Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:23-26)
Even after a lifetime in and around Christianity: reading, learning, and teaching, there are still statements made by Christ Jesus in the gospels that amaze me, even sounding “foreign” to me! Jesus’ disciples were probably thinking, “Did He just say that? It goes against everything We’ve ever been taught!” This could be seen in connection with the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 where He teaches the great “reversal of values”: One’s own material prosperity is not necessarily an indicator of God’s favor and blessing, but “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. 5:3
“Do you think that the standard of righteousness lies in not having committed murder or adultery? Well I give you God’s Standard: “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). God’s Standard of righteousness is perfection. When one reads this in chapters 5-7, it will lead to one of two general reactions: One is like to that of the crowds in John 6, who followed Him after being fed miraculously, but turned away with the demand to follow Jesus on His terms, “This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?” (John 6:60). The other response is like that of a needy child, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (18:3).
The rich young ruler (expert in the law) of Matthew 19 finally recognized the extent of what it means to follow Jesus, and elected to stick with his worldly wealth over Him. If everyone was given a 1-to-1 audience with Jesus and were asked to give up all semblance of their idolatry in order to follow him, I suspect that there would be far fewer people who would call themselves “Christians”! “Sure, I’ll be a Christian, and keep my wealth, health & family, but if I were ever forced to choose…”
Jesus, the Son of God, shoots it straight with His closest followers, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” I’m so glad that the disciples had the courage to ask what many of us would be afraid to touch with a 10-foot pole, “Who then can be saved?” When all seems lost in regards to salvation, our Savior then gives us the Word of Grace that we desperately needed to hear, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I see that I can do nothing to merit God’s Salvation, leading to fellowship with Him and eternal life. As the great hymn “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” goes: “Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die”!
To come to God “like a child” essentially means surrender, indicating a complete reliance of trust in our Heavenly Father’s ability to bring life, and intention to act with Grace and Mercy upon the least deserving to save. This righteousness that we need does not come from ourselves, but from Jesus’ own life on earth, perfectly keeping the law and following His Father’s Will. Then, His death on the cross became a substitute for my own, and His righteousness became mine!
So with all that we know of Jesus’ teaching in the gospel, we dare not take His words on the entrapping seductiveness of wealth, as we still have our sinful nature within us. We can easily fall back into our old ways if we take our eyes off of the Greatest Prize, who richly bestows to us the Grace to get through each day. Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
One final thought: The great “Faith Chapter of Hebrews 11 talks about those who by faith, trusted in the promises of God over the material traps of this world. There were those who saw miraculous victories in this life, and there were those who didn’t. I love how apostle describes this Kingdom Reality: “…the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:37-40) There is a beautiful perfection in store for those who receive this Grace like a child!