Wealth and the Kingdom

And Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" - Mark 10:23 (NASB)

The ministry of Jesus was centered upon preaching the kingdom of God. He stated that this was the purpose for His ministry (Lu 4:43). Therefore, He preached it constantly. John the Baptist had preached that the kingdom of God was at hand and Jesus picked up where he left off after his death (Mk 1:15). Here, Jesus wants to inform us about how difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.

Can the wealthy enter it at all?

We should first note that Jesus does not say that they cannot enter it at all. We should not make the assumption that those who are wealthy will not be in the kingdom of God. Jesus never stated that.

What He does say is that it is extremely difficult. This implies that it is potentially more difficult than those who are poor. Jesus uses forms of the Greek word DOSKOLOS in verses 23 and 24. It is translated as "difficult or hard". It is also interesting to note that the only time this word is used in the NT is within these two verses or their parallels (Mt 19:23; Lu 18:24). Jesus repeated it twice in these two verses to emphasize to His disciples the difficulty faced by those who are wealthy. The disciples would have naturally felt that the wealthy were those being blessed by God. Jesus implies that this is not necessarily the case.

Why is it so difficult for those who are wealthy?

Within the Greek, the word translated "are" is actually ECHONTES comes from the root work ECHO meaning "to have or to hold". It means those "having money". It is a Present Tense verb signifying a current reality. The word translated "enter" is a Future Tense verb from the root word EISERCHOMAI meaning "shall be entering". Thus, Jesus is saying that those who currently have money will find it difficult to enter into the kingdom in the future.

Why is this? This teaching falls immediately after the story of the Rich Young Ruler (Mk 10:17-22). In it, Jesus meets a young ruler of the local synagogue who wished to know how he can obtain eternal life. Jesus initially asks him to obey the 10 commandments. He replies that he has obeyed them. Then Jesus asks him to sell all that he has in order to obtain the kingdom of God. The wealthy ruler leaves unhappy and unwilling to do so. It is at this point that Jesus gives His disciples this teaching.

This context tells us that Jesus sees the problem of wealth as being three-fold.

1. The Rich Young Ruler Trusted in His Works.

The young man trusted in his works. His initial question demonstrated this. He asked "what shall I do" (Mk 10:17). Therefore, from the outset he felt as if his conduct and actions were good enough for him to be included into the kingdom of God. He believed that the things he had done were worthy of such honor. Many today feel the same. They have led a "good life" and are not as bad as some others and therefore deserve admittance into the kingdom of God.

2. The Rich Young Ruler Trusted in His Wealth.

The young man also trusted in his wealth. As a ruling official, he would have owned a great deal of possessions. Mark tells us that he owned a great deal of property too (Mk 10:22). His comfortable lifestyle evidently was something that he held onto. He found his worth in his position and wealth. Instead of giving up his possessions and following Jesus he chose to remain content with what he had acquired in this life.

He had been told to what he had to the poor but he was greedy. He wanted it for himself (Mk 10:21). Jesus offers him a proposition: Sell all you have and substitute earthly treasures for treasures in Heaven. Yet, he valued material goods and the things of this world more than the things of God. This teaches us a principle. Only those who are willing to give up everything are capable of receiving the kingdom of God.

This is not to say that we must sell everything we own. It is to say that we must examine our lives, be willing to live with less, and use the extent that our money owns us as an indicator of our true Lord. Jesus said that you cannot serve both God and wealth (Matt 6:24). Therefore, if your money is more important than serving Christ you are not His disciple.

In fact,. Jesus said that unless you are willing to deny your own family, friends, or life you cannot be His disciple (Lu 14:26). He also stated that if you were not willing to pick up your cross (Lu 14:27) or give up all of your possessions (Lu 14:33) you cannot be His disciple either.

Difficult words. We call many people "Christians" today. Unfortunately, many of these so-called followers deny Him by their lifestyle. In Acts 11:26, it was the "disciples" who were first called "Christians" in Antioch. A disciple is a learner and follower of Christ. A disciple is willing to completely deny himself and does not place family, friends, money, and even his own life above his relationship to Christ.

Do you place money your wealth above your desire to enter His kingdom? If it's not your first priority, you will not enter into it. Either now or in the future. Remove any obstacle in your life that may prevent you from obtaining Eternal Life including the works or wealth that you so desperately hold onto.