(Mk 10: 23-31) "Then Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples," How difficult it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! "The disciples were astonished at his words, but Jesus, answering, told them again Children, how difficult it is for them to enter the kingdom of God, to those who trust in riches, 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. But saying to one another, "Who then can be saved?" Then Jesus, looking at them, said, "It is impossible for men, but not for God, because all things are possible for God." Then Peter began to tell him: here, we have left everything, and we have followed you. "Jesus answered and said: Truly I tell you that there is no one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or woman, or children, or land, because of me and the gospel, that does not receive a hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the next century eternal life. But many first will be last, and the last first. "
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While the rich young man disappeared into the crowd, Jesus made a comment about how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This statement left the disciples astonished, who believed that the possession of riches was a clear indication of divine favor and approval. They thought that the "good" God gave them goods here on earth. For that same reason, the poor, the sick, the sterile, the widows, the orphans ... were despised.
The incident with the rich young man resulted in the Lord teaching them on the subject, again showing how mistaken were many of the concepts that enjoyed great popularity in the Judaism of the time and of which the disciples themselves had been seriously infected. The principles of the kingdom of Christ were different: if it was going to cost someone to enter his kingdom it was precisely the rich.
It is very sad to contemplate how, with the passing of time, organized Christianity has sought material riches and fallen back into the same mistakes that the Lord corrected in his disciples.
Because we must not forget that it is Satan who promises the kingdoms of this world (Mt 4: 8-9), and that contrary to what many want to believe, Christ never preached that those who believed in him, would have a full life in this world of material prosperity, of success, of social acceptance, free of problems, suffering, illnesses, persecutions, hatred ...
- The prosperity gospel
Currently, there are certain groups that teach that economic prosperity and success in business are external evidence of God's favor. This modern trend is known as the "Theology of Prosperity", "Word of Faith" or "Confess it and receive it". This is a fairly common teaching in many of the famous modern telepredicators.
In fact, it reflects exactly the same kind of thinking that the Lord Jesus Christ corrected in his disciples two thousand years ago and that we are going to study in this passage.
In any case, we should not be surprised that this "prosperity gospel" is so successful today. His preachers say: "poverty is of the devil and God wants all Christians to be prosperous", "poverty is an evil spirit from which God is going to liberate us". And in the midst of a world where wealth and success are idolized, it's no wonder that people like this kind of message.
On the other hand, the path proposed for success is relatively easy. Accompanying the preaching of this type of "gospel", there is always a series of insistent "invitations" to deposit generous offerings to support the "ministries" promoted by these preachers. His message is: "Send us an offering so that the blessing of God may be put into action, the more generous your offering, the greater will be God's blessing for your life." And of course, if the promise of prosperity is not fulfilled, do not ask for an account, because what they will tell you is that you have not had sufficient or adequate faith.
In addition, the lives of these prosperity evangelism superstars are marked by excessive luxuries and riches. They drive Rolls Royce, they have multi-million dollar homes and they travel in their private Jets. They like to live ostentatiously and brag about everything they have, since according to them, they are God's blessings that show how spiritual they are. The certain thing is that on this type of preachers always weighs the suspicion of if they are being enriched unduly while they exploit the ingenuity of the sincere believers who offer their money. - The biblical position
No matter how much you look at spirituality, this movement makes materialism a goal for the believer, distancing him from the true spiritual values.
Of course, God wants to bless our lives abundantly. What is strange, however, is the excessive emphasis that this movement places on the material. In most of the occasions his preaching seems to have more interest in those things that can be enjoyed in this world, than in the eternal salvation of the soul.
The apostle Paul said that God has blessed us with "every spiritual blessing" in Christ (Eph 1: 3). And the Lord Jesus Christ made a serious warning about greed by explaining that "the life of man does not consist in the abundance of the goods he possesses" (Lk 12:15).
