Re-examining Jesus' Words To The Rich Man
Re-Examining Jesus'
Words To The Rich Man Having begun the subject from this point, my prayer is that the Savior will allow me to share with these brothers what is true, what is suitable, and what leads to salvation. I first want to awaken in them the hope itself of eternal life. Then, I want to show them the access to that hope. Jesus gives to those who beg [for understanding], and he teaches those who ask. He makes ignorance vanish, and he dispels fear. His own words about the rich become their own interpreters and infallible expounders.
There is nothing like listening again to Jesus' own words— which until now distressed you when you heard them read from the Gospels.
You who are wealthy were distressed because you heard them without examining them, and your immaturity led to an erroneous understanding of them. It is written:
As they walked along, a man approached and kneeled, saying, "Good Master, what good thing shall
I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery.
Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony.
Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother."
Page 14 The One Who Knows God He answered him and said, "I have observed all these things." Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said, "You still lack one thing. If you want to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me." The man was sad about what he heard. He went away grieved, because he was rich, and he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around him and said to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." They were astonished beyond measure, and said, "Then who can be saved?" Looking at them, Jesus said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God. For with God all things are possible."
Peter began to say to him, ° 'See, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus answered and said, " tell you the truth, whoever leaves what is his own— parents, brothers and possessions—for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, will receive a hundred times as much, now in this world, of lands and possessions and houses and brothers, with persecutions. And in the world to come, he will receive life everlasting. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." (Mark 10:1731) These things are written in the Gospel according to Mark.
They're also written in all the rest [of the Gospels] ina similar manner. Although the expressions vary slightly in each book, they all agree identically in meaning.
We know that the Savior teaches nothing in a merely human way. Instead, he teaches everything to his followers with divine and mystic wisdom. So, we must not listen to his statements in a mundane, human sense. Instead, through appropriate investigation and intelligence, we must search out the real meaning hidden in his words. The things that the Lord himself seems to have simplified for the sake of the disciples are found to require not less, but more, attention than
Re-Examining Jesus' Words To The Rich Man Page 15 a what is expressed through parables. That's because the seemingly simple statements are packed with such profound wisdom.
Moreover, the things that we think Jesus explained to the insiders—those he called the children of the kingdom— require even more consideration than the things that seem to have been expressed simply. The reason is that none of his listeners asked for a further explanation of such things. But since his words pertain to the entire design of salvation, we must contemplate these words with an admirable and heavenly depth of mind. We must not receive these statements superficially, with our ears only. Our minds must be attuned to the very spirit of the Savior and to the meaning he intended.
The rich young man pleasantly posed an appropriate question to our Lord and Savior. The question was appropriate because he asked Life itself about life. He asked the Savior about salvation, the Teacher about the primary teachings, and the Truth about true immortality. He addressed the Word about the word of the Father, the Perfect One about the perfect rest, and the Immortal One about true immortality.
By asking about eternal life, the young man addressed the very reason Jesus came to earth. He asked about the things
Jesus taught and about the things he instilled in the minds of his disciples. In other words, he asked about the very essence of the Gospel. Being truly Divine, Jesus foreknew both what he would be asked and how each person would answer him. For who would be more capable of doing so than the Prophet of prophets, the Lord of every prophetic spirit?
Having been called "good," he used this term as his starting The primary lesson for life is to know the eternal God. point. In doing so, he turned his student to God, the Good, the first and only dispenser of eternal life. The Son, who received this eternal life from him, gives it to us.
Page 16 The One Who Knows God Knowing God The primary lesson for life must be implanted in the soul from the beginning. That lesson is to know the eternal God, the one who gives what is eternal. We can possess God through knowledge and understanding. He is the first and highest. He is one, and he is the [ultimate] good. This knowledge of God is the unchangeable and immovable source and support of life. He is the One who really is, and he gives the things that really are. That is, he gives the things that are eternal. The beginning of life—and the continuance of life—come from him. To continue to be also comes from him. Ignorance of him is death. For the only true life is this: to know him and take him for your own—to love him and to become like him.
Therefore, the man who wants to live the true life must first know the One that "no one knows, unless the Son reveals him." (Matt.11:27) Next, after Him, he must learn about the greatness of the Savior and about the newness of grace. For, according to the apostle, "the Law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17) The gifts granted through a faithful servant [Moses] are not equal to those given by the true Son. If the Law of Moses had been sufficient to give us eternal life, then there wouldn't have been any reason for the Savior to come and suffer for us. There would have been no need for him to follow the path of human life from his birth to the cross.
