The followers were amazed at what Jesus said. But he said again, “My children, it is very hard to enter God’s kingdom! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom!”

Jesus talked about two subjects more than any other—the kingdom of God and money. In