Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"

Traditio Legis, Christ giving the New Law to St. Peter.  4th century mosaic, Santa Costanza, Rome

 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 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 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 tells us that various interpretations have been given for this impossible image given by Jesus of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  For instance, one such offering is that the word was not meant as camel at all, but an Aramaic word that sounds similar, the word for "rope" -- which makes some relative sense, when you think about it a bit.  There's another possible explanation offered, that the eye of a needle was actually a city gate through which a camel could squeeze only if it were first unloaded of all baggage, which symbolized wealth or possessions.  In the Talmud there exists the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Regardless of the reference for the phrase, it makes it clear that the problem of attachment to riches makes salvation impossible.  When the disciples respond, "Who then can be saved?" it makes clear the impact of Christ's statement.  But by the grace of God, what is impossible to human beings alone is made possible for us.

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."  Regarding judging, my study bible cites a commentary by St. Ambrose of Milan:  "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."   The discernment of the heart rather than deeds is the difference, noted through the passage of yesterday's reading about the rich man, between formal observance of commandments and real righteousness before God.  My study bible suggests that the apostles will not judge with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  Since the Kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (16:19; 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."  My study bible says here that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  St. Chrysostom writes that this refers to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family (not an uncommon circumstance in the lives of the early saints of the Church).  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members might cut off ties because of a believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16) -- again, not an unusual feature of the lives of early martyrs and saints, and one which may take on new forms as circumstances change.  My study bible adds that believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but rather in a spiritual sense:  the father's and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.

We've written about sacrament, or what it is to be "sacramental" in our past two readings.  In principle, to be "sacramental" is a practice of turning to God all the things of this world and of our lives, and God returning them to us with grace.  In today's reading, Jesus continues from the passages in yesterday's, speaking about the difficulties that attachment to riches -- wealth or possessions -- present to salvation.  It is the difficulty of holding on to the things we possess, rather than giving them up to God for God's direction and guidance, which makes obstacles to salvation.  In some sense, the attachment to wealth as total dependency means that we are unable to make room for God, for the direction God would give us rather than the "direction" the wealth itself seems to give us.  Possessions create obligations and duties.  But in the Christian sense we are to make room for God before all things, so that we ask God for direction -- including the use of possessions.  Everything we have is as gift from God, including our lives.  In the "sacramental" sense, then, we turn over our very lives and all that we have to God, in exchange for God's place for us, God's guidance and direction for good lives.  When we let in God the Spirit, called the "treasury of good things and giver of life" in an Orthodox prayer, we are asking for the kind of creativity that is only possible through God's grace to permeate our lives and to give us ways to live and use our resources that a merely worldly perspective might not show us.  How will we use our wealth?  What will we do with it?  What do we do with our talents and capacities for work, for thinking, for imagining, for creativity?  When we make room for God first, we ask for an exchange of the deepest originality and creativity -- we ask for more than we already have.  Jesus Himself promises a hundredfold return of whatever it is we give up to God, for the kingdom of God's sake.  When Jesus says, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first,"  it is once again a reminder of the humility involved in this process, and necessary in order to open up room for the kingdom of God to be at work first in our lives, before all other things, including the obligations that possessions put upon us.  Let us consider this Thanksgiving (which is tomorrow in the United States) what all of the blessings in our lives do to us and for us, and which ways we might be better off giving them up to God for God's purposes.  Do you have health?  Do you have a family and relationships that are important to you?  What if you placed them all, prayerfully, in the hands of God?  Are there bitter experiences to "give up," as in giving up a debt to God, instead of seeking to collect payment somehow?  Think about the potentials for creative and renewed life that we might hold stagnant and release for greater growth through this process.  Jesus speaks of the "regeneration" -- and this is precisely what we seek in our faith.  We seek to place all things in the hands of the One who is always making all things new (Revelation 21:5).  The One who multiplied the loaves and fishes promises a hundredfold, plus eternal life.  Isn't this, indeed, worthy of an exchange?   Let us note that Jesus never minimizes our difficulties, nor make this seem like an easy and simple process.  He just gives us His solemn word that we have great help, and that it is immensely, enormously worth the effort.