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Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ' Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For 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." And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."
- Luke 18:15-30
In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." My study bible tells us that "the blessing of children by respected rabbis was customary. Jesus uses the image of the child to convey the ideal of childlike simplicity and humility required to enter the Kingdom." As we are on the approach to Jerusalem, Jesus prepares His disciples repeatedly, and in different ways, for the life ahead, after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension -- when they will be without Him in the flesh. Here is another teaching about our attitudes, and of those who will come to receive and enter into this Kingdom. He has just told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican; here the image of the child gives us a fuller picture of what it is to have humility before God, to be open to God's way and teachings.
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ' Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. My study bible says, "A rich ruler is challenged by Jesus not only to observe the Ten Commandments but also to sacrifice all things and follow Him. St. John Chrysostom teaches that because Jesus loved the man, He named these conditions for his particular need." It's very interesting that my study bible should quote Chrysostom, and that St. Chrysostom spoke of this man's particular need -- for which Jesus' particular teaching comes. St. Chrysostom was one that always emphasized the care of the poor in community, and railed in his homilies against the excesses of the wealthy and powerful (which, in fact, led to his martyrdom). This saint felt that excess spent on the powerful meant taking food out of the mouths of the poor in community. And yet his insight is clear here: this man, although righteous (there are slight hints of the Publican here, but only by reference to the good things he actually does), has need of detachment from his riches. In this Kingdom, it is all or nothing. That is, God calls us to love with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and when we have loved with part of ourselves, we will be called to become "all in." The rest of whoever we are will be called into this place of healing and transformation; we can't leave any part of ourselves behind. Just as Chrysostom himself spoke out of love for his flock, so the insight is clear: Jesus gives this teaching from love!
And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For 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." And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." My study bible says, "God's power can save even a rich man. And those who have turned their backs on riches and forsaken earthly goods altogether for the cause of the Kingdom will reap abundant rewards from God."
Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You." So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." My study bible says that "more in this present time does not necessarily signify more material things." It's a temptation to interpret it that way! But "many times more" speaks of the abundant life we're promised by Christ. In the Greek it almost suggests a manifold interweaving and creation of abundance into the life that we do have! Let us remember, as my study bible suggests, the spiritual gifts and new avenues open to us through faith. We have only to look at the lives of these saints, Peter and the other apostles, to see how that manifested in their lives.
Let's take this phrase from Jesus, His teaching in today's reading: "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." If we apply it to the rich ruler in this story of today, we'll find that God is the transformer and healer. God makes possible the impossible, the things we think we absolutely can't do or bring ourselves to do or to accept, God makes possible for us. Faith gives us the strength to go where we need to go, to do the things we need to do that God calls on us to do. (We recall Jesus' recent teachings on forgiveness in the Church, and the response of the apostles: "Increase our faith!") Gregory of Nazianzus, another Father of the Early Church, wrote about Jesus' Incarnation and its importance to us, but in particular there is one thing he said which applies to the "whole" of us as human beings: "That which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved." So, just as it's essential that we understand Jesus' full humanity, it's clear that the purpose for this understanding is so that we ourselves are healed. That is, to quote another early Father (Athanasius), God became human so that men could become like gods. Here, the call to the wealthy -- that all things are possible with God -- is precisely this: a call to union, to the possibilities of healing in us that God creates through "assumption" -- through our giving of ourselves to the Lord. It doesn't matter what it is that we are attached to, if there's something that keeps us from God, some part of ourselves our prayer hasn't touched, our "dialogue" with God, then that part of us just hasn't been healed yet. We remember yesterday's reading, and the prayer of the Pharisee which was really a monologue with himself, while the prayer of the Publican was a true dialogue with God, an encounter. This is how we are healed. I find there's always something else, something new, some part of myself with which I may be uncomfortable or for whatever reason haven't really touched on in prayer. God will always call us there! For me, it's a lifetime process, always evolving. Let's remember this story, and let's remember about faith and how it calls us -- and that this is the way that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." We come to Him as a little child, open to our own healing, His Way.