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We do not see anywhere in Scripture the claim that all good believers have to be rich, or that poverty is related to lack of faith. Precisely the 11th chapter of Hebrews, which deals especially with the faith, clearly describes that by faith some "conquered kingdoms, they did justice, they reached promises, they covered the mouths of lions, they extinguished impetuous fires, they avoided the edge of the sword, they drew strength from weakness , they became strong in battles, they put to flight foreign armies ... ", but also, by the same faith," others were tormented ... they experienced scolding and scourging, and more than this prisons and prisons, they were stoned, sawed, put to the test, slain by the sword, they wandered hither and thither covered with skins of sheep and goats, poor, anguished, mistreated ... wandering through the deserts, through the mountains, through the caves and through the caverns of the earth "(He 11: 33-38). As we see, authentic faith can manifest itself in very diverse ways, leading some to poverty and others to triumph. But notice that all of them were approved by God in regard to their faith. Therefore, establishing the amount of wealth one has as a criterion to value the spiritual life is completely false.
On the other hand, let us not forget that God has given different gifts to believers, providing in each case what is necessary for their development. So, to some it gives them riches so that they can "distribute with liberality" (Ro 12: 8), just as the book of Acts tells us that it happened at the beginning of the Christian church (Acts 4: 34-35). But we can not say that God's purpose for all believers is for them to be rich, because he distributes his gifts differently to each of his children.
These preachers quote the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when he said that "by their fruits you will know them" (Mt 7:20), to imply that a life of material success is the evidence of true spirituality. However, we also cite the words of the apostle Paul to point out what kind of "fruit" the Lord Jesus Christ was referring to: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness Temperance "(Gal 5: 22-23). It is because of a sanctified character that the presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated and not in the balance of the bank account or in the car that is driven. That would be absurd!
Another important point of this topic is that one of the reasons why God gave riches to his people was so that they could share them with those who did not have. In this sense, the Lord explained the story of a rich man who ended up in hell because he did not take care of the beggar at his door. The rich lived in pleasure and luxury while Lazarus died of hunger (Lk 16: 19-31). This warns us that God does not approve of a Christian leading a life of excessive luxury, while millions of people are starving today. This is an unsupportive attitude, which has nothing to do with the lifestyle that the Lord Jesus Christ preached and that he himself lived.
This type of preachers convert the gospel into a mercantilist relationship with God: "I give to God, and he returns it multiplied to me". Outside is the personal relationship, prayer, consecration, reading the Bible, even effort and sacrifice at work. It all comes down to that at a given moment the person makes his offering.
On the other hand, why should we specifically plant in the ministries of these mega-church pastors? Will not God bless us if we offer in our own local church that surely also has many needs?
- The example of Christ
When Joseph and Mary went to the temple to present their son, what they brought for the sacrifice was two turtledoves, which was what the law stipulated for the poorest people (Lk 2:24).
Later, during his public ministry, one who wanted to follow him explained: "Foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Lk 9:58). And what he said was completely true; we see him teaching from an alien boat, entering Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, dining on the last night in a room that had been left for the occasion, and finally, buried in an alien tomb.
Undoubtedly, the lifestyle that the Lord had, was nothing like the one that the famous preachers of prosperity boast of. - The example of the apostles and early Christians
The apostle Paul acknowledged having passed situations of poverty in the work of God (Phil 4: 11-12) and also his companions
(1 Cor 4: 9-13) "For as I think, God has shown us the apostles as last, as a sentenced to death, for we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. for Christ's sake, but you who are prudent in Christ, we are weak, but you are strong, you are honorable, we are despised, we are hungry, we are thirsty, we are naked, we are buffeted, and we have no fixed abode. our own hands, they curse us, and we bless, we suffer persecution, and we endure it, they defame us, and we pray, we have become until now as the scum of the world, the refuse of all. "
"How difficult it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"
These were the words that Christ said while the rich young man was leaving. His abandonment was painful. It was another soul that started toward condemnation. And we wonder if there would have been any way to keep him. Why was the Lord so radical with him to the point of sending him to sell all his possessions? Could not the level of demand have been lowered a little to see if in that way the young man would have agreed to stay? After all, it would not have hurt the cause of the Gospel to have a person with financial resources in their ranks.
We can raise it in many ways, but the truth is that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is radical: "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me, taking up your cross" (Mr 10 :twenty-one). God does not accept a divided heart, does not accept half-loyalties. It requires breaking and abandoning everything that interferes with this monitoring. We may be tempted to sweeten the words, to lower the price a little, to place a less heavy cross ... but Christ does not. He gave his whole life on the Cross, in order to win the sinner entirely. And God does not move other interests; he wants to save the sinner and he is not interested in the goods that he may have or the social position he occupies. - The dangers of riches
This world, with all its publicity, wants to awaken in us admiration and envy towards those who are rich. But the Lord clearly saw the dangers of economic prosperity. And of course, this is something that the preachers of the "prosperity gospel" should also reflect on.
