Two months ago, a good friend sent the following question over email:
I've been mulling something over lately, and wanted to hear your take on the subject. In particular, I've been thinking on the passage from Matthew: "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” I've heard plenty of people trying to interpret this verse in such a way as to weaken it, but I personally feel that it should be taken literally. While I certainly am not wealthy by American standards, according to the Global Rich List I am one of the richest men on earth, and this worries me. My question for you is: If the people of the United States are so fantastically rich, is America a nation of the damned?
I spent five days thinking about his question before I replied. It's a significant question. I disagreed with a few things about how the question was posed, but there was something incredibly important at its core.
When I did reply, I tried to detail out not just my own "answer" to his question (though I didn't feel it should be answered directly), but also why I thought things were this way. Why does Christ tell this parable, and other things like it? Why does a similar theme appear at several points in the Bible? Why is the world the way it is, why is America the way it is, how would the Kingdom of God look different, and what should we be doing about it? I put a lot of myself into that reply.
My friend had a positive reaction to what I had to say. I asked him if I could reproduce his question on my blog, and he said he'd be flattered. But....I couldn't do it for a long time. I couldn't figure out the right time to post it. And so I procrastinated. Now I'm running out of time to procrastinate, so here it is.
I'm not going to post my reply. If you're interested, I want to send it to you. My reply isn't the most important thing anyway, unless you really trust my "wisdom" on such a subject. I think the most important thing is the passage and the questions it leads to for you. We can't get around the fact that this is something Jesus meant us to take seriously.
When I did reply, I tried to detail out not just my own "answer" to his question (though I didn't feel it should be answered directly), but also why I thought things were this way. Why does Christ tell this parable, and other things like it? Why does a similar theme appear at several points in the Bible? Why is the world the way it is, why is America the way it is, how would the Kingdom of God look different, and what should we be doing about it? I put a lot of myself into that reply.
My friend had a positive reaction to what I had to say. I asked him if I could reproduce his question on my blog, and he said he'd be flattered. But....I couldn't do it for a long time. I couldn't figure out the right time to post it. And so I procrastinated. Now I'm running out of time to procrastinate, so here it is.
I'm not going to post my reply. If you're interested, I want to send it to you. My reply isn't the most important thing anyway, unless you really trust my "wisdom" on such a subject. I think the most important thing is the passage and the questions it leads to for you. We can't get around the fact that this is something Jesus meant us to take seriously.
5 comments:
I'm curious to know what your reply was. Was reading this the other day and wondered about it myself.
i would have emailed it to you, but I'm not sure who this is! Since no one is going to read the comments at this point unless they really want to hear the reply (as opposed to those who just are looking for a reason to be angry), here it is (with edits for readability and the general public):
Yes, if you take Matthew literally then I don't see any wiggle room. Jesus says that being rich and entering the Kingdom of God is impossible. The "softening" interpretations (a mythical low gate that didn't exist in any historical or literary records, or using the "with God all things are possible" phrase to make the whole statement meaningless) are not believable. And I think that should be taken very, very seriously.
First, though, I need to make some clarifications. Wealth is relative to purchasing power, so the Global Rich List by itself can't say who is "rich" and who isn't. That being said, the vast majority of Americans are still rich, by any reasonable standard, and especially by whatever standard would have been used in the Jerusalem of Jesus's day. Almost all Americans are far wealthier than the rest of the world, far wealthier than people in the rest of history, have far more material things, land, travel, health care, experiences, etc. than most people have ever had, and have far more wealth and material things than they could ever need. When Jesus or the prophets accuse someone of storing up more for themselves than they could ever use, it's important to remember that the people they were speaking to probably still lacked the things that average Americans can and do store up for themselves. So yes, we are a rich nation, and the vast majority of us are in the rich category.
The second clarification is that - "enter the Kingdom of God" does not mean the same thing as "enter heaven". I think that entering the Kingdom of God is far broader than that, and involves putting yourself under God's authority in the here and now as well as in eternity. It does seem obvious to me, though, that someone has to enter the Kingdom of God at some point in order to spend eternity with God.
My last clarification is that I don't think that the Bible is meant to be read in a legalistic manner. We shouldn't take "if A then B" formulas from what was said as directly as a modern post-enlightenment mindset would want to do. That doesn't mean I take the words any less seriously. But I can't mathematically pronounce who does and does not "enter the Kingdom of God" based off of several verses and faulty human judgement. That is left to God's judgement in eternity.
So here's what the verse means to me. I think that Jesus's condemnation of the rich in this verse fits in with the general message of God. There are many condemnations of the rich in the Bible - for starters just take a look at the book of James (especially verses 1:9-11, 2:5-7, and 5:1-5) or the book of Luke (especially verses 1:51-53, 6:20-25, 12:16-34, 14:12-14, 16:13-34, and 18:18-30). And those are just two books - you can also look at Ezekiel, Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Mark, Matthew, 1 Timothy, 1 John, and Revelation for other specific words against the rich. But it makes sense even without the support of all those direct condemnations - it fits into a general theme about how people respond to God and how God works with people. When I deal with an issue like this, I really want to understand how it fits in with the nature of God.