There also would have been no reason for the rich young man, the man who had followed all of the commandments of the Law from the time he was young, to fall on his knees and beg for immortality from another person. Notice that he had not only fulfilled the Law, but had done so since he was a very young boy. It doesn't surprise us if an old man is free of shortcomings. But when a carefree young man in the fire of his youth shows judgment beyond his years, this is a true champion. This is aman who is seasoned in mind, although young in body.
Re-Examining Jesus' Words To The Rich Man Page 17 Nevertheless, because this rich young man was so wise, he knew that he was entirely destitute of real life, even though he lacked nothing in regard to righteousness. So, he asked for life from the only one who is able to give it. He was confident of his standing under the Law. But he approached the Son of God with humble petition. So, he was transferred from "faith to faith." (Rom. 1:17) It was as though he was on a stormtossed sea, anchored only to the Law. So he headed for the Savior to find a safe haven.
In response, Jesus did not tell him that he had failed to fulfill all of the requirements of the Law. Instead, Jesus loved him and fondly welcomed his obedience as to the things he had learned. Then Jesus told the young man that he was not perfect with respect to eternal life. For he had not fulfilled what is perfect. He was indeed a doer of the Law, but he was idle at the true life. To be sure, the Law is good. Who denies that? For "the commandment is holy." (Rom. 7:12) It offers a sort of training with fear and preparatory discipline. In this way it leads us to grace and to the fulfillment of the Law. (Gal.
3:24) But Christ is the fulfillment of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Christ is not a slave who is merely producing more slaves. Instead, he is producing sons, brothers and fellow-heirs, all of whom perform the Father's will.
o If You Want To Be Perfect...
Ponder for a minute Jesus' words, "If you want to be perfect...." (Matt. 19:21) These words make it clear that the rich young man was not yet perfect. For there's no such thing as being more perfect. Notice also the divine expression, "if you wish to...." (Matt. 19:21) This shows that the young man's soul had the power of free will. Being free, the choice depended on the man himself. But the gift depended on God, whois the Lord. And God gives to those who are both willing and exceptionally earnest. That way, their salvation becomes their own. For God does not compel anyone [to come to him].
Compulsion is repugnant to him. Rather, he supplies to those who seek. He gives to those who ask. He opens to those who knock. (Matt. 7:7,8) "Tf you want" —that is, if you really want and are not just deceiving yourself—then obtain what you lack. "One thing you are lacking,"—the one thing that endures. It is the good thing that is above the Law. The Law cannot give this and it cannot contain it. This one thing is the prerogative of those who really live. This young man had fulfilled all the requirements of the Law from the time of his youth. He had gloried in what was magnificent. Yet, he was not able to complete
[his quest] by adding the one thing that the Savior particularly required. He was unable to receive the eternal life he so fee
If You Want To Be Perfect...
Page 19 a desired. So he went away distressed, upset at the one commandment of [eternal] life that he had asked about.
What was his problem?" His problem was that he did not really desire life, as he claimed. All he wanted was the reputation of seeking the good. He was quite capable of busying himself with all sorts of things. But he was powerless when it came to the work of life. The Lord had spoken similarly to Martha. She was busy with many activities, distracted and troubled with serving. And she criticized her sister for leaving the work of serving in order to sit at Jesus' feet and devote her time to learning. As Jesus told Martha, "You are troubled about many things, but Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41,42) In the same way, the Lord told the rich young man to leave his busy life and cling to the grace of the one who offered everlasting life.
Is It Wrong To Own Possessions?
Why, then, did the young man leave the Master? Why did he so quickly abandon the life and hope he had been so earnestly pursuing? It was because Jesus told him, "Sell your possessions." But what did Jesus mean? Jesus was not saying, as some people quickly conclude, that the young man should throw away all he owned and abandon his property. Instead, the Savior was directing him to banish from his soul all his views about wealth—both his excitement and his worries. He directed him to abandon his material anxieties, which are the thorns of existence that choke the seeds of life. (Matt. 13:22)
After all, it is no great thing to simply be destitute, unless there's a special purpose behind it. That purpose must be life!