Material riches tend to make the heart of man cling to this world.
They create a false sense of power, security and authority. With ease the person becomes arrogant, proud and self-satisfied. Christ referred to riches as "the deceitfulness of riches" (Mark 4:18), since they make the person who owns them come to believe in themselves something that really is not. Besides, he does not realize how ephemeral they can be. How many have gone from wealth to poverty in a very short time!
With ease, by focusing so much on the material, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of personal relationships, both with our fellow men and with God.
Finally, riches gradually enslave those who cling to them. It creates a growing dependency on comfort, on the "good life", until there comes a time when people can not give it up.
Riches are a great temptation. Someone has said that for every hundred people who can endure adversity there is only one that can withstand prosperity. How many believers we have seen that while they had just enough to live, they were faithful to the Lord, but the moment they prospered they became worldly and almost forgot their faith!
One needs to be a great man of God to faithfully manage riches, and even then, he will be subject to many and varied temptations. - Riches do not help to achieve salvation
The fact of being rich does not help the person to be saved, but rather can easily become an obstacle. The rich man has the tendency to feel superior, and at the entrance to salvation, we must recognize ourselves as sinners, guilty, miserable and miserable, just like all other men. There a rich man is in the same position as the poor man, although it is probably harder for him to recognize him. - "Blessed are the poor"
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5: 3). This would complement the affirmation we are studying: "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
To what poor people was the Lord referring? For it was not the destitute who are deprived of the basic goods for life, or those who suffered some kind of social oppression, impotent victims of human injustice, but the poor in spiritual terms, those who are humble and recognize their need and resort only to God in search of salvation.
In itself, there is no virtue or advantage in being poor, but it is true that it facilitates the path to dependence on God. In the same way, there is no sin in being rich, as long as trust is not placed in riches and they do not separate us from God.
(1 Tim 6:17) "He commands the rich of this world not to be haughty, nor to place hope in riches, which are uncertain, but in the living God, who gives us all things in abundance so that let's enjoy."
We must all ask God to feel satisfied with what we have.
(Phil 4: 11-12) "I have learned to be content, whatever my situation may be, I know how to live humbly, and I know how to have abundance, in everything and for everything I am taught, both to be satiated and to be hungry, so as to have plenty as to suffer need. "
(1 Tim 6: 7-9) "For we have brought nothing into this world, and without a doubt we can get nothing out, so that, having sustenance and shelter, we are content with this, for those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare, and in many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge men into destruction and destruction, because the root of all evil is the love of money, which, coveting some, they went astray from the faith, and were pierced with many pains. "
"The disciples were amazed at his words"
As we have already considered, the Lord was correcting the wrong way in which they had interpreted some parts of the Old Testament Scriptures. For them, if a person was rich, that meant that God had honored and blessed him.
(Deut 28: 1,11-12) "It shall come to pass, if ye attentively heed the voice of the LORD your God, to keep and to do all his commandments, which I give you this day, that the LORD your God shall exalt you above all the nations of the land. And the Lord will make you abound in good things, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your beast, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. Jehovah will open his good treasure, heaven, to send rain to your land in his time, and to bless all the work of your hands, and you will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow. "
According to popular interpretation in those days, the rich necessarily had to be in a better position than the poor to enter the Kingdom, because evidently, he already enjoyed the divine favor. Also, his concept of the Kingdom of God was material, and he was limited to this earthly world, so the more possessions they had, the better prepared they would be to enjoy it.
But we have already considered in other studies, that the Kingdom, as it was exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ, was a spiritual concept, which for the moment is developed in the heart of man and has mainly to do with spiritual blessings.
They had misinterpreted the promises of the Old Testament, and when the Lord explained to them what they really wanted to say, it produced a strong astonishment, the same one that would cause the preachers of the "prosperity gospel" if they took into account this approach to the gospel. Mr.
