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

 

 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 hard 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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus 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 comments that infants are the standard of faith by which adults receive the kingdom of God, and not the other way around.  Theophylact explains:  "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity."  

 

 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."    My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one he considers to be no more than a good Teacher.   Christ's response does not deny that He is God, but it's designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  Regarding Jesus' answer, my study Bible explains that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This man had an earnest desire for eternal life and clearly sensed that he still lacked something.  Therefore, he continued to press Christ for the answer.   

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 hard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).  Here the call to this rich young ruler is all about leaving his past life, and particularly his wealth, behind, giving up all to follow Christ.  My study Bible comments that nothing is gained unless one's sacrifice is given freely.  The specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  Because wealth had such a grip on this rich man, my study Bible explains, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom says that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.

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."  Here my study Bible refers us to the story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, which is found at Luke 19:1-10.  In the presence of Christ as He comes through Jericho, Zacchaeus has a great transformation of heart, and in repentance makes the commitment to give generously of his wealth to the poor, restoring right relationship.  Jesus responds, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he is also a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  Moreover, my study Bible notes that there have been various interpretations suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  For example that the word was not camel, but a similar-sounding word that means "rope."  Some say the "eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel might squeeze if it were first unloaded of all of its baggage, symbolic of wealth.  In the Talmud there is an expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Whatever the phrase refers to, it shows the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches, which my study Bible says is evidenced by the disciples' question, "Who then can be saved?"  Yet by God's grace, even what is impossible for human beings can come to pass.

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."  St. Peter evokes the understanding that the disciples have left all and followed Christ.   This is not a command that everyone must leave family behind.  But in His reference to leaving house, parent, brothers, wife, and children for the sake of the kingdom of God, Jesus is referring to the wealth of home, elders, brothers and sisters, and spiritual children to be found in the Church, which will certainly be fulfilled for these disciples.  

 

 Let us think about sacrifices for the kingdom of God.  It seems clear that wealth, and perhaps especially inherited wealth, is bound up with personal identity.  It is also bound with commitments that come within such a position of wealth.  This rich young ruler must hold an important position within the religious establishment (hence he's called a ruler in Israel), and we might make an assumption that, based on his age, his wealth and even his position of authority is inherited.   We don't know the specifics for this man, but we can understand how wealth plays a role in social position and also that he was both wealthy and a ruler.  His place among the community therefore would have been well-known, and quite possibly his reputation as one who follows the commandments.  This story tells us about Christ's statement that to enter the kingdom of God, one must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, also among the "rulers" in the religious establishment.  For with this young man, to start with his good foundation, means that the next step that leads to spiritual perfection, is giving up these material trappings of his life in order to more deeply pursue the love of God, and to follow Christ in freedom from the obligations that wealth brings.  It means going a step further, to total dependence upon God.  We also know that this was a young man (Matthew 19:20), who was loved by Jesus (Mark 10:21).  Therefore we understand Christ's command to be in the nature of the paternal or elder in some sense, and inspired by love to mentor a future path for the young man's spiritual well-being.  Therefore we presume that Jesus is not asking an older man with family responsibilities and children to give up his wealth, but a young man at an early stage of his life, who has the possibility of going on to serve the Church as do St. Peter and the disciples.  At any rate, we are called to find within our own lives the ways in which a dependence upon Christ, and service to God, brings about change in us, and transformation.  A change in identity and orientation, no matter how subtle, necessarily entails a sacrifice.  That is, a giving up of a way of thinking and being in the world, a change in our circumstances, and replacement with new ways of living and a changed outlook.  We will be called to sacrifice the things that get in the way of following where God would lead us in life.  Are we attached to a particular possession as a kind of idolatry that keeps us stuck in a place of immaturity?  Do we pursue things in life that aren't really good for us, but because we're used to it, or we cling to habits from the past?  Sometimes God calls us to begin to break free of certain social expectations, or habits which proscribe our way of interacting in the world, in order to reach out to those less fortunate, or to spend time serving God's purposes.  We might work very hard for our families, but perhaps God calls us to sacrifice time or wealth to help orphans or elderly who are in need.  Let us consider sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of God in the light of giving up time, effort, resources, or any other type of "wealth" in order to spend more time serving the Kingdom, serving God's purposes to which we are called.  For these are sacrifices that bring us surprising joy at knowing we have done something not only to please God, but to truly help others, a truly good use of the resources at our disposal, including volunteering our time and our attention.  Let us consider the ways that such an exchange enrich us, even as Christ teaches the disciples.