For God all things are possible

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.'

- Matthew 19:23-30

In yesterday's reading, a wealthy young man came to Jesus, calling him "good Teacher," and asked what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus' answer drew the young man out, from thinking first of following the commandments, to a sense of self rooted in putting the pursuit of the kingdom first: before his wealth. Today's reading shows Jesus continuing to discuss this subject of wealth and eligibility for life in the kingdom.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.’" In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the young man to sell all his possessions, give them to the poor, and to "Follow me." But the young man was very sad, and went away, because "he had many possessions." The lesson is one of detachment, and what we put first in life, how devoted we must be to this kingdom in order to receive the promise of eternal life, and what we keep in our hearts. Here Jesus expands upon the understanding of how we view possessions in an imperfect world. We tend to cling to them, to let them define who we are. If our possessions become all that we see of ourselves and identity - if this becomes our treasure, then this is where our heart will be. This is why "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." From a materialistic perspective, love of what we own - a definition of ourselves via what possessions we have - becomes the means of definition of the self. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." But to cultivate the treasures that "neither moth nor rust can destroy" is to put one's sight on a spiritual kingdom, to define oneself by putting that first as the center of the self, where one's heart is. It all depends on what we love, what we treasure. In a fallen world, where separation from God is the norm, it is easy to view life as a series of possessions - even love can be viewed by this perspective. But love and relationship work differently than possession of objects: a relationship with God demands all that we are and all that we have, just as a marriage is defined by Jesus as two becoming one flesh.

Many possessions, then, creates a difficult obstacle to the kingdom in the sense that there is so much from which to separate, to create detachment in order to place that kingdom first in one's heart. So difficult it is, then, that his disciples ask the question, ‘Then who can be saved?" Jesus' reply is essential for us to understand and take a hard look at: "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible." The nature of life in the world, for human beings, is that our possessions will consume our energy and efforts and concerns. Our attachment then becomes significant, impossible to break. The great illustration of the camel and the eye of the needle teaches us Jesus' perspective on this difficult, if not impossible problem. But God has a way of reaching through that tiny opening in the eye of the needle, and putting us through the lessons needed to cultivate detachment. We have only to truly wish it so, to decide that our treasure is spiritual. "For God all things are possible."

Peter, once again speaking for the apostles as he has so often in recent readings in Matthew's gospel, tells Jesus, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Jesus' apostles have left family, homes, and everything behind to follow Him. Peter's question raises the issue of reward or recompense: "What then will we have?" Jesus replies, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life." The reward is a place in the spiritual order of things at renewal - a place in the kingdom. Once the spiritual emphasis in life becomes primary, a place in the kingdom follows. A heart set on this treasure becomes a heart that is filled with good things. The twelve apostles themselves are taught that they will sit on thrones of Judgment. But all who follow will receive a hundredfold in return.

"But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." It is hard for me to understand the meaning of this statement, but we will see in tomorrow's reading Jesus' parable illustrating what he means. Clearly, Jesus is speaking to his first followers, those whom we know suffered tremendous hardship and martyrdom as the early workers for the kingdom. Today, 2,000 years later, we continue to make this choice of what we place first in our hearts, and to learn to cultivate detachment. The early workers of the kingdom were the first, and in some sense perhaps, their labor is the longest. St. Peter's confession continues to be the rock upon which the church is built and the whole of Christendom turns to these gospels daily for its sustenance. We who share this faith now can see the influence of faith and followers all around us; but those early laborers could not see what we who are later can see.

In another sense of "first and last," we recall Jesus' teachings about the importance of humility, that he who would be greatest among us must be servant of all, and become like a child; we know that "the least of these" was always His great concern. And so this pairs beautifully with his teachings on wealth and possession and the ideas we get about who we are that so often come from great wealth, especially when we define ourselves by what we own.

How do you put this spiritual treasure first? Where is your heart? How do you cultivate detachment? We live in a world of great emphasis on possession and wealth - how then do we see our lives in perspective? I think the answer is there in our hearts, we turn for guidance to how we live our lives in that place where we put the values of relationship first, especially in prayer. By no means did all the saints and martyrs receive a hundredfold in their lifetimes of great struggle, sacrifice and hardship, nor all the workers of the kingdom we cannot name. I can say for myself that I have been blessed along with the spiritual struggles I encounter. But I believe it all comes down to the heart, and what we treasure there.