Hard for Rich to Enter Kingdom of God

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The Gospel reading today from Mark 10:

20*“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

We know that certain wealthy individuals have been declared saints. This does not invalidate a literal reading of Jesus’ words. Jesus said it is very hard for the rich to enter heaven, not impossible. A priest told me that the eye of a needle was the hole in a town gate where a camel could be pushed through at night when the gates were closed. It seems to me that a literal interpretation is appropriate here. My recollection from reading Saint Augustine’s sermons was that he felt that the rich, simply by being rich, were at a disadvantage to the poor in the pursuit of heaven (though my recollections could be inaccurate). Does anyone know of a good interpretation of this passage from a Church father?
 
Our priest laughed at all the interpretations of this passage he’s heard…He said Jesus was being very literal here because the disciples had just seen an illustration in real life, of how hard it is to leave riches behind and have your priorities straight. I’ve seen some of those interpretations and they make me laugh. Many times, it’s the “prosperity gospel” preachers who twist themselves into knots so they don’t offend their big donors - also since they are preaching that God wants people to get rich, they can’t tell the truth about that passage or they cut down their own reason for existence.
 
sainthumbert said:
The Gospel reading today from Mark 10:

20*“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

We know that certain wealthy individuals have been declared saints. This does not invalidate a literal reading of Jesus’ words. Jesus said it is very hard for the rich to enter heaven, not impossible. A priest told me that the eye of a needle was the hole in a town gate where a camel could be pushed through at night when the gates were closed. It seems to me that a literal interpretation is appropriate here. My recollection from reading Saint Augustine’s sermons was that he felt that the rich, simply by being rich, were at a disadvantage to the poor in the pursuit of heaven (though my recollections could be inaccurate). Does anyone know of a good interpretation of this passage from a Church father?
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St Augustine also warned the poor not to boast, or “the humble rich man will surpass him.” [paraphrasing]
 
The simple answer is to look to Church doctrine on wealth which can be found in both the Catechism and in greater detail in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The Church teaches that wealth is to be viewed as a blessing from God and as such, people who are wealthy have a responsibility to use that wealth wisely and for the greater good. The passage has traditionally been interpreted that it is not the accumulation of wealth which is bad (providing it has been done in a moral manner), it is the choosing of money over God which is the problem. One cannot serve both God and mammon.

From the Compendium:
On the other hand, economic goods and riches are not in themselves condemned so much as their misuse. The prophetic tradition condemns fraud, usury, exploitation and gross injustice, especially when directed against the poor (cf. Is 58:3-11; Jer 7:4-7; Hos 4:1-2; Am 2:6-7; Mic 2:1-2).
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“How could we ever do good to our neighbor,” asks St. Clement of Alexandria, “if none of us possessed anything?”.[686] In the perspective of St. John Chrysostom, riches belong to some people so that they can gain merit by sharing them with others.[687] Wealth is a good that comes from God and is to be used by its owner and made to circulate so that even the needy may enjoy it. Evil is seen in the immoderate attachment to riches and the desire to hoard.
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Peace,
 
sainthumbert said:
The Gospel reading today from Mark 10:

20*“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

We know that certain wealthy individuals have been declared saints. This does not invalidate a literal reading of Jesus’ words. Jesus said it is very hard for the rich to enter heaven, not impossible. A priest told me that the eye of a needle was the hole in a town gate where a camel could be pushed through at night when the gates were closed. It seems to me that a literal interpretation is appropriate here. My recollection from reading Saint Augustine’s sermons was that he felt that the rich, simply by being rich, were at a disadvantage to the poor in the pursuit of heaven (though my recollections could be inaccurate). Does anyone know of a good interpretation of this passage from a Church father?
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Of course Jesus is being literal because the disciples assume the man is blessed because he is…

A. A ruler of the Jews

B. Rich

Then as now material and social success was equated with blessedness. An assumption btw not necessarily out of place but certainly called into question by Jesus.

