“HOW HARD IT IS FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTRE HEAVEN”

¹⁶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷ And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸ He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ²⁰ The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ²¹ Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ²³ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵ When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ²⁷ Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? ²⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ³⁰ But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Matthew 19:16-30

When Y’shua spoke these words, he was not saying that He disliked rich people and therefore, they would have a harder time entering heaven. No, what He meant is that those who hold onto their material goods, instead of building up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21) will find it hard to serve Y’shua and accept Him.

When the disciples went out they left everything they had behind: their families, their wealth etc. we read about many people giving all they had to the poor so that they could serve the LORD. In  1 Timothy 9:10 we read that “money is the root of all evil” and in Matthew 6:24 “We cannot serve two masters”.

So, you need to choose if you want to serve YHVH with all your heart, mind and soul, as He  says that He will spit you out if you are only lukewarm (Rev 3: 16).

Furthermore, Y’shua was speaking to a young man who did not like the idea of giving all his earthly possessions away. He only wanted to do the bare minimum, so that he could also gratify himself in this life. However, dear friends, does our eternal life in heaven not matter more? We cannot expect to get to heaven if we do not give everything to YHVH. We cannot serve man and YHVH. Heaven is going to be a marvellous place, where there will not be any suffering, pain or sorrow. If the streets are made of gold, how much grander will everything else be made?

In verse 27, Peter asks Y’shua what they will receive for leaving their families and everything else. Y’shua tells him that the twelve disciples will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. He goes on to say that everyone who has left their houses, families and lands for His name sake will receive blessing a hundredfold and everlasting life. Those who are last on earth will be first in heaven.

Next time you walk past a beggar in the street, think a little, he may be last on earth, but first in heaven. What can you do to show that you are Messiah’s hands and feet?