There was a study done several years ago where thousands of people at all different income levels, from poor to very wealthy, were interviewed. One of the questions they were asked was to define being “rich.” Ironically, almost every one of them said a number that was roughly twice what they currently owned. Maybe wealth isn’t a number, it’s a condition of the heart.
In Matthew 19, a young man who was known to be “rich” confronted Jesus and asked what good things he must do to receive eternal life. Jesus replied and said he must keep all the commandments. To which the young man responded that he’d strived to flawlessly keep them his whole life. Then Jesus raised the bar. Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth (Matthew 19:21-22).
Many will interpret this to say that Jesus asked this young man to do an unreasonable task. But by the rich man’s response, we see what Jesus was truly after. You see, money had gotten its hooks into the young man. He wasn’t sad because he was wealthy—Jesus never condemns wealth alone. He went away sad because wealth was his god.
The struggle this man had was the same as many of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day—they rigorously followed the law and looked every bit the part on the outside, but on the inside, their hearts were far from God. Power, control, or in this case, wealth was more important than being pure of heart.
The lesson behind the lesson from Jesus: Maybe being wealthy is not simply found in the abundance of money and possessions, but rather an eternal relationship with the God who made you.
Reflection:
- Why do you think Jesus follows this story by telling his disciples, “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God”? (Matthew 19:23). Is Jesus condoning wealth or something deeper?
- What did the rich young ruler miss about the kingdom of God? How was this different than the religion he had been observing his entire life?