An official asked him this question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother.’” 21 And he replied, “All of these I have observed from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this he said to him, “There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich.
24 Jesus looked at him [now sad] and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 And he said, “What is impossible for human beings is possible for God.” 28 Then Peter said, “We have given up our possessions and followed you.” 29 He said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 who will not receive [back] an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.”
Wealth can be an obstacle to discipleship. The rewards of discipleship are infinitely greater than the sacrifices one makes when one renounces everything and follows Christ. Riches in themselves are neither good nor bad, but preoccupation with riches can be an obstacle to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus’ response to the rich official addressing him as “good teacher” (v. 18) indicated that he thought it was not sincere. All goodness comes from God, even Jesus’ ministry of salvation stemmed from God’s goodness. The gift of eternal life comes from God (Jn. 17:6) so it is God alone who is “good.” The reply could have been read as, “Do you ask me, a man, about things that concern God alone? What has God told you (Mt. 19:17)?” The commandments that Jesus mentioned addressed how we should interact with each other, the second of the two great commandments (Mt. 22:39). The rich official had observed the Law his whole life and was confident that he had ‘earned’ the promise of eternal life. Jesus challenged him to make a sacrifice of the very thing he prized above all else, earthly wealth. He should sell everything he possessed, distribute the proceeds to the poor and become a disciple. That would make him perfect (Mt. 19:21). He should depend solely on God’s providence, as Jesus does, and he will be assured greater riches and eternal life. The rich official who was at first exuberant became despondent and left (Mk. 10:22). In contrast, the rich tax collector responded positively and immediately to Jesus’ invitation (Lk. 19:1-10).
After the rich official left, Jesus told his disciples that it was impossible for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God by their own efforts. That stood in contrast to the social and religious beliefs of the day that wealth was a sign of God’s favor and blessings in this life and the next. Some asked, “Then who can be saved (v. 26)?” Jesus explained that even though it is difficult, with God’s grace even the wealthy can be freed from their slavish attachment to their possessions and be saved. Peter’s statement (v. 28) demonstrated what was required to follow Jesus (Mk. 1:17-18), and Jesus told him that all who make sacrifices for the kingdom would receive an abundance of God’s grace in this life and in the next.
Almighty God, we cannot gain entry into your kingdom without your grace. Help us to turn our hearts to you so we can understand how you want us to use your gifts. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Comments