Jesus is teaching his disciples an important lesson. We don’t hear his students ask the predictable question, “Is this going to be on the exam?” But Jesus knows what foolish thoughts the disciples are having, so he repeats the lesson with the vivid, if not bizarre, example of a camel unable to pass through the eye of a needle.
Being rich by earthly standards only encourages comparison to others who may have less. If we pay no attention to earthly gains and focus on discovering the richness of God’s grace, we can turn our attention to helping one another enter the Kingdom of heaven. We are each blessed abundantly.
Here is the exam!!! *** Is that really the richness that prevent someone to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? *** No, not your richness but your heart in Ezekiel 28:5b, “You are very rich. So your heart has become proud.” *** This is how it got started in Ezekiel 28:2b, 4-5a, “In your proud heart you say, ‘I am a god. I sit on the throne of a god in the Mediterranean Sea.’ But you are only a human being. You are not a god. In spite of that, you think you are as wise as a god. You are wise and understanding. So you have become very wealthy. You have piled up gold and silver among your treasures. You have used your great skill in trading to increase your wealth. You are very rich.” ******* Money or riches is not the problem, our hearts are!!! *** Your heart for the love of money in Hebrews 13:5, “Don’t be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you. I will never desert you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)” *** You cannot serve money as your master in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one of them and love the other. Or you will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and money at the same time!” *** Money will never satisfy in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” ******* The “love” of money is the root of all evil in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows!” :-(
Here is another exam…How does a camel pass through the eye of a needle? *** Matthew 19:26, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
Though I read your comments almost daily and do enjoy them, I hardly post. So, today I am asking for prayers for my mother in law who is having at least a double if not triple bypass today. She is 84 and is a strong Catholic woman. Thank you!
Joining the others in prayers for your Mother in Law as she undergoes her surgery and recovery time. Dear Lord, please let her feel your love and strength at this challenging time for her.
Praying for you and your mother-in-law this evening, Melissa!
Melissa, praying for you and your mother-in-law right now, that the Lord may be with you both. Rita
Melissa I will pray for you and your mother in law right now Ken
Absolutely Deborah! Comparison is the human condition of evaluating everything. We grew up poor, I mean without heat sometimes, no breakfasts ever with just a lean lunch and or dinner, one pair of shoes per year, and candy bars were only a dream. But my mother told us we weren’t poor because the children 4 rentals down had no meals some days, were barefoot, no underwear and sometimes had no parent/adult in the house for days at a time. In my home today we have heat and air, am never hungry and have a running vehicle even if medical bills do make for horrid debt. And yet people can be jealous because I have a loving attentive husband, we have a good relationship, we laugh at the odd things in life—a lot, and we are graced with faith. We are rich in those things, and yet people with “money” envy us! I think that poor camel could have entered that “eye of the needle” gate if the owners would have unburdened him of all the load on his back. Were they greedy, were they lazy not to carry some of it themselves, or were they afraid if they stripped him down some of the items would be stolen? There are always different reasons for each of us to be attached to our goods and not trust that if we lose some God will not replace it with more or even something else. Lord, that I may be grateful for what I have in material things, may I never allow worry over them to cloud my relationship with You, may I see nature and life as part of the richness around me that I can enjoy as your gift, and may I always be blessed to see You in others as my true treasure.
Vicky, thank you for the chicken soup for my soul, again. Amen.
Thank you Miss Vicky for another eye opening comment today . My, the Lord has blessed you with a gift that no amount of money can buy. Your words touch places in the heart that normally get missed. Your life is a beautiful mosaic of love, faith, joy, challenges of every kind, and it keeps getting larger with the addition of the blessings you bestow on us. Thank you, Sweet Lady.
Vicky G...I get excited when I see you have posted a comment! I absolutely KNOW your words are meant to reach my heart, and they ALWAYS do! Thank you!
Vicky, your words are awesomely beautiful! So true!! Trust and thankfulness---two words to remind us to practice each moment of every day
Deborah, this is always such a thought provoking reflection. In Matthew Kelly’s reflection this a.m. he talked about all we are blessed with - talent and possessions. He also spoke about how some scholars relate this reading to the Eye of the Needle which is one of the small gates into Jerusalem. Camels sometimes needed to kneel and have some of their burden removed in order to enter. Just like we need to kneel in front of God and remove our burdens (of all types) before we can enter into His Kingdom. I just loved this. Also, just a wonderful God winks story. I am working remotely from our home in Maine this week. In a stroke of coordinated planning, I was here at the same time that a dear friend of mine (from my Houston work) was passing through with his wife, brother and sister in-law. I prepared a wonderful meal for them and right before they arrived, I went to pull out the greens for the beet salad. I realized they had frozen! :-(. What to do, what to do. At that moment, they walked up the driveway and they were carrying a bag of leftover greens from the farmers market - that they brought from their Air BnB! With God all things are possible. The quiche, salmon and beet salad were lovely and I truly felt blessed. Praying for Rick and Susan today. Amen.
Thank you Jane for reminding us that if we just kneel and ask Jesus to remove our burdens, whatever they may be, He will always be there for us. Love the greens story! The Lord always provides!
VickyG, Pam and Jane your guys are truly spiritual warriors. I always enjoy your comments and reflections. I have solar water pump 6 inches but when the sun shines it spouts, when it's cloudy it spouts then stops it reminds me of the scenes I have see of the dancing waters at Los Vegas . The birdbath attracts bird today cardinals and noisy blue birds. Please pray for Debbie and her daughter Anna and Stephanie and Christine and the souls in purgatory. Ken
Lord please hear our prayers and bring your light to all those experiencing natural disasters, and those in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur, the Sudan, in addition to all those suffering around the world - also for their strength, courage and resilience to continue walking in faith. Send them your light. Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur and Sudan. Please protect and send aid to those in need and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace and rebuilding– we who are working towards it and for all those who are suffering or in danger from conflicts. We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
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Beautiful reflections from all of you. Thank you for sharing your gifts.