Riches on earth or treasure in heaven?
By George Oduor
The Scriptures provide a wealth of thought-provoking principles, emphasizing on the place and purpose of wealth in a Christian’s life today. Jesus Christ, Himself set the tone on how we should handle this matter in our walk of salvation. That said, I’d like to wade into the discourse, by mirroring Christ’s view on it.
During the lifetime of Jesus, there was a general belief among Jewish theologians, that wealth was a sign of God’s blessings, and consequently a “ticket to heaven.” While this type of thinking was widespread, it was in fact not the case. It is hardly surprising to see how the disciples were mystified to hear Jesus say, “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.” (Matthew 19:24)
Jesus’s sobering verdict on this idealistic belief shook the disciples to the very core. The Bible says, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25) Imagine the shock, having lived your entire life envious of the rich and thinking, “Must feel so great being very rich and heaven-bound at the same time!” Christ’s damning report must have been an upset and some more!
Prior to this incident, Jesus told a rich young man, who apparently was very religious too “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.” (Matthew 19:21) Christ was testing this man, to see whether his trust and security were in God or in his vast wealth. The disillusioned young man settled for the latter! He was too attached to the temporal comfort of his earthly wealth; and consequently passed on an opportunity for eternal bliss, with the Son of God.
Christ knew where this young man’s heart was, and what was more valuable to him. (Matthew 6:21) His response echoed contentment in respect to the misleading practices entrenched in the Jewish theology. His problem was not that he was a bad person; in fact, he was a strict follower of the laws of Moses; a requirement for the Jews at the time. Neither was he at fault because he was rich. He erred because of his love for wealth above everything else.
We see Jesus casting a critical eye to those of the like, who think they can manufacture eternal life through the sheer might of their social status. Salvation is essentially based on faith in Christ alone. (John 3:36) To imagine that you can earn it as you would wealth is as impossible as threading a beast the size of a camel, through the eye of a needle. The bottom line is, we need Christ’s salvation, no matter how rich or poor we are.
Our blessings centre on our adoption to God’s Kingdom and not solely on the obedience of the law. Through this adoption, we’re guaranteed the promise of eternal life and fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.
The pursuit of wealth competes with God for a place in our hearts. That’s why Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) Mammon is illustrated as all forms of lust and excesses: gluttony, greed, and dishonest worldly gain. In the New Testament, it is singled out as a false god.
Jesus cautioning us of the allure of opulence and how it can easily side-track us from the intended path of salvation isn’t in any way binding us to a vow of poverty. In actual sense, He is reminding us to ensure that our top priority, remains following Him. (Matthew 6:33) He is telling us in effect, to set aside our haughty self-sufficiency and superficial interests in eternal life, to recognize and accept the salvation God has provided through His Son.
Finally, like the rich young man, has your primary goal in life been the pursuit of riches over God’s Kingdom? Is God calling you to repentance from this evil? What is the Holy Spirit trying to teach you through this message? Be open to receiving His correction. Tell Him that you’re open to hearing Him and that you want the stronghold of mammon broken in your life. Suffice to say, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us of all unrighteousness.” – ( 1 John 1:9)
God bless You!
This is an eye opener.yes the true riches are in Christ.
Amen. Glory to God!