Luke 18.18-30

THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

Luke 18.18-30

It is often said that flattery will get you anywhere. The man in our gospel reading for today, certainly thought it would get him the Kingdom of God.

But Jesus would have nothing to do with such an approach. He dismisses such words saying: ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.’

If words of flattery do not work, perhaps good works will.

So the man proudly boasts that he has been a conscientious keeper of the Ten Commandments since the days of his youth. He has not murdered anyone. He has not committed adultery. He has not stolen. He has not borne false witness. He has not defrauded anyone, and he has not dishonoured either his mother or his father.

Surely such a record of good works will guarantee a place for him in the Kingdom of God.

But, no!

He cannot talk his way into the Kingdom of God with words of flattery, and he cannot earn his way into the Kingdom of God with good works.

Nevertheless, Jesus is still sympathetic to the man's situation. We can imagine Him putting his arms around the man, as a father puts his loving arms around his son, when he replies: ‘You lack one thing. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.’

Not surprisingly we are told that this was too much for the man, because he was very wealthy. So he gave up trying to follow Jesus, and instead, went away.

I must admit that I am not surprised. Are you? Faced with such a situation, I suspect both you and I would have done the same and gone away.

I don't know about you, but I have spent a lifetime saving up to be able to buy my retirement home. I spent years scouring junk shops for bits of furniture, before I was in a position to furnish my home as I would choose. And I have spent years, scrimping and saving so that I can enjoy my retirement.

And now, it appears, I am expected to sell all and give the money raised to the poor, if I am sincere in trying to follow Jesus.

To be quite honest, I think I prefer to join the man in the gospel story, and walk away. To be a follower of Jesus is just too hard. I don't know how you feel about it?

Jesus recognised that it was hard. That is why, when he was alone with the twelve disciples, he later said: "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.”

In fact, he even tried to make a joke out of it, when he said: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

But frankly, like Queen Victoria, I am not amused. If we are really expected to take those words of Jesus literally, as did St Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century, I suspect that the Kingdom of God will be pretty empty.

Or is Jesus trying to get at something much deeper with those words about wealth?

If you look at the translation of this story in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which uses the best manuscripts available, you will see that there is a footnote to those words in verse 24, "how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God." The footnote quotes other ancient authorities, in other words, manuscripts, which translate the original Greek language as, "how hard for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Now some scholars would suggest that the copyist of the original manuscript is seeking to soften the original words of Jesus. Others would suggest, and I tend to agree with them, that the copyist is seeking to bring out the real meaning of the original words of Jesus.

The real reason why the rich often find it difficult to live out the life of the Kingdom of God on earth, is because they are more accustomed than others in trusting in their wealth, rather than in God, to provide them with status, security, interest and enjoyment.

After all, no one wants to know a person who is poor. And no one likes to face the unexpectedness of the future without a little bit put away for the rainy day. And of course, whilst we all know that money cannot bring us happiness, at least it allows us to be miserable in comfort!

In other words, I would suggest that Jesus is seeking to attack the false sense of security which wealth can encourage us to develop. He is challenging us to put our trust in God, rather than in possessions. He is encouraging us to become detached from things in order that we might become attached to God.

The question that you and I need to ask ourselves is this: What prevents me from giving myself wholeheartedly to God?

My friends, we cannot win God's favour with words of flattery. We cannot earn God's favour with good works. And neither can we buy God's favour with our wealth.

At the end of the day, the grace of God is free and undeserved, bestowed upon those who put their whole trust in Him, and Him alone.