We know the Lord is being literal because the response of the disciples is, “Who then can be saved!” Seeing his depart the disciple despair having presumed his blessedness based upon his standing in society. The same error was made by Samuel with King Saul and in the anointing of King David.

It is easy for us to look on the outside and circumstances of men and assume they are righteous (this is the error of Plato and Aristotle) but Christ tells us the only sure means of blessedness is being in Him by baptism, penitence and the Table. This assuredness is based solely of Christ’s work on our behalf and stands apart from us. Therefore a man who humbly depends upon Christ may be saved no matter if he is Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, scholar or commoner. St Paul makes this very clear.

God Bless
 
One day at my Parish, Priest addresses this reading in a homily …

Priest: "Did Jesus want us to give up all possessions? Look, I have a great CD collection … "

Some people laughed.

Priest: “I have an iPhone.”

More people laughed.

Priest: “I have an iPhone 5.”

All laughed …
 
What is the gospel’s definition of rich? If we have clean running water, three meals a day, electricity, a roof to cover our heads and protect us from the elements, flushing toilets, a TV, computer, cell phone, and maybe even a car! We are richer than hundreds of millions of other impoverished people living on this planet. So by Jesus standards we may be those very rich people that we are reading about, something to think about.:o
 
poptown said:
One day at my Parish, Priest addresses this reading in a homily …

Priest: "Did Jesus want us to give up all possessions? Look, I have a great CD collection … "

Some people laughed.

Priest: “I have an iPhone.”

More people laughed.

Priest: “I have an iPhone 5.”

All laughed …
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Camel through the eye of a needle? There’s an app for that.
 
Our priest took the “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also” approach. His meaning was that it’s not so much how much you have as whether or not your posessions take priority in your life. He gave the example of someone who hated to go on vacation because he was afraid someone would rob him or his house would burn down while he was gone. So he was always thinking about his house when he was away, instead of enjoying the peace that a vacation should bring, or the company of who he was with.

So, we need to be able to let go of everything to be able to truly be in His presence, and not let our posessions rule our life.
 
Another point is to concentrate on the word “do.” The rich man is used to doing things to make himself right with God. Sin offerings, alms, and such actions. Jesus gives an answer that the man will not understand, because he thinks he can buy himself salvation. This connects the idea of the camel and the needle with v.27, which then is the conclusion to the discussion.
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
 
Oldtimer_7 said:
Another point is to concentrate on the word “do.” The rich man is used to doing things to make himself right with God. Sin offerings, alms, and such actions. Jesus gives an answer that the man will not understand, because he thinks he can buy himself salvation. This connects the idea of the camel and the needle with v.27, which then is the conclusion to the discussion.
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
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Very good point.

In the readings for last Sunday, we also see how God can see into the hearts of man. Our pastor tied that into the Gospel to make the case that the Lord saw into the rich man’s heart and saw his attachment to his wealth which was preventing him from serving God fully. In the case of another rich man who was less attached to his possessions, Christ might have given different advice. Its obviously hard to know for sure as individuals which is why we have a Church to provide interpretation for us.
 
Oldtimer_7 said:
Another point is to concentrate on the word “do.” The rich man is used to doing things to make himself right with God. Sin offerings, alms, and such actions. Jesus gives an answer that the man will not understand, because he thinks he can buy himself salvation. This connects the idea of the camel and the needle with v.27, which then is the conclusion to the discussion.
27*Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Click to expand...
I thought Jesus gave him some things to do:
  1. Sell all his possessions
  2. Give the proceeds to the poor
  3. Come and follow him (Jesus)
What is hard to understand? I seems to me the rich man could have viewed this as “buying” and simply found the price too high. It would seem the point is less about “buying” salvation and more about just how hard it is for us to divorce ourselves from our possessions. We go through many hoops to justify whatever level of possessions we have. You will see it in any thread you start on this topic. We will justify a Mercedes over a Ford, more cars than we have drivers for, houses with rooms we never or rarely use, vacation homes that sit vacant, a tv in every room–that is how we choose to use the resources we have been given, we don’t wish to change, we don’t wish to downsize, and so we will tell ourselves–well as long as I am detached from these things I will be fine. Are we willing to bet our salvation on that?

