In the Gospels, the words "how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God" are also repeated in the Gospel of Mark in the form "how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God." This is an important addition that helps us understand the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ...
In the Gospels, the words "how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God" are also repeated in the Gospel of Mark in the form "how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God." This is an important addition that helps us understand the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing inherently bad about money in and of itself; what is bad is that we so easily become slaves to it. We begin to think about how to acquire more and more, which easily becomes a passion, a kind of obsession. And then a person lives only for themselves and their money, which is far too little for a fulfilling life. Furthermore, earning money gradually consumes all of one's time and strength, leaving none for God, for love, for people, or for anything else... Moreover, a person imperceptibly begins to focus entirely on what they can do for themselves with their wealth: I will buy this, and then another... However, you cannot take any of this to the grave. In several places, the Gospel tells us that money is good as a means to do good works, and not only for oneself. In short, having enough money to live a dignified life and to do good for others is not bad at all. But it is important that money does not become the meaning and ultimate goal of life. As a means, however, why not?
It is understandable that if one has very little money, such spiritual problems, if they arise at all, do so on a much smaller scale. We must admit that one can be destitute and yet think only about money (this is often complicated by murmuring: "I am so good, yet I have been deprived of what I deserve"). This, obviously, is no better. Happiness is not found in money (nor in its quantity), but in being generous without murmuring. Perhaps generosity is precisely the key word in defining the Christian attitude toward wealth. Generosity sanctifies the one who has money, while greed defiles even the poor.
Poverty that is not fixated on itself and its meager resources has, perhaps, one significant advantage: one can truly and firmly put their hope in God. In prosperity, this hope gives way to gratitude to God for giving you the strength and ability to earn a living. Gratitude to God ("bundled," so to speak, with generosity) also strips wealth of the taint of sin. And to be grateful in poverty is a mark of true spiritual maturity.
Undoubtedly, poverty is a heavy burden. And every hardship in life can be an opportunity for a person to draw closer to Christ, who voluntarily impoverished Himself for our sake and became a poor man.
Finally, for a Christian, any condition in life is valuable only when God Himself calls them to it. Some (and they are the majority) He calls to be poor and to bear all the burdens of life with gratitude and generosity (even with small means). To others, the Lord directly says: "sell all that you have, and follow Me." And a third group is called to earn much money, and to help the first and the second... It is crucial to find your place and to answer your specific calling. Otherwise, neither poverty nor wealth will bring any spiritual benefit.
As for commerce... The Word of God looks favorably upon any honest human endeavor that is not coupled with sin, that brings benefit to others, and that causes no harm to anyone. Thus, the circle of forbidden occupations is quite limited: banditry, prostitution... Of course, commerce, like politics, can struggle to be entirely honest (especially in certain "exotic" countries, such as ours). But difficult does not mean impossible. I have even encountered honest and believing traffic police officers (admittedly, in the remote provinces and a long time ago, but the roads there were wonderful).
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19:16 And behold one came - Many of the poor had followed him from the beginning. One rich man came at last. Mar 10:17; Luk 18:18.
19:17 Why callest thou me good - Whom thou supposest to be only a man. There is none good - Supremely, originally, essentially, but God. If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments - From a principle of loving faith. Believe, and thence love and obey.And this undoubtedly is the way to eternal life. Our Lord therefore does not answer ironically, which had been utterly beneath his character, but gives a plain, direct, serious answer to a serious question.
19:19 Exo 20:12. etc
19:20 The young man saith, All these have I kept from my childhood - So he imagined; and perhaps he had, as to the letter; but not asto the spirit, which our Lord immediately shows.
19:21 If thou desirest to be perfect - That is, to be a real Christian: Sell what thou hast - He who reads the heart saw his bosom sin was love of the world; and knew he could not be saved from this, but by literally renouncing it. To him therefore he gave this particular direction, which he never designed for a general rule. For him that was necessary to salvation: to us it is not. To sell all was an absolute duty to him; to many of us it would be ali absolute sin. The young man went away - Not being willing to have salvation at so high a price.
19:24 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, (a proverbial expression,) than for a rich man to go throughthe strait gate: that is, humanly speaking, it is an absolute impossibility. Rich man! tremble! feel this impossibility; else thou art lost for ever!
19:25 His disciples were amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? - If rich men, with all their advantages, cannot? Who? A poor man; a peasant; a beggar: ten thousand of them, sooner than one that is rich.
19:26 Jesus looking upon them - To compose their hurried spirits.O what a speaking look was there! Said to them - With the utmost sweetness: With men this is impossible - It is observable, he does not retract what he had said: no, nor soften it in the least degree, but rather strengthens it, by representing the salvation of a rich man as the utmost effort of Omnipotence.
19:28 In the renovation - In the final renovation of all things: Ye shall sit - In the beginning of the judgment they shall stand, Co2 5:10.Then being absolved, they shall sit with the Judge, Co1 6:2: On twelve thrones - So our Lord promised, without expressing anycondition: yet as absolute as the words are, it is certain there is a condition implied, as in many scriptures, where none is expressed. In consequence of this, those twelve did not sit on those twelve thrones: for the throne of Judas another took, so that he never sat thereon.
19:29 And every one - In every age and country; not you my apostles only; That hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or wife, or children - Either by giving any of them up, when they could not be retained with a clear conscience or by willingly refraining from acquiring them: Shall receive a hundred - fold - In value, though not in kind, even in the present world.
19:30 But many first - Many of those who were first called, shall be last - Shall have the lowest reward: those who came after them being preferred before them: and yet possibly both the first and the last may be saved, though with different degrees of glory. Mat 20:16; Mar 10:31; Luk 13:30.