"Those who trust in riches"
Now the Lord clarifies his previous statement. It is not that the rich can not enter the kingdom of God, but "those who trust in riches".
This does not exclusively include those who already have wealth, it also has to do with those who crave them. How many times have we met believers who neglect the things of God by working in two or three jobs at once in order to earn more money! You can love and covet what you have, but also what you want to have. Both things are equally destructive.
Frequently, wealth inclines man to feel self-sufficient, even with respect to eternal life. This is why it is so difficult for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. Only those who recognize their absolute spiritual poverty can enjoy the grace of God.
The rich trust that everything can be paid or earned, but it is not so in the case of salvation.
(Ps 49: 6-9) "Those who trust in their possessions, and in the crowd of their riches boast, none of them can in any way redeem his brother, nor give God his ransom (because the redemption of his life it is of great price, and it will never be achieved) so that it may live on forever, and never see corruption. "
"It is easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle"
The image at first sight is grotesque and this is why it is effective. Some have sought formulas to interpret that what the Lord meant is that it was something very difficult, but in reality it refers to something that is completely impossible, as he explained later: "For men it is impossible, but for God, do not".
What exactly is impossible? The context tells us that someone who trusts riches (or any other human work) is impossible to be saved. Salvation depends completely on God. Man can only receive it through faith, being clear that faith is not a work, but only the desperate request for salvation, but in no case a meritorious work.
This again caused astonishment among the disciples. It was evident that they were having difficulty receiving a teaching so different from what they were used to hearing.
But the question was really important, so the Lord repeated it again through this illustration. What they had to understand is that salvation is impossible for men, regardless of the human achievements they have achieved or the possessions they have. We all need to be saved by God: "For men it is impossible, but for God, not".
The good news is that there is salvation for all the world, rich and poor, provided that man trusts only in the Almighty. Because God can save!
"We have left everything, and we have followed you"
At that moment, as if something had ignited in Peter's mind, he felt moved to point out to Christ that he and his companions had left everything in order to follow him. And this was true; Simon and Andrew, "leaving their nets, followed him"; James and John, "leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the laborers, followed him"; and Levi "rising, followed him", leaving the bank of public tributes and his work. They had done what the rich young man had not wanted to do.
Now, what did Peter mean when he said this? Because of the answer the Lord gave him next, it seems he was asking if they would receive anything because of his detached attitude. The Gospel of Matthew gives a more extended version of his question that confirms this idea: "what, then, shall we have?" (Mt 19:27) This was typical of the Apostle Peter, where we often find this mixture of spiritual penetration and carnal ambition that he used to express with such spontaneity.
"Because of me and the gospel ... that I do not receive a hundred times more"
There is no doubt that God rewards the fidelity of the believer who leaves home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children or land because of him and his gospel. However, in our service to the Lord we must be careful that our motivation is not the desire for gain but the love for Christ and his gospel.
Those who offer after listening to a preacher assuring them that the more they give, the more they will receive, they must ask themselves honestly if they do so for what they expect to receive from God for themselves, or if their interest is really in the cause of Christ.
And we preachers will have to be careful when we teach the Word so as not to stimulate this kind of greedy thoughts in the congregation. Let's see an example of how a preacher invited his audience to think in purely material terms while encouraging them to offer: "The law of planting and harvesting guarantees you that you will reap much more than you sow." There is no limit to abundance of God! Write on the attached ballot what you need to receive from God: the salvation of a loved one, health, a raise, a better job, a car or a better house, the purchase or sale of a property, guide in business or investments, whatever you need, attach the ballot with your seed in money and wait for God's blessing in return. "
We can not offer to God thinking about what we are going to win for ourselves. This is greed, which is a sin of idolatry (Col. 3: 5).
And finally, the person who gives, must be prudent and examine well what is the destination of the money offered. If the purpose is that a televangelist can have a more expensive house, a more ostentatious car, and stay in the most expensive rooms of the hotels, it can not be said that this is as the Lord said "because of me and the gospel" . On many occasions we can not understand how there are naive believers who use the few economic resources they have so that other people, who call themselves their brothers, can maintain a lifestyle full of luxury and whims. We must never forget that the Lord holds us responsible for the administration of the resources he has placed in our hands.
