Who then can be saved?

 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 or 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 then 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."   My study bible notes varied interpretations that have been given for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some suggest that the word wasn't came, but rather "rope" (which sounds alike in Aramaic), or that the eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel possibly could barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all of its baggage, which would symbolize wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  We also must take into consideration Jesus' gift for figures of speech, His prolific images given to us throughout the Gospels and in His preaching.  But whatever this particular phrase refers to, my study bible says, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  It's not a condemnation of rich people or wealth, but rather it is all about attachment and its difficulties.  (There are example of wealthy and powerful people who are holy in the Gospels, such as Joseph of Arimathea.)  The disciples respond, "Who then can be saved?" giving us a picture of the widespread application of difficulty conveyed here.  But by God's grace, even that which is impossible for human beings can come to pass.

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."   My study bible notes about judgment that St. Ambrose of Milan, commenting on Luke 22:30, writes, "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  They won't judge with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  God's kingdom, it notes, begins with the Resurrection of Christ.  Therefore this kind of discernment (judgment) has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (see also John 20:23).

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or 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."  Christ isn't commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. Chrysostom, this is a reference to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members could be cut off because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  My study bible adds that believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense but rather a spiritual one:  the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.

So what is it about attachments that make them so difficult an obstacle to our faith?  Throughout the Gospels (and indeed, the whole of the Bible), we're given a message that our assignment in life is to choose what we truly love.  When Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment?"  He responds with the first and the second: " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (22:35-40).  The Cross offers us this choice of what we will love first, and what we receive in exchange, as Jesus teaches the disciples in today's reading.  Wealth not only symbolizes attachments, but objects that we covet or take delight in can either enhance life and faith or they can stand as obstacles to putting the love of God first, as Jesus does in enumerating these commandments.  In Jesus' teaching here, great wealth can set us up for tremendous difficulties in finding ourselves, our true heart, putting Christ first so that all else is put into appropriate perspective.  In the Gospels figures like Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus play an important role in Jesus' life and ministry (and at His death on the Cross).  The centurion of Capernaum is cited by the local elders as one who has "built us a synagogue" and "loves our nation," and Jesus says of him, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Luke 7:1-10).  Even the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Jesus' great friends, seem to be of high standing in the community and known to many in Jerusalem.  In John's Gospel, it is Mary who anoints Christ's feet with a very costly bottle of perfumed ointment (see John 11, 12:1-8).   All of this is to note that the Gospels do not bar those of powerful and affluent standing from faith.  Rather, those individuals who are distinguished in their faith and are in such positions are they who put everything in service to their faith in Christ.  They not only act in accordance with such faith, but they also risk everything they have, including public standing, for their love of Christ.  Their testimonies to faith are in all of their choices.   Of the centurion at Capernaum we know nothing of his subsequent life, but according to various histories, the rest of these figures went on to serve in the Church in one way and another, and presumably leaving their former lives behind.  But their wealth did not stop their faith.  Rather, all that they had, owned, and did was in service to that faith, and in the Gospels, their lives are transformed in service to that faith.  Each of us has things to which we are attached, things which we perhaps crave or intensely desire.  As to the rich young man in yesterday's reading, his wealth likely defined his identity and family standing.  The poorest among us may have some objects to which we cling as prizes.  But the story of the Gospels is the story of faith -- and perhaps the greatest secret of all is that when faith comes first, then everything else is our lives is transfigured with meaning through our participation in the Cross, and the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ.  That would include all that we have.  This is the powerful story given to us in the Gospels and through the testimony of the entire Church in all of its history.  When we're faced with choosing between what we have and what He offers, let us remember this and choose wisely -- or else the great wealth becomes the obstacle to everything we might have if one is willing to "lose one's life in order to truly find it.