“And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”” Mark 10:23-27 NASB2020 https://bible.com/bible/2692/mrk.10.23-26.NASB2020
Why is it so hard for the rich man to get to heaven? Indeed, God says it is hard for every man to enter heaven. Yet it is especially hard for the rich man to enter heaven, why? Perhaps first because they love something more than God. Like the rich man in this story, he loved the security of his wealth more than he loved God as proven by his unwillingness to abandon his wealth to walk daily with God. The poor man loves wealth too, he seeks it, begs for it, steals for it, covets it but doesn’t have it because he doesn’t do the one thing necessary for wealth, work for it. The rich man has worked for it, maybe cheated for it, but has put in the time and now he wants to keep it, grow it, preserve it, and use it for his pleasures. The first command is to love God most and first, nothing nor anyone can come before Him in our love. Second, without faith it is impossible to please God. The rich man needs no god for he meets his own need and trusts his own resources. Until his wealth and health are in jeopardy, beyond his resources, he seeks nothing but his own ability to meet his own needs. The poor man cries out to God for he has no alternative but to pray for food, shelter, and help. The poor man experiences more of God because he must, the rich man experiences little of God because he ignores Him. The person who enters the kingdom of God is the one who loves God most and trusts God completely demonstrating that love and trust through obedience to all of God’s commands. The heaven bound, and they are few for the way is hard, are those who seek God first and most in order to please God first and most before men who need God first and most. God desires all men to be saved and nothing is impossible for Him. The question is Who are we loving and serving most and first, God or ourselves?