So why are the rich being condemned? I see at least five major reasons:
1) The rich may trust in their possessions rather than in God. There is much in the Bible, especially in the Gospels (but also in great passages in Timothy and 1 John), that make it clear that our material possessions and wealth are a rival to God for our heart. It is difficult for someone who has many things or money to trust in God for their security. It can be done, but it is far more difficult than we admit. This is an issue that even those who live a simple life need to take seriously. In my line of work, we are encouraged to have so many fallback plans, insurance policies, savings accounts, retirement accounts, etc. that make it easy for us to rely on all of our planning rather than on God. This is a luxury the poor don't have. Few people in America know what it really feels like to have to rely on God. I, as of yet, am not one of them. And it will be tough for me to get there. But I'm trying.
2) The rich may come to their riches through dishonest or unjust means. This encompasses far more people than want to admit it. If we were honest about where our wealth has come from as a nation, where the cheap products we buy come from, where our profits come from, and why we are rich as opposed to most other people in the rest of the world, then we would see that we would be the legitimate targets of many an Old Testament prophet. We can't know everything in this complex economy, but we have to make a basic effort to be sure that we are not encouraging injustice with our materialism, and I see few people making that effort.
3) The rich may lack humility and feel they are better than the poor. This one is the easiest of the five for the rich to avoid, but I still think the issue encompasses a strong majority of rich people, which shows just how great a problem being rich is. Even otherwise kind-hearted rich people will often make excuses to explain that poor people have some sort of character deficit that makes them poor, thereby implying in reverse that their wealth has resulted from their own superior character.
4) The rich may fail to follow Jesus in being in community with the poor and marginalized. Jesus went to the most marginalized in society and spent his time among them. He told us to invite the poor to our feasts. His apostles and the early church welcomed the poor to an incredible degree. We don't do this. For Americans, this is a HUGE failure. I find it difficult to live in America and still live up to Jesus's words and example for how we should be in community with the marginalized. From my two months with the Servants community in Vancouver I can see how it might be possible, but it is difficult. Most American Christians aren't even trying - in fact, most are trying for the exact opposite - aiming for "better" neighborhoods, more independent living, larger houses with nice yards that distance them more and more from the poor. Most American Christians don't want to live in a home together with poor people, or in the same neighborhood as poor people, or even have their kids go to the same school as poor people. And I understand why - it is difficult to really love the poor, and be in real community with the poor, and not question why you still have wealth. And then you have to admit how much security you find in your wealth, in the safety bought by it in your "nice" neighborhood, rather than in God.
5) The rich have the means to help their poor neighbors, and fail to do so to the extent that love would demand. I think this is the most damning of all of them, because it calls into question the possession of any wealth beyond our needs while there are still others who have unmet needs. Matthew 25 addresses this and is the most mentioned and most controversial, but I find that 1 John 3 is more direct:
"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?."
Do Americans have the world's goods? Yes.
Do they see brothers in need? Yes.
So why do they still have the world's goods? They might give a little to the poor, but after that they'll still have the world's goods, and they'll still see brothers in need, and so will they close their hearts and keep their wealth or will they continue to give until they no longer have excess wealth?
I don't think that John needed to say this for us to know it. I think that all it takes is an understanding of God and of us. Why should I prioritize my luxuries, or my long-term security (ha! As if there is any security in worldly things in the "long term"!), when there are other people I love who have basic unmet needs in this very moment? I have spent the last 10+ years of my life concerned about this, and I still feel that I am falling fall short of the goal. I must throw myself at the mercy of God.
But I must keep trying.
All these things fit together. Thinking that we are better than the poor, or thinking that we need to hold onto our security in possessions or worldly safety, keeps us from community with the poor. Love for possessions keeps us from opening our hands fully to the poor. Lack of community with the poor keeps us from understanding the unjust actions that have enriched us, and keeps us from seeing how much we rely on possessions for security rather than on God. I don't think anyone can fail on one of these five points without failing on other ones as well. But the last point is the most direct single one to look at when you ask - "Can you be rich and still be fully obedient to God?"
So, to summarize, I think that when a rich person (someone with more than they need in terms of possessions or financial wealth) is asked to enter the Kingdom of God, they are being asked to come into their wealth through utterly honest and just means, to know in their hearts that they are no better than those who are poor, to not trust in their possessions at all, and to live fully in community with the poor and marginalized of the world. And as they are doing all that, they must ask the basic question - why do I still have wealth while these poor people who I love, am in community with, and see as no better than myself are suffering without basic necessities for life? If they follow God all the way in that thought, I have a hard time seeing how they can still be rich.
Please pray for me. I think this is a message that all Christians need to understand. I think it is a deep part of following Christ. And I think I have made it only a small part of the way. With the grace of God and many prayers, may I one day pass from this life among the poor, with no more savings, without more possessions than I need or than my neighbors have, and with my life fully given over to my God-loved brethren around me.
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