Otherwise, the only ones to possess eternal life would be those who beg for their daily bread, even though they know neither God nor his righteousness. And the persons most blessed and dear to God would be those who have nothing at all—the poor who wander the streets—even though they don't know God. The destitute would have eternal life simply because of their extreme want and their lack of material things.
Page 20 The One Who Knows God Furthermore, remember that renouncing one's wealth and giving it to the poor was no new thing. Many people had done this before the Savior came to earth. Some people [like the philosophers] did it in order to pursue empty human wisdom. Still others, like Anaxagoras, Democritus and Crates did it for empty fame and the praise of men.*
Why, then, did the Master command it as though it were something new and divine—as though it alone were lifegiving? After all, this very same thing did not save people in times past. So what was this special thing the Son of God was teaching? It was not the outward act—the thing that many others had already done. Rather, it was something greater, more godlike, and more perfect: To strip the desires of the flesh from one's very soul. To pull up from the roots and throw away the things that are alien to the soul [or mind]. This is the instruction worthy to come from the Savior himself. This is the teaching that is unique to believers.
In the past, those who renounced external things gave up only their material possessions. But at the same time I think they intensified the longings of the flesh. For they were arrogant, pretentious, and boastfully vain. They treated the rest of mankind with contempt and acted as though they had done something superhuman. Why would the Savior have told the very people who were destined to live forever that they should do what would be harmful to the very life he promised? After all, a person may get rid of the burden of wealth and still have his innate lust for money. He may abandon what he has—only to long for what he once had. So, he will grieve twice as much. Most certainly, those who lack the necessities of life will be mentally anguished. In trying to somehow provide for their needs, they will be hindered from better things.
The Proper Use Of Wealth How much better it is for a man to have some possessions so he can keep himself out of dire straits and so he can give
"These three men were Greek philosophers who lived centuries before Christ.
If You Want To Be Perfect...
Page 21 SS Se assistance to those who require it! If no one had anything, how could we give to others? Isn't it clear that a literal interpretation of Jesus' words contradicts many of his other teachings? For example, Jesus said, "Make friends with the riches of unrighteousness, so that when you fail, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:9) He also said, "Acquire treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in." (Matt.
6:20) Jesus taught that we must give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, shelter to the homeless, or else be punished in fire and outer darkness. (Matt. 25:3146) But how could a person do these things if he has divested himself of all his goods?
No, in fact, the Savior once invited Zaccheus and Matthew, the rich tax collectors, to entertain him hospitably. (Luke 5:29)
He didn't require them to part with their property. Instead, he applied just judgment to them, saying [about Zaccheus],
"Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man is also a son of Abraham." (Luke 19:9) In fact, Jesus has so much praise for the appropriate use of wealth that he orders that it be shared, in order to give drink to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, shelter to the homeless and clothing to the naked. It's not possible for a man to provide those needs unless he has material possessions of his own.
So if the Lord was really calling people to abandon all of their material possessions, he would have been telling us both to give and not to give at the same time. He would be telling us to feed and not to feed. To take in and shut out. To share and not to share. That would be most irrational!
So, riches that benefit our neighbors as well as ourselves are not to be thrown away. They are appropriately called
"possessions," since they are possessed. They are called "soods," since they are useful and provided by God for the use of men. They are under our control. And they are an instrument for good use to those who know how to use the instrument. If you use it skillfully, it is skillful. If you are unskilled, it's affected by your lack of skill. In itself, it is not to be blamed. Are you able to make a right use of wealth?
Then it will be a servant to righteousness. Do you use it
Page 22 The One Who Knows God wrongly? Then it is a minister of wrong. Its nature is to serve, not to rule.
Therefore, the thing that has no good or evil in and of itself should not be blamed. The one who should be blamed is the one who chooses to use it either for right or for wrong purposes. The responsible party is the mind and judgment of man. Man has the liberty and free will to determine how he will use what is assigned to him. So, let no man destroy wealth when he should be destroying the fleshly desires of the soul. For these desires are incompatible with the better use of wealth. By destroying these desires, a person becomes virtuous and good. He is thereby able to make a good use of his riches. In summary, the renunciation of riches and the selling of all possessions refers to the fleshly desires of the soul.
Some things are inside the soul and some things are outside of it. If the soul makes good use of something, it is deemed to be good. But if the soul makes bad use of something, it is deemed to be bad. So, when Jesus commanded us to alienate our possessions, was he speaking about the physical things that can be cast away while the fleshly longings [for material things] still remain? Or was he speaking about the materialistic desires, which once removed, allow wealth to even become beneficial?
