And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:23-26, New American Standard Bible).

Once again, Jesus made a very un-American statement. “It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” No, Jesus, You didn’t mean that, did You? I mean, we’re all trying to get rich? Do You really mean the people we idolize cannot make it into heaven?

“No,” Jesus says. “They can—but it will be hard. In fact, it will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” We might assume that He must be speaking about a figurative camel and symbolic needle. Maybe He was talking about a filterless cigarette and the city of Needles, CA. (Some writers claim that there was a gate through the city wall of Jerusalem known as the “eye of the needle,” which was hard enough for a man to pass through, let alone a full-grown camel. I am not sure if this is true or just a clever way to find an alternative explanation for Jesus’ words here.)

Maybe Jesus really did mean what He said. He had just challenged a rich man to sell all he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him as a disciple. The rich man walked away; he would not follow Jesus if it meant giving up his wealth (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus meant it: wealth, money, prosperity, material comfort, luxury, etc., can become idols or false gods that distract us from following Him. When He said, “You cannot serve God and wealth,” He spoke as if they were two deities. Decide which you will seek, worship, and serve.

This does not mean that there will be no wealthy persons in heaven. However, it is a warning: Do not let money and the things it can buy become the driving forces in your life. Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and let the Lord govern every area of your life—including your bank account.

How does your relationship with money affect your relationship with the Lord?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.