Tom Hawkes
Jesus taught many stunning truths, few of them more shocking than his warning about wealth: “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24). His disciples recognized it was an extremely hard saying, for they were astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25).
It is an important principle of biblical interpretation to understand one passage in light of the entire Bible. The Bible does not say that wealth itself is sinful, but it does caution against a love of money and getting wealthy by hurting others.
On the positive side we hear that God often rewards those who love him with wealth. “Wealth and riches are in his house” (Psalms 112:3). We are also told that wealth can be a kind of good protection. “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city” (Proverbs 10:15).
Yet, even more often the Bible cautions us about wealth. We are warned against loving money. “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). We are warned that acquiring wealth by usury is vain (Proverbs 28:8) that thinking we got wealth without God’s help is false (Deuteronomy 8:17) that stinginess will lead to poverty (Proverbs 28:22).
The problem with wealth, biblically speaking, is that we begin to trust in our wealth, thinking that our wealth—rather than God—secures our future against pain and problems. When we look to money rather than God to care for our future we have entered into the idolatry of money. When money becomes our “god” we greedily acquire more money and stingily hang on to each penny. Picture here Scrooge humbugging those alms collectors at Christmastime.
This temptation leads us away from trust in God to put trust in ourselves and our ability to acquire wealth. It is a kind of idolatry that replaces worship of God with worship of wealth. This Jesus cautioned against pointedly. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Since we tend to trust in wealth the greater it becomes, and to trust God less, it follows that it is very difficult for the wealthy person to look to God for his salvation rather than to his investments.
While Jesus is being picturesquely hyperbolic with the image of the camel not passing through a needle’s eye, he is making an important point. Many a person has passed by heaven on his drive to the bank. Demographically speaking, Jesus is also being accurate. The more wealth any community has, the less it practices any religion, including Christianity. The less wealth, the more people profess faith in Christ. This is true across the country and around the world.
This is why God cautions us further. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10).
For the wealthy to be saved it is difficult. Jesus said it. The whole Bible affirms it. Statistics demonstrate it. But there is hope. Jesus assured his disciples who then doubted how anyone could be saved: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19: 26). There is the possibility of redemption. Picture here Scrooge on Christmas morning, eager to share the wealth that had chained his heart. “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” Yes, it is difficult for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom. But not impossible. With God all things are possible. Even the wealthy can turn to Christ.
Dr. Tom Hawkes, a native of nearby Atlantic Beach and a graduate from Episcopal High, is the founding pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, a new mission church on the island. It is a congregation of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, an historic and biblically conservative denomination, founded in 1782 and headquartered in Greenville, S.C. He also serves as Director of Church Planting for the Florida Presbytery. He and his wife, Ann, are delighted to call Amelia Island home. Contact him at tom@christpresfb.com, or visit www.christpresfb.com.