It seems to me that the question we need to be asking ourselves is: is that best use of the bountiful resources God has given me? How am I using them to to further the kingdom of God? It would seem that every decision we make should be evaluated by that very question.

Is it really simply about “divorcing” ourselves from our plentiful possessions or is it about how we use what we have been given? About not having more than we truly need and using the rest to further Gods kingdom? Have we been called to sell what we have, give it to the poor and follow Christ–and what exactly does that mean for us as we raise our families and hold down a job? It seems if we all as Christians lived in such a manner–people would know us by our love and we could truly transform the world and further the kingdom of God.

All I know is that this is an area that scares me–I think all far to often my decisions are more about what I want --what furthers MarkinOregons comfort or pleasure rather than about what furthers the kingdom of God. I shudder for my weakness and fear for my salvation.

Peace,
Mark
 
MarkInOregon said:
–well as long as I am detached from these things I will be fine. Are we willing to bet our salvation on that?
Mark
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Good point. Especially given the fact that Jesus said it is very hard for the rich to have eternal life. Perhaps an analogy could be that the rich man has a stone tied to his waste as he swims towards shore (heaven). The poor man does not have a stone tied to his waste (though he could have one for other reasons).
 
MarkInOregon said:
I thought Jesus gave him some things to do:
  1. Sell all his possessions
  2. Give the proceeds to the poor
  3. Come and follow him (Jesus)
What is hard to understand? I seems to me the rich man could have viewed this as “buying” and simply found the price too high. It would seem the point is less about “buying” salvation and more about just how hard it is for us to divorce ourselves from our possessions. We go through many hoops to justify whatever level of possessions we have. You will see it in any thread you start on this topic. We will justify a Mercedes over a Ford, more cars than we have drivers for, houses with rooms we never or rarely use, vacation homes that sit vacant, a tv in every room–that is how we choose to use the resources we have been given, we don’t wish to change, we don’t wish to downsize, and so we will tell ourselves–well as long as I am detached from these things I will be fine. Are we willing to bet our salvation on that?
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As for the first part, I agree. Many could be more frugal without significantly impacting their lifestyle, but I don’t see the majority of people falling into that category. How many people do you know that have unused vacation homes, etc.? If you know a bunch, you must be hanging with very different people that I do.

As for the second, the Church does teach in her social doctrine that wealth is not evil and is to be viewed as a blessing from God. Not that it makes anyone better or worse, but rather in that it gives them an opportunity to use that blessing for good. If people who are well to do started following this passage literally, sold all of their stuff, and became poor for Christ, who would be hiring new employees? Who would be left to give to charity? Who would have enough income for the government to tax to provide basic services? The literal interpretation for that particular man in the gospel is fine, because Christ could see into his heart and knew what that particular man needed to hear.

To suggest that this implies a literal interpretation of this passage for all of us as it relates to our lives is not a good way to look at the passage. Either the Church is, or is not, the authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture. I think I will go with what she teaches on the issue.
 
Mark, you make excellent points. The kicker in this is v,21a: 21*Jesus looked at him and loved him." The man already had Jesus’ love. There is no amount of wealth that could even be a speck compared to that. The problem was that the man did not recognize that and was all tied up in thinking he could attain salvation through his own actions.

This certainly does not absolve us of our duty to others, which is based on Jesus’ command that we love one another as He has loved us. That duty is discharged not by using copious amounts of wealth, though it is a good thing to do. Bill Gates is a great example of using one’s wealth for others. It is discharged by doing what we can, regardless of our material wealth. The widow who gave her lepton is a good example. She descecrated the Temple by bringing a Greek coin and it was so worthless that it would not have even bought a sparrow. The sparrow would have cost 4 lepta. The usual offering was a half-shekel. The half-shekel would have cost 128 lepta. Jesus looked in her heart, not her wallet.
 
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