So the man who casts away his worldly wealth can still be rich in materialistic desires, even though he has no money to gratify his desires. So, it The man who casts is of no advantage to him away wealth can still | © >e poor m purse if he is still rich in materialisbe rich in materialistic desires. He has cast tic desires. away the wrong thing— something that is neither good nor evil by itself. At the same time, he has deprived himself of something serviceable. And, he has set the inborn fuel of evil on fire because he has no means to satisfy his material lusts.
Therefore, we must renounce only those things that are injurious—not those that can be of service when they are
If You Want To Be Perfect...
Page 23 used properly. Whatever is managed with wisdom, sobriety and godliness is profitable. But whatever is harmful must be thrown out. However, external things of themselves cannot hurt us. So then, the Lord introduces the proper use of external things. He does not tell us to put away our means of livelihood. Rather, he tells us to put away the sickness and materialistic desires of the soul. These cause us to use our wealth in a harmful way.
i Cleansing The Soul Anyone who combines wealth with wrong desires has mixed a deadly combination. In sucha case, to lose the weaith would be a healthy alternative. To make the soul pure—that is, poor and bare—we need to focus on the next words of the Savior, "Come, follow me." (Mark 10:21) He becomes the way to the pure in heart. God's grace finds no entrance into the impure soul. And the soul that is rich in desires, entangled with affection for the things of the world, is impure.
Yet, some people are able to hold their gold, silver, houses, and other possessions simply as the gifts of God. They use their things to minister for the salvation of men. They thereby return them to God, who gave them. They know that they possess them more for the sake of their brothers than for themselves. They are the masters of their belongings, not the slaves of their possessions. They don't carry their belongings around in their soul, nor do they plan their life around their things. Instead, they are always laboring at some good, divinely-inspired activity.
Even if they sometimes need to be deprived of their things, they are able to cheerfully bear the removal of their belongings just as easily as they were able to enjoy their abundance.
(Phil. 4:11,12) These are the ones who are blessed by the Lord.
They are the ones he calls "poor in spirit." (Matt. 5:3) They are the proper heirs of the kingdom of heaven.
Cleansing The Soul Page 25 ee But there are others who carry their riches in their soul.
Instead of being filled with God's Spirit, their hearts are filled with their gold or their land. They are always acquiring possessions, and they are perpetually on the lookout for more. They are bent down and fettered to the toils of the world. They are of the earth and destined to become a part of the earth. How can they desire or pay attention to the kingdom of heaven? They don't carry around hearts in their bodies. Instead, they carry around land or precious metals.
You'll always find them in the midst of the objects they have chosen. For where the mind of man is, there also is his treasure. (Matt. 6:21) The Lord says that there are two kinds of treasures. First, there's the good kind: "The good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good." (Matt. 12:35) And then there's the evil kind: "The evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil, for the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart." (Matt. 12:34,35) So according to Christ, there are two different kinds of treasure, the kind that gives an unexpected great gain when you find it, and the kind that is profitless, undesirable, and even harmful. So there is a richness in good things and a richness in bad things. It is appropriate to possess and acquire the first sort of riches, but the other kind should be cast away.
Genuine And Counterfeit Poverty In the same way, spiritual poverty is blessed. That's why
Matthew added, "Blessed are the poor." (Matt. 5:3) What kind of poor? Those poor i spirit. In the same way, he says,
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God." (Matt. 5:6) How wretched indeed, then, are the other type of poor—those having no part in God and even less in human property. These are the ones who have not tasted the righteousness of God.
So, the expression, "How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God," must be taken with careful thought, rather than ina clumsy or fleshly way. When the expression is understood the right way, it is clear that
Page 26 The One Who Knows God salvation does not depend on external things—whether there be many or few, small or large, shiny or dull, valuable or cheap. Rather, salvation depends upon the virtues of the soul—faith, hope, love, brotherhood, knowledge, meekness, humility, and truth. The reward for these is salvation.
Likewise, no one is granted life on account of his physical beauty. Nor is anyone doomed to perish because he is not handsome. But anyone who uses the body he's been given in a chaste manner and according to God's design, will live.
And anyone who destroys God's temple will be destroyed.
