For the last several years I’ve struggled with this very question, “Can rich people go to Heaven?” This is a valid question and one that deserves a response. This question is an offensive question that makes people squirm and feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it’s still a good question that needs to be addressed. In Scripture, Jesus has plenty to say about Heaven and eternity, but even more about the subject of money. In fact, Jesus talks more about money than almost any other subject except the overarching themes in the bible like salvation, abiding in Christ and loving God with a pure heart.
Our world is filled with misinformed and misguided people who take a theological position in the name of convenience. For many, poverty is inconvenient so we avoid it and for the sake of convenience and comfort, we bask in the material things that this world offers. Let’s face it, it’s convenient to drop by a fast food restaurant and grab a “large heart attack to go” and it’s convenient to keep our house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s convenient to drive in a car that has heated seats and makes us feel good. Living in America, the consumer is targeted on a daily basis to live their lives in convenience and comfort. Commercials, billboards, our schools, churches and our government screams in our ears to be comfortable, even at the expense of others living uncomfortably.
Enough of my personal rant, let’s get back to this pivotal question: “Can rich people go to Heaven?” The often quoted words of Jesus in Matthew 19:24 says, “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”. WOW! Did you hear what Jesus said? He said it’s hard for a wealthy man to enter the kingdom of God (Heaven). I don’t know if you have ever seen a camel go through the eye of a needle, but for me, it’s hard to believe that this is attainable. Jesus is saying, “how much harder it is for the rich man to spend eternity with God”. Why did Jesus say this? Did He really mean what He said? Does Jesus dislike personal wealth?
As I study this passage, it’s clear that Jesus is saying that since the man (rich young ruler) was trusting in his personal wealth rather than the Lord to save him, he could no more enter the kingdom (Heaven) than a camel to go through the “eye of a needle”. Jesus is essentially saying that to be “perfect” or attain eternal life, one must come to a crisis or a moment in ones life where wealth and materialism are crucified.
Did Jesus have a Self-Esteem Problem?
Did Jesus feel threatened by one’s personal wealth? Was He jealous? Did he ask his potential followers to lives of poverty and self examination because He was jealous of something that He didn’t have? No doubt about it, Jesus wasn’t rich. Although many prosperity preachers say that Jesus lived a lavish lifestyle, it’s clear in the pages of scripture that Jesus lived a life of simplicity where he placed more value on the eternal than the temporal and emphasized the discipline of giving more than he taught about receiving and personal gain.
So, why was Jesus so concerned about the personal wealth of some of his potential followers? Jesus unequivocally asked his disciples to be fully devoted to Him and His cause…anything less than this would not be tolerated. He wanted “all” of his followers. Anything less than being “fully devoted to Christ” is lukewarm and Jesus Himself said that He “would spit the lukewarm” out of His mouth (Revelation 3). Jesus wants our “heart, soul, mind and strength”. Jesus wants our affections. He wants our allegiance. He wants us to be completely dependent on Him for life, breath, health and the eternal things. Jesus wants any obstacle or interference to our intimacy with Him to be thrown off or cast aside. It’s not a self-esteem issue, but it’s jealousy for your heart and my heart. He loves us more than we can ever know. He made us for relationship…to be fully connected with Him and immersed into His flawless character. Jesus is jealous when we love “stuff” more than Himself. Jesus becomes jealous when our eye is constantly on what we wear, what we drive and who we are instead of living out the mission that He has called us to live…a mission that is complete dependency on Jesus himself and seeking to be hope and justice in the world that we live (this is the way Jesus lived).
hey paul its adam i think this was an excellent blog and from what i have seen in the world just recently and to what jesus felt about this topic is very clear and very accurate in my mind. I think it is so much harder for a rich person to go to heaven primarly because that have a much cozier lifestyle where they dont feel they completely need a supernatural being or another example would be a crutch to lean on because they havnt gone threw tradjedy and they feel as if all they need is themselves. One more thing i would like to say about this is when you get nothing its easier to cling on to someone who is everything. Where as if you have everything its harder to give up everything for someone like god who offers salvation and etternal life because the person who has everything says they dont need salvation for that matter or anythign else cause there high in the good life. Its not till i believe they go threw a tragedy where they need something else other than themselves.
ReplyDeleteHey Pastor! Intern here. During my many years of education at the WU I have done some research on this topic if rich people can go to Heaven. I think many times as Christians we forget to read the Bible in the context it was written at the time, now I am not saying that the Bible is not transcendent throughout time, but if you do not read it in the correct context we can easily misconstrue the true meaning. As I was reading a commentary on this verse for my NT class I came across something that I had not factored into my thinking when I would read this verse. The commentary said something like the difference between "rich" people today and rich people during the time of Jesus was that in order for an individual to become wealthy they had to of taken possessions and other things from someone else. So the rich young man did not work for what he had, but in fact he had STOLEN it from others. Now to go along with him being a Thief this is a story of a man who was also liar and a man who was prideful. I say he was a liar because when he asked Jesus how he can enter Jesus essentially to obey the commandments. Now this is impossible to obey ALL the commandments your entire life, but the rich young ruler says he has done all these things. He was obviously a man of great pride, which was the result of his money and taking advantage of others. I am not saying you are entirely wrong Pastor, I do not want you to think that AT ALL, but I believe there is more to this passage than many Christians realize.
ReplyDelete