he could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to see the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down, for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham." Zaccheus was a very rich man, in fact, he was the chief tax collector. However, he was not corrupted by his wealth, and his priorities and his integrity remained intact, as he did all that he could to get close to Jesus. We can also see that his heart was in the right place as he vows to give half of his possessions to the poor and to restore fourfold to any who he has taken from by false accusation. Though he had great riches, he understood what true wealth was, and he sought closeness with Jesus above all else, thereby securing his salvation.
We see that it is not riches which corrupt, but an evil heart. We read in 1 Timothy 6:10..."For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Notice here, that we are not told that money itself is the root of all evil, but the love of money. It is this covetousness, this greed, which hardens us against the plight of others less fortunate. We become apathetic and calloused to the sufferings of others as we are indulged in our own prosperity. This is the trap of wealth, the snare of riches, and Satan would gladly give us worldly riches and possessions in exchange for our soul. Jesus warns us against this very threat in Matthew 16:24-26..."Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" It is the denial of self, and the acceptance of our complete and total dependence upon His grace, which Jesus seeks from us. If we are reliant upon worldly wealth, we fail to see the need for the provision of God in our life, and we will also find it very difficult to see need in the lives of others. Let's look back at our earlier reading. Jesus first told His disciples how difficult it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Then, when the disciples were shocked by His words, He explained further..."how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" So, we see a twofold message here. The wealthy man's eyes are blinded to his need for salvation, and to its paramount importance, as compared to the riches of this world. However, he is only blinded to the degree to which he trusts in his riches. There are some, who, though they have earthly wealth, such as Abraham and Zaccheus, understand that their prosperity is a blessing from God. They do not see wealth as something to be depended upon, but rather as a tool to be used to help others. They see that their wealth has been given to them as stewards, to be distributed to those who are in need, and to further God's kingdom.
Finally, let's take a closer look at the words of Jesus in Mark 10:25..."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." There has been much debate about the meaning of this phrase, and many who would seek to downplay its straightforward message. Jesus was speaking metaphorically, using an exaggerated example in order to emphasize a point. Jesus did this at other times, as well, such as in Matthew 23:24, as he rebuked the scribes and Pharisees..."Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." as well as in Luke 6:41..."And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Jesus used the example of a camel passing through the eye of a needle to emphasize the fact that it is impossible for a man to enter into the kingdom of God without divine intervention. If the camel represents our natural tendency to gather wealth, and the needle represents the narrow way, what does this tell us? We need to put our "camels" on a strict diet, and we need to study and work to enlarge the eye of the needle. However, we cannot humble ourselves enough, we cannot pray our way in, we cannot be "good enough", to merit eternal life. No amount of charity or pious acts will make us deserving of heaven. It is only through the precious blood of Jesus that we can obtain salvation, and this needs to be enough for us. Finally, we read in Hebrews 13:5..."Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