"Receive a hundred times more now in this time"
What Peter and the other apostles had left to follow Christ is not an isolated case. Every true believer will be faced sooner or later with leaving things if he wants to faithfully follow the Lord.
(Lk 14:26) "If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and even his own life, he can not be my disciple."
Sometimes, it will be a matter of "leaving" these things voluntarily, but in others, the decision to follow Christ can lead us to "lose" what we have; and this is well known to many of our brothers who live in countries where the Gospel is persecuted (He 10:34). But whether we give what we have out of love for Christ, or lose it because of our fidelity to his gospel, the Lord promises to reward generously.
Of course, the Lord was not saying that as a consequence of our detachment from certain things, he would reward us with salvation. Evidently, salvation is not among the promised "rewards". But if salvation does not depend on our works, it is also true that without "sacrifice" there can be no reward.
There is no doubt that every service and surrender to the Lord is a profitable "investment". The first reason is the disproportionate "interests" ("a hundred times more"), but also, because what we give is something that sooner or later we will have to detach from this life to eternity. Someone has said: "It is not a madman who is willing to lose what he can not retain, in order to achieve what can not be lost".
As for the part of the fulfillment of this promise that takes place in this present time, its fidelity has been proven in the experience of the Lord's servants at all times. Maybe they have had to leave their homes because of their service, but where they have gone they have received accommodation and care. Perhaps they have been despised by their close relatives, but they have found hundreds of brothers and Christian friends who have enriched their lives.
"With persecutions"
Let us also note the absolute honesty with which the Lord spoke. He never promised that being a Christian would be easy. He clearly announced the conflict he would expect from anyone who decided to follow him.
(2 Ti 3:12) "And also all who want to live piously in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
Throughout the book of the Acts of the Apostles we see the disciples suffering persecution, being accused before different courts, threatened, imprisoned, whipped, stoned, put to death, evicted from their homes, suffering hunger and thirst, brutally treated , slandered ... See also (2 Co 11: 23-27).
How different was the Lord from the preachers of the "prosperity gospel"! They only announce material prosperity, but the truth contrasted by the true Christians of all times, is that fidelity to the Lord always introduces us to a permanent struggle with the enemy of our souls, which in many cases results in the loss of goods and even life itself. It seems unfair that the response these preachers give to our brothers who are losing everything in countries where the gospel is persecuted, is that they are suffering that poverty because they have no faith, when precisely, it is their true faith in Christ that is leading them to this sacrifice. But we are sure that the Lord will finally do justice.
"And in the next century, eternal life"
As we said, there are many causes that are not resolved at this time, but the Lord will do it in eternity. There are blessings that the Christian does not receive at this time, but that he has reserved for eternity and that he will enjoy during the "coming century".
(2 Cor 4: 16-18) "Therefore, we do not lose heart, but even though our outer man is wearing down, the interior nevertheless is renewed from day to day, because this slight momentary tribulation produces in us an increasingly excellent and eternal weight of glory, not looking at us the things that are seen, but those that are not seen, because the things that are seen are temporary, but those that are not seen are eternal. "
"Many first will be last, and the last, first"
The Lord finishes his exposition with this enigmatic declaration. What did he mean?
Maybe we can think that it was a reference to the rich young man who had just left. In the eyes of the disciples, he occupied a pre-eminent place to enter the kingdom of God, but the exposition of the Lord showed that he was really far away. On the other hand, other simpler people, such as the "poor in spirit", in whom nobody placed their hopes, will occupy the first positions in eternity.
Or perhaps we should understand it as an exhortation to Peter and the other apostles, so that they would not make anticipatory assessments of their own sacrifice and surrender, thinking that they were more than others, because it was not for them to judge that matter.
In any case, this judgment of the Lord warns us that in the judgment of God there will be great surprises.
Questions
- Is there a point in the so-called "gospel of prosperity" that you think does not conform to what is taught in the Word? Why? Reason your answer with biblical arguments.
- In view of what has been studied in this passage, what is wrong with riches?
- Why did Jesus say: "How hard will those who have riches enter the kingdom of God!"? Why the disciples were astonished by it?
- Explain in your own words what Jesus meant by the phrase: "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."
- Discuss and discuss each of the things the Lord promised you would give to those who left their possessions because of him and the gospel.