In Mark 10:25, Jesus says, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. The disciples found the statement shocking. They asked themselves, Who then can be saved?
When we think about the rich in our world, especially the billionaires who exploit the people and steal resources for themselves, Jesus' statement is not so shocking. We are seeing, in real time, the greed and destruction caused by wealthy people who hoard it all for themselves while taking from others. So, why did the disciples think it was?
We have to remember that the Old Testament contains promises of blessings for obedience. He blessed Abraham, He blessed Jacob, He blessed Job after his time of testing. They were blessed with possessions, wealth, and family. In the rule of the kings, there is evidence that as they amassed large amounts of wealth, resources, women in their harem, and so forth, it inevitably led to abuse of power and the exploitation of the people. Yet the people maintained this belief that material blessings followed righteous living.
This is the reasoning of the disciples in their shock at Jesus' words. If even the rich, the "blessed by God," won't enter the Kingdom of God, then who would?
Jesus flipped this Old Testament reasoning on its head. He says, The first shall be last, and the last shall be first, and, Greater is the one who serves than the one who is served, and, Whoever desires to save his life will lose it. He was teaching them something important: wealth is not a sign of God's favor. Rather, God's favor bestows a different kind of blessing.
I think this is important for us today because there are remnants of these beliefs in modern-day Christianity. We fall into the trap of thinking that people who are successful or wealthy are blessed. The logical conclusion, therefore, is that people who are poor are cursed. Cursed because of disobedience or unrighteous living. In this way, it is easy to blame the poor for being poor. From our high horse, we look down on them and say they should have made better choices.
This, of course, fails to recognize that we have made a lot of the same choices they have. This fails to recognize the multitude of factors that keep people in poverty. This also fails to recognize how close most of us are to being just as poor. We are much, much closer to being poor than we are to being wealthy.
What does this mean in terms of a church response? First, I think it means changing the messaging. We need to stop blaming people for being poor and instead provide support and services. We need to challenge the systems oppress and exploit people and keep them in poverty. Poverty is big business in the United States, and the wealthy make a lot of money off keeping people poor.* That will not change unless we advocate to change it.
Related are Jesus' words criticizing the "religious" who lived their religion out in public. Don't pray in front of others so they see you, but pray somewhere away from others where only God sees you. Don't go around telling everyone how you are suffering because you are fasting for God, so that others feel bad for you. Fast privately. Jesus is telling them - true faith isn't about what others see. It's about what God sees in our hearts.
Just because someone stands up and says they are a Christian doesn't mean that it is true. They may invite people to pray for them and spout some Christianese, and many will see this display of public religion and take their word about their faith - even though their actions clearly show their heart is not with Christ. Yes, only God truly knows the heart, but from the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). We should be careful not to be easily deceived.
Who then can be saved?
The one who believes. The one who abides in Christ. The one who surrenders to His will.
The last will be first.
* Great books on this topic:
Poverty for Profit by Anne Kim
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
FOR MORE FROM ME...
- Subscribe to my blog through Substack: https://substack.com/@jadedevangelical.
- Pick up my book, "Letters to the Jaded Evangelical: Finding Jesus in the Shards of Religion."
- Follow me on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@jadedevangelical.smreed
Add comment
Comments