In Matthew 19:23-26 we have an unusual sort of statement that cut against the grain of Jesus’ times and also our own: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And 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.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” This statement has been taken a variety of ways, sometimes ignored and sometimes turned for narrow and partisan interpretations, but its context as well as its content deserves considerable reflection.

Just before making this statement, our Lord and Savior had been speaking with a wealthy disciple who was sorrowful at having been told to give away all of his earthly possessions and had walked away from Christ with a heavy heart after having thought himself to be good. Immediately after this passage we have Peter being Peter and looking for praise for the way he and the other disciples had walked away from their family businesses (whether as fishermen or tax collectors or whatever other professions they had), which provided some measure of wealth, in order to follow Him and receiving a promise that those who had suffered loss for following the Christ would be given blessings many times over (phrased in the agricultural language that reminds one of the parable of the sower and the seed). In the context, therefore, we see one of the Bible’s reversals of what is expected based on human perspectives.

The perspective of the time, it should be noted, is in many ways not too dissimilar from our own. The Jews viewed those who were wealthy as having received the obvious favor of God. Even those who were not necessarily elites viewed their more modest wealth, when combined with piety and obvious good deeds, as clearly showing God’s favorable view to them. The large number of synagogues would have made it very possible for those of like mind and attitudes towards the blessed nature of wealth when combined with meritorious and righteous deeds for there to have been especially privileged synagogues for elites in different parts Judea, Galilee, and further afield. A similar mindset exists today among those most prone to believe the Gospel of Propserity, as can be evidenced by the elite nature of the “First Baptist Churches” of any given small Southern town. Seeing material success as a sign of God’s blessings and favor can be a way that make people feel better about the life they live and the company they keep. Even if God’s blessings are for other purposes, it is easy to read such favor as a sign of God’s endorsement of our conduct, whether or not that is so.

A similar mentality existed among the Romans, who only trusted the wealthy with political power in part because they thought people who were already wealthy could be trusted to be above the sordid concerns of making a living, having to handle business affairs, or being faced with the temptation of bribery and corruption. That such people also often bribed others or behaved in a corrupt fashion in exploiting the prejudices and poverty of their contemporaries, and behaved in a generally profligate and immoral fashion as well, was less of a concern. Wealth brought with it a freedom from certain fears and wants, and the ability to use that power and influence to get what one wanted from others, and whether what one wanted was noble or ignoble, there was a certain cachet in the possession of a good family name as well as wealth from generations of sound financial management and considerable political skill. That sort of glamor and appeal remains in our present age, both from those who are part of dynastic families of elites as well as those who take advantage of politics for economic gain but who look down on businessmen and the free market.

Jesus Christ showed little interest in such matters. However, it is important to note that while he strongly implied that the wealthy had a more difficult time finding salvation than ordinary folks who did not face the temptations and the capabilities to indulge themselves in such a corrupt manner, with God all things are possible, including the salvation of the wealthy. After all, in the Bible we read of quite a few wealthy and obviously powerful people who were devout followers of God and who will enter into His Kingdom. People like Abraham, Joseph, Boaz, Daniel, Esther, and the more righteous kings like David, Hezekiah, and Josiah spring readily to mind. Some of these people were wealthy and powerful as private farmers and herdsmen, some as rulers, and others as powerful members of Gentile bureaucracies. Their earthly status did not make it impossible for them to be godly, and neither did a much more modest social standing make it impossible for such people as Ruth or the occasional obscure sons of the prophets or poor widows and even Naaman’s slave girl from being righteous and godly themselves in far more difficult circumstances. It is not our class or gender or ethnicity or occupation that makes us godly or ungodly (although, to be sure, some occupations themselves involve ungodly behavior as a matter of course), but rather we are to use what talents and gifts we have to serve God and others.

In that light, we can see Jesus’ call to the rich man to give of his earthly possessions and of the difficulty of the wealthy and powerful (particularly in corrupt regimes, as the Roman Empire certainly was) in achieving salvation because of the temptations to wish to preserve their wealth and power instead of using it to serve others rather than themselves in a complicated and nuanced light. Anything that leads us to think of ourselves as self-sufficient can be a barrier to our salvation. Whether that is wealth and power or family history or intellect or street savvy, or anything else, that which allows us to see ourselves as the center of our universe and as the source of legitimacy for our way of life, or as having the resources within ourselves to live as we wish with no external standards to hold ourselves applicable to is a barrier to our entry into the kingdom of heaven. However, no struggle or difficulty in our lives makes it impossible for God to work with us if we have a humble heart and a willingness to follow Him, and a desire to enter into His kingdom that leads us to follow His righteous ways and seek justice, mercy, and faith with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength.