Thoughts for the Day

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It 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.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Some of my friends and I have a name for things that need to find a home on a shelf - it's "stuff"! As we get older most of us can see that we have accumulated "stuff" - it's things we have bought that we don't need (like ornaments); it's presents we will never wear (sorry to those who gave them); and it's books among other things that we will never read. Most of us can see that when we die our families will end up having to clear it all out. I distinctly remember thinking "We don't need three new irons" at one of these occasions!

Today's reading deals with the problem of "stuff" that gets in the way of our relationship with God. The rich young man cannot give up his wealth and follow Jesus. The disciples are amazed at Jesus' comments about those who are rich. To them wealth was a sign of God's favour, and poverty a sign of sinfulness. No wonder the young man and the disciples were shocked. But Jesus sees money and possessions as a hindrance to living the Christian life, partly because we are satisfied with our possessions and our life here on earth. It means God can get squeezed out of our day-to-day existence as we work to keep up with servicing what we own.

Jesus' example of it being "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" is a warning to all of us in the 21st century, not to let the things we own and the need to own more, get in the way of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We need to put that first, and what we give up Jesus says will be returned many times over, and that's without being given eternal life.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You taught the rich young man
and Your disciples
that what they gave up in life
they would accumulate as treasure
in Heaven.
May we think on these words
as we come to Lent this year,
and apply them to our life.
Amen.