Jesus Speaks With a Kneeling Man About Richesby Jeff
10:25Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus spoke it to His disciples as an impressive lesson showing the strength of riches. The image of a camel going through the eye of a needle pictures human impossibility by wealth or human effort. Entry is possible only with God, for whom all things are possible, by His grace.
The difficulty comes when a person trusts in wealth and cherishes it as an idol. It comes when one remains bound to earthly treasure and serves wealth, for wealth itself gives no claim to heaven. Then the pursuit of gain takes over thoughts and energies in worship at the shrine of Mammon and prevents serving God.
Love of riches has an almost paralyzing, infatuating power over the mind. The more people gain the more they set affections on earthly things and reach for still more. They act as if bereft of reason, fearing coming to want in proportion as riches increase. They hoard means for the future and become close and selfish from fear that God will not provide, putting trust in accumulated riches instead of faith in God and His promises, and are left poor toward God.
The danger takes the specific form of a covetous, selfish idolizing of money that withholds help from others and from advancing God's cause, which risks spiritual ruin, and inherited property can become a stumbling block rather than a blessing. Even those professing to give the world its final warning may pursue wealth and position in this self-defeating way, when love of the world turns them toward selfishness and covetousness. Those who invest in God's work yet insist on doing things their own way also put eternal life at risk through wealth and self-will.
Trusting in riches endangers spiritual life by hiding the danger of sin. The saying proves the superiority of eternal things over present possessions, declared with certainty by one who knew from seeing where men lived for gain.
Those who believe they belong to God because they were bought at a price are to hold possessions as a trust to use as God directs for saving the lost and helping the poor and suffering. Means should be invested where God's blessing can make them fruitful. Christ's love can melt selfishness so that, like Paul, they count all things loss for Christ and become servants of others.
The extreme hardness makes work for the rich bring discouragement and heart-sickening revelations. Yet it is not final and calls for helping and enlightening the wealthy, who are precious to God. God works through faithful, brave human agencies upon minds devoted to money-getting to work miracles of genuine conversion. The greatest men, those in responsible places, and men of intellect and influence are not beyond His power, so that many can be led by the Holy Spirit to accept divine principles.
When the rich behold Christ's self-denial and self-sacrifice they can recognize their spiritual poverty, humble themselves, choose Christ above self, and take hold of eternal life. A converted rich person then devotes time, money, talents, and influence to God. He carries the gospel to others in the same neglected class.
Jesus spoke it to His disciples as an impressive lesson showing the strength of riches. The image of a camel going through the eye of a needle pictures human impossibility by wealth or human effort. Entry is possible only with God, for whom all things are possible, by His grace.
The difficulty comes when a person trusts in wealth and cherishes it as an idol. It comes when one remains bound to earthly treasure and serves wealth, for wealth itself gives no claim to heaven. Then the pursuit of gain takes over thoughts and energies in worship at the shrine of Mammon and prevents serving God.
Love of riches has an almost paralyzing, infatuating power over the mind. The more people gain the more they set affections on earthly things and reach for still more. They act as if bereft of reason, fearing coming to want in proportion as riches increase. They hoard means for the future and become close and selfish from fear that God will not provide, putting trust in accumulated riches instead of faith in God and His promises, and are left poor toward God.
The danger takes the specific form of a covetous, selfish idolizing of money that withholds help from others and from advancing God's cause, which risks spiritual ruin, and inherited property can become a stumbling block rather than a blessing. Even those professing to give the world its final warning may pursue wealth and position in this self-defeating way, when love of the world turns them toward selfishness and covetousness. Those who invest in God's work yet insist on doing things their own way also put eternal life at risk through wealth and self-will.
Trusting in riches endangers spiritual life by hiding the danger of sin. The saying proves the superiority of eternal things over present possessions, declared with certainty by one who knew from seeing where men lived for gain.
Those who believe they belong to God because they were bought at a price are to hold possessions as a trust to use as God directs for saving the lost and helping the poor and suffering. Means should be invested where God's blessing can make them fruitful. Christ's love can melt selfishness so that, like Paul, they count all things loss for Christ and become servants of others.
The extreme hardness makes work for the rich bring discouragement and heart-sickening revelations. Yet it is not final and calls for helping and enlightening the wealthy, who are precious to God. God works through faithful, brave human agencies upon minds devoted to money-getting to work miracles of genuine conversion. The greatest men, those in responsible places, and men of intellect and influence are not beyond His power, so that many can be led by the Holy Spirit to accept divine principles.
When the rich behold Christ's self-denial and self-sacrifice they can recognize their spiritual poverty, humble themselves, choose Christ above self, and take hold of eternal life. A converted rich person then devotes time, money, talents, and influence to God. He carries the gospel to others in the same neglected class.