This amazes the disciples. But Jesus goes even further. It’s not only hard for such a person to enter God’s kingdom, it’s actually impossible (that’s the point of the camel/eye of a needle comparison). To which, in even greater amazement, the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?”
Their perspective becomes clear: it is the rich that have God’s approval. If they are outwardly blessed then they must be inwardly so too. Material prosperity is a key marker of a successful life with God. That’s how they saw things. And, so, if the rich cannot be saved then no-one else stands the remotest chance.
This remains deeply significant for us. And not simply in terms of money (but that, too). This mindset - of outward success and comfort being evidence of God’s favour, and perhaps even drawing his favour - is unfalteringly attractive to the human heart.
We look to make sure we have all our ducks in a row, because if they’re absent or if the line is skewed then we’re unlikely to know the presence and goodness of God in our lives and in our churches. The right education - a held-together family - a successful and secure career - bucket-loads of friends - good looks - copious respect. We can keep adding into the list. These, these are what we really and truly need, says a nagging voice of doubt.
And so they capture our trust and our hopes are pinned on them. No fruitful Christian life without them. No thriving church if they’re absent. And all the while we slowly diminish, growing inwardly smaller, our souls wasting away.
The whole account puts our hearts to the test.
But it also contains everything we need to reverse the decline, to halt the fall into a withering waste. When the rich man made his case for eternal life on the basis of his achievements, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” A look of genuine compassion and concern. He was for the man, wanting him to know true and unmerited blessing, the holy love of God that cannot be bought or sold.
From that starting-point - that we are loved by the living God - the crowning statement of our Lord to his disciples paves the way for a response of humbled faith: “All things are possible with God.” What is sheer impossibility for crippled humanity, completely defective in how we determine true value, is more than viable to the one whose words can bring life out of nothing.
‘All things’ includes your life taken up into the powerful grace of God, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances (Jesus doesn’t hide the fact that eternal life now comes with troubles - v.30). Your life flourishing and fruitful in the faithfulness of the Saviour. And churches having their life deepened and their testimony to the beauty of Jesus clarified and strengthened.
These happen not through any resources we have hoarded, nor by wedding ourselves to our society’s values and basis of approval. We are entirely in the Lord’s hands - the hands of unbreakable covenant love. To him we turn, eagerly and expectantly, in the unearned joy of eternal life.
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Give to the winds thy fears;
Give to the winds thy fears;
Hope, and be undismayed:
God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears;
God shall lift up thy head.
Through waves, and clouds, and storms
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou His time, so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.
Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
So shalt thou wondering own His way,
How wise, how strong His hand.
Far, far above thy thought
His counsel shall appear,
When fully He the work hath wrought
That caused thy needless fear.
Thou seest our weakness, Lord;
Our hearts are known to Thee:
O lift Thou up the sinking hand,
Confirm the feeble knee!
Let us in life, in death,
Thy steadfast truth declare,
And publish with our latest breath
Thy love and guardian care.
(Paul Gerhardt, 1607-76;
tr. John Wesley 1703-91)