(1 Cor. 3:16) After all, an ugly man may be immoral, and a handsome man may be self-controlled.
Likewise, the strength and size of the body do not give life.
Nor do any members of the body destroy life. But the soul, which uses the body, provides the cause for either life or destruction. To illustrate, we are told that when we are struck on the face, we should simply The one who 1s endure it. (Matt. 5:39) A strong truly rich is the and healthy oy is capable of obeying this command, [even one who 1s rich though his body could enable hire. him to strike back]. = poor and feeble man may just as easily break this commandment because of his nasty temper. In the same way, a poor and destitute man may be drunk with the desire for material goods, while a man rich in worldly goods may be sympathetic and pure. He may exercise self-control and only rarely indulge himself.
So the soul is the first and most important aspect of our living. The virtue that springs up in the soul is what saves.
And corruption [of the soul] kills. So let's stop looking for the cause of life and death anywhere else other than in the soul's purity and obedience to God. Or, the soul's breaking of the commandments and its accumulation of wicked behavior.
So, the one who is truly rich is the one who is rich in virtue.
He is able to use his fortune in a faithful and holy way.On the other hand, the one who is falsely rich is the one who is rich
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Cleansing The Soul Page 27 outward possession, which is transitory and perishing.
Today it may belong to one person, tomorrow to another.
And in the end it belongs to no one at all.
In the same way, there is a genuine poor man and a counterfeit poor man. To be poor in spirit is the right thing.
To be poor in a worldly sense is a different matter. To the one who is poor in worldly goods but rich in vices, it is said,
"Abandon the alien possessions that are in your soul, so that, by becoming pure in heart, you may see God." To put it another way, "Enter into the kingdom of heaven." For such a person is not poor in spirit and rich toward God.
How do you abandon those possessions? By selling them.
But then what? Should you exchange your personal effects for money, simply changing your riches from one form into another? Not at all. Instead, you should dispose of it in accordance with the command of God. You do that by bringing into your soul the kinds of riches that deify and that minister everlasting life. By doing so, the following things will accrue to you: endless reward and honor, salvation, and everlasting immortality. That is the right way to sell your belongings. Your many superfluous possessions shut the heavens against you. But you may exchange them for those that are able to save. Let those who are poor ina carnal sense have your possessions. They are destitute of the things that save. But you, by receiving spiritual wealth instead, will now have treasure in the heavens.
) Even The Rich Can Be Saved The rich young man, who was righteous according to the Law, did not understand the things Jesus said figuratively.
He could not see how the same person could be both poor and rich. How he could both /iave wealth and not have it. How he could use the world and not use it. So he went away sad and downcast. He walked away from the life that he desired but could not obtain. In this way, he turned something that was difficult into something that was impossible.
To be sure, it's difficult for the soul not to be seduced and ruined by the luxuries and enchantments that come with great wealth. But it's not impossible—even for those who are surrounded by wealth—to lay hold of salvation. It's not impossible, that is, if such a person withdraws his attention from the wealth that is material and turns it instead to the wealth that only the mind can grasp—the wealth taught by God. Such a person must learn to properly use material things (which are indifferent to good or evil), and he must strive after eternal life.
Why The Apostles Were Alarmed Notice that at first, even the disciples were alarmed and amazed [by what Jesus told the young man]. Why? Was it because they themselves were wealthy? Definitely not. They
Even The Rich Can Be Saved Page 29 had already left their nets, hooks and rowing boats—their sole possessions—long before this time. Why, then, did they ask with dismay, "Who can be saved?" (Mark 10:26)
The reason was that, as good disc iples, they had understood what the Lord was figuratively saying. They perceived the depth of his words. Up to that point, they had been confident of their own salvation on the grounds that they were not wealthy. But when they realized that they had not yet fully renounced their materialistic desires, they were distressed. Remember, they were neophytes, only recently selected by the Savior. So they were as much in despair about their own condition as was the rich young man who clung so fiercely to the wealth that he preferred more than eternal life.
And they had good reason to fear. Both the person who possesses wealth and the one who is teeming with materialistic desires are "the rich." And the rich will be expelled from the heavens. For salvation is the privilege of pure souls free from fleshly desires.
