Matthew 19
In today’s gospel, Jesus does not explain why the rich are difficult to enter the kingdom of God, nor do the disciples ask.
When we have lots of wealth, that means we have lots of potentials. The bigger wealth you have, the more things you can do. In other words, wealth is translated into power. As we see in our world now, wealthy people not only possess more and enjoy a more comfortable life but also influence the politics, the media, the justice system, and even religions. In this way, the power of wealth is often transformed into control.
Thus, when Jesus told the rich young man to sell all he had and give the money to the poor, and then follow him, Jesus was asking him to give up the power of money and the desire for control, beyond simply helping the poor. When we are powerful, we are likely to follow our visions even for good causes. That’s what Jesus tells us to give up. He teaches us to give up our human visions and human powers and to entrust ourselves in the hand of the Lord.
Therefore, the wealthier you are, the more things you have to give up, thus, the more difficult you become to follow Jesus. This is why the rich are difficult to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples thought the wealthy had lots of options to do good things, and thus, that they would be favoured for life eternal. But, the reality is the opposite, according to Jesus. Wealth itself might be easy to give up. But the desire to control is very difficult to abandon because it means to die to oneself and one’s will.
The remaining question is why we have to give up our desire for human control. Jesus simply tells us: “For mortals, it is impossible” to be saved by their power, control, or visions. Whether we are rich or poor, we can't save ourselves. Without divine grace, we are destined to fail. This is Christian faith – to submit one’s pride and will to the Lord’s saving power.
