With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, 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."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits 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 wife or children of lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Matthew 19:23-30

Yesterday, we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, 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."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   In yesterday's reading, we discussed the idea of attachment to riches.  My study bible notes here the various interpretations that have been given for the image in Jesus' expression, "a camel to go through the eye of a needle."   Some cite the Aramaic word for camel which sounds like "rope" -- that gives the saying a type of analogous quality.  Some suggest that the eye of a needle is referring to a small city gate  through which a camel could squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which would symbolize wealth.  There is an expression in the Talmud "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle" which is quite similar to Jesus' expression.  But all of these have one thing in common -- the image of great difficulty, or rather impossibility, of salvation for those who remain attached to riches.  My study bible notes the response of the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?" as evidence that Jesus' words seem to preclude salvation.  That they are greatly astonished seems to suggest how deeply this saying may affect each of us.  Here, Jesus' rather shocking pronouncement becomes a moment for teaching:  by God's grace, all things are possible.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits 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 wife or children of lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study bible says that Jesus isn't commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that this statement teaches about the struggle to keep one's faith under persecution, even when it may mean losing one's family.  It also suggests acceptance of the possibility that family members may seek to cut off ties with those whose faith is unacceptable to them (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  My study bible says that believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but rather in a spiritual sense:  the fathers and mothers of the Church, brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  Many who are first will be last once again gives us a note of humility in His teaching to these first followers.

Once again Jesus gives us a kind of exchange in His teachings.  We exchange one thing for another in faith.  He spoke to the rich young ruler of "treasures in heaven" that he would have by selling what he had and giving to the poor.  It's a sense in which what we give away returns to us "a hundredfold," a spiritual sense.  But the inner riches of the spirit -- linked to "treasures in heaven" -- also translates into riches in this life.  That is, the "treasures in heaven" teach us about values that are truly important and essential and which are added unto us.  The internal wealth of a generous spirit, for instance, translates into something deeply joyful and satisfying and almost inexplicable in its effect upon us when we have done something to give others a blessing.  Such actions turn our minds to the things of God and to where God may lead us.  Often the pursuit of wealth for its own sake is seen as an impediment to the development of God-given talents and capacities for creativity or other positive work which we're capable of doing.  We may find that an initiative to follow the words of Christ in detaching ourselves from "possessions" leads us to pursue a more meaningful and constructive and disciplined life of true self-development, building our talents and skills for positive contributions that also enrich us on many levels.  Jesus' words teach us to see life differently, putting our primary pursuit in perspective.  So much comes down to what we love and cherish, or what we choose to serve and worship.  Then, the rest of our life falls into order behind that main decision.  St. John Chrysostom felt very keenly the call to share or distribute wealth in alms-giving, saying that expenditures on unnecessary or vain choices to impress others was taking food out of the mouths of the poor.  Whatever way we come to understand Jesus' words, there is no doubt that giving away whatever it is that stands in the way of our faith comes back to us a hundredfold, in ways we couldn't have expected, ways that are opened up to us through that faith and the more clear pathway to God made by doing so.  Jesus' words are true, that with God all things are possible.  What I have found that means is that there are myriad possibilities contained in every moment of action taken in faith.  So much so, that the pathway before us might be filled with treasures we can't yet see or know, but are made possible through God's opening up of our lives.  We just need to decide where we put our faith, and step forward into that life.  All of Jesus' teachings on wealth bring us to mind of His parables of the pearl of great price and the treasure buried in a field.  Our true treasure makes everything else pale in value and worth.  It is worth everything else.