Salvation: A Joint Project But the Lord answered their despair by saying, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Mark 10:27)
Once again, his words were full of great wisdom. A man working by himself to gain freedom from his fleshly desires achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows himself to earnestly desire this freedom, God will give him the power to attain it. God conspires with willing souls. But if they abandon their eagerness, the Spirit who is bestowed by God will be restrained. For to save those who are unwilling is the role of one who exercises compulThe kingdom of heaven does not belong to sleepers and lazy people. sion. But to save those who are willing is the role of one who aly DOVTATR OrTnacea
Page 30 The One Who Knows God The kingdom of heaven does not belong to sleepers and lazy people, "but the violent take it by force." (Matt. 11:12)
This is the only commendable kind of violence: to force God, and take life from God by force. He knows who perseveres firmly (or violently), and he yields and grants to them. For God delights to be conquered in this way.
Upon hearing Jesus' words, blessed Peter—the chosen, the preeminent, the first of the disciples, and the only one for whom the Savior ever paid taxes (other than himself)—immediately grasped the sense of them. (Matt. 17:27) Notice his reply: "We have left everything and followed you." (Mark
10:28) Now if all he meant was that he had left his own property, he boasted of leaving only about four oboli [2/3 of a drachma] in all.* And he would have been forgetting to acknowledge that the kingdom of heaven was their reward for leaving behind such a small amount of property.
But if he was talking about leaving what I was previously discussing—the old mental possessions and soul diseases— for the purpose of following in the Master's footsteps, then, by this act, they joined the others who are to be enrolled in the heavens. For to truly follow the Savior is this: To aim at sinlessness and His perfection, to adorn and compose the soul before the mirror of Christ's perfection, and to arrange everything in our lives to reflect that image.
Jesus continued his instruction by saying, "I tell you the truth, whoever leaves what is his own—parents, and children, and wealth—for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, will receive a hundred times as much." (Mark 10:29,
30) But don't be troubled by that saying, nor by one that is even harder: "Whoever does not hate his father, and mother, and children, and his own life besides, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26) The God of peace, who exhorts us to love even our enemies, obviously doesn't want us to hate our dear ones and dissolve our relationships with them. If we are supposed to hate our relatives, we should hate our enemies even that much more. Simple logic tells us that. But that would contradict Jesus' teachings.
Even The Rich Can Be Saved Page 31 Instead, Jesus' commands do not contradict each other.
However, in applying Jesus' words, a person who loves his enemy may also "hate" his father. That's because he neither takes vengeance on his enemy, nor venerates his father more than Christ. The first command ['love your enemy' J, destroys hatred and injury. The second command ['hate your father'], prevents excessive attachment toward your relatives, when such behavior is detrimental to salvation. In other words, if someone's father, or son, or brother, is godless, and if they become a hindrance to the believer's faith and an impediment to the higher life, then the believer should not be friends with them or agree with them. Because of the spiritual enmity, he should dissolve the fleshly relationship.
For example, suppose there's a lawsuit. Imagine that your father presents himself to you and says, "I brought you into being and I raised you. Join me in wickedness, and do not obey the law of Christ." And suppose he says other things that a blaspheming man with a dead nature would say.
On the other side, hear the Savior saying, "You were born into the world, headed for death. But I gave you new life. I freed, healed, and ransomed you. I will show you the face of the good Father, God. Do not call any man on earth your father. Let the dead bury the dead, but you follow me. (Matt.
23:9; 8:22) I will bring you to a rest of overwhelming, indescribable blessings, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard.
It has not even entered into the heart of men. Angels long to look and see what good things God has prepared for the saints and the children who love him. (1 Cor. 2:9; 1 Pet. 1:12)
I am the one who feeds you. I give you myself as bread.
Anyone who tastes this bread no longer experiences death.
(John 6:51) And I supply, day by day, the drink of immortality. lam the teacher of heavenly lessons. For you, I struggled with death. And I paid your death, which you owed for your former sins and your unbelief toward God."
Having heard the arguments on both sides, decide for yourself. Cast your vote for your own salvation. Even if your brother made the same claims, or your child, or your wife— or anyone else. In preference to all of them, let Christ be the
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Page 32 The One Who Knows God You may say to yourself, "Certainly Christ does not prevent me from owning property. The Lord does not envy
[my possessions]." That's true.' But are you overcome and conquered by your wealth? If so, leave it. Throw it away. Hate it. Renounce it. Flee from it. As Jesus said, "Even if your right eye offends you," quickly "cut it out." (Matt. 5:9) The kingdom of God is better to a man with one eye than the fire is to someone who is unmutilated. Whether it's your hand, your foot, or your soul [that offends you], hate it. For if it is destroyed in this life for Christ's sake, it will be restored in the life over there.
