Matthew 19:16-26 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Rich Young Ruler
16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be [a]complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The kingdom of God is eternal.
It’s the ultimate reality, when everything will be good at last.
Surprisingly, though, the kingdom is also right here, right now—wherever Jesus is present in the flesh or by the Spirit.
We can see that in Matthew 19.
A rich man who comes to talk with Jesus is very interested in having eternal life—that is, life in the kingdom of God.
But does he really want that kind of life?
When Jesus tells the man, “Sell everything, give to the poor, and follow me,” the man can’t do it.
He can’t take those three steps.
It’s really hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
That’s what Jesus says.
And He means more than entering the eternal kingdom in the future.
He also means living the way of the kingdom right here, right now.
Among other things, the way of the kingdom is selfless and generous.
And the way of the kingdom includes deeply trusting in God to meet every need.
Sadly, the rich man in this story wasn’t ready to live that way.
Not here, not now.
How about us?
Are we ready to live the way of the kingdom here and now?
If not, will you want to live that way in eternity?
Jesus is emphatic: It is extremely difficult for the rich to embrace the radical call of discipleship in the Kingdom of God.
Yes! Jesus is very emphatic with the rich folk, does mean that we who are not counted among the rich will automatically have it that much easier experience?
No! but salvation does not depend on our ability, but on God’s generous grace.
The key point for us, however, is to be reminded about the dangers of wealth and possessions, reminded that discipleship requires great sacrifice from all.
They can become our god, our stumbling block, our choking point, our diversion, and our downfall if they become the things we cannot give up to follow Jesus-from our vantage point, following Jesus’ radical call is impossible.
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Fortunately, God has provided the Holy Spirit and fellow-Christians.
We all need the guidance of the Spirit and the strength of a dedicated Christian community to yield to Jesus’ call in all areas of our lives, including using our wealth or our poverty and our abundance, lack of possessions to serve others.
A Widow’s Gift
Mark 12:41-44 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Widow’s Mite
41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting [a]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came 0and put in two [b]small copper coins, which amount to a [c]cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [d]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [e]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [f]all she had to live on.”
Who is the most generous giver today?
You’ve likely heard of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who runs the largest foundation in the world.
You may also know about the generosity of Warren Buffet, who pledged the largest stock donation ever.
Today’s major philanthropists are very rich, their names are very well known.
But when Mark writes about giving, he draws our attention to someone who is poor, nameless, and a widow.
On her way to the temple treasury she follows some wealthy and seemingly generous people.
And guess what?
Jesus says she makes the most generous donation!
He wanted his disciples to see that somehow her gift of two small copper coins amounting to about 1 cent is much more generous than the gifts of the wealthy.
We don’t have to be rich to make a generous donation for the Lord.
True giving means more than simply opening our wallet or writing a big check.
It’s about unlocking the safety deposit boxes of our hearts to God first and then fully trusting him in everything, including our financial well-being or lack of it.
Jesus expects us to be generous when serving him, and he has every right to demand that.
Just a few days after he met the widow, out of his poverty, Jesus gave up his life-his blood-the most generous and loving act of sacrificial giving in all of history.
That’s why he rejoiced about the impoverished widow’s “all I got” generosity.
We can believe he was very grateful for the surplus generosity of the rich folks.
That’s how he calls us to Kingdom Living-to be habitually generous, sacrificial.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
Our ABBA Father, we praise you for your generous gift of salvation through your Son. Give us the generous spirit of that widow as we live to pour out our gratitude to you.
Only living and Almighty God, I want to worship you with my will, my heart, my words, my hands, my feet and my possessions and my service and money. Please help me to use those incredible blessings you have poured into my life for your glory and the blessing of others. In the name of Jesus, the greatest of all gifts, I pray. Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 