Our Savior continued his instructions to his disciples, talking about leaving lands, money, houses and brothers in this life—but receiving more, with persecutions. It's not particularly the penniless, the homeless, and those who don't have a family that the Lord invites to eternal life. As we have shown above, he has also called rich people. And he also called brothers, suchas Peter and Andrew, or James and John, the sons of Zebedee. But they were of one mind with each other and with Christ.
The Two Kinds of Persecution Then what about the expression "with persecutions"? By this, he means that we must not grasp at money, property and family. You see, there are two kinds of persecutions. One kind comes from the outside. It comes from men who attack God's faithful people, because of hatred, envy, greed, or demonic pressure. But the most painful kind of persecution is that which is internal.
This persecution comes from each person's own soul, as the soui is plagued by irreverent lusts, diverse pleasures, earthly hopes, and destructive dreams. Itis always grasping for more. Maddened by savage loves, it is inflamed by the passions that attack it like stinging insects. It is covered with blood that drives it on to insane pursuits. In the end, it
The most painful kind of persecution is that which is internal.
Even The Rich Can Be Saved Page 33 leads a person to give up hope for [eternal] life, and to have contempt for God.
Internal persecution is more painful because it is always with a person. The persecuted one cannot escape it, because he carries the enemy everywhere inside himself. The persecution that comes from outside is merely a trial. But what comes from inside produces death. The war from without may be easily ended, but the internal war in our souls continues until the day we die.
So, in light of this persecution, abandon whatever leads you to evil—whether it be your worldly wealth or your fleshly brothers and other pledges. Instead, procure peace for yourself by freeing yourself from these prolonged persecutions. Turn from them to the gospel. Above everything else, choose the Savior and Advocate and Paraclete of your soul, the Prince of life. "For the things that are seen are temporary; but the things that are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18) In the present life, everything is vanishing and insecure. But what is to come is eternal life.
[Jesus concluded by saying], "The first will be last, and the last first." (Mark 10:31) This saying is full of meaning, but it doesn't demand immediate investigation. For it doesn't refer only to the wealthy, but to all men who have surrendered themselves to faith. So let this stand aside for the present.
I think I have demonstrated my premise as I promised I would. That is, the Savior has by no means excluded the rich from eternal life on account of their wealth. Nor has he fenced off salvation from them because they possess property. But they must be able and willing to submit their lives to God's commandments. They must prefer his commands to the transitory objects of this life. And they must look to the Lord with a steady eye, like those who look for the nod of a good helmsman. They must see what he wishes, what he orders, and what he indicates. They must see what signal he gives his mariners and where he directs the ship's course.
But what harm has anyone done, if, before he became a believer, he applied his mind, saved his earnings, and collected a sufficient means for his needs? And it is certainly less
Page 34 The One Who Knows God reprehensible if, by God—who gives each one his life—someone has been born into a home among people who are wealthy, powerful, and influential. If a man were banished from [eternal] life simply because he was involuntarily born into wealth, then he would be wronged by God. For God, who created him, would have given him temporary enjoyment only to deprive him of eternal life. In fact, why should wealth have ever sprung from the earth, if it is the author and patron of death?
But what if someone is able, although in the midst of wealth, to turn away from its power? What if he is still able to maintain moderation in his feelings and to exercise selfcontrol? What if he is able to seek God alone—to breathe God and walk with God? Then such a man is really poor. He submits to God's commandments and he is unconquered and unharmed by wealth. He lives free of its disease. But if that's not the case, then "it will be easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for such a rich man to reach the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:25) Now I will present the point of this parable of the rich young man and explain why it is told. Its purpose is to teach the prosperous that they are not to neglect their own salvation, thinking that they are already destined to face doom.
Nor should they cast their wealth into the sea or condemn it as a traitor and an enemy to life. Instead, they must learn how to use wealth and obtain life. Certainly, no one perishes
[simply] because he frets over the fact that he is rich.
Likewise, no one is saved [simply] by trusting and believing that he will be saved. Instead, people should inv estigate the hope that the Savior gives them. By investigation, they should find cut how they can confirm that which is unexpected. They can thereby possess the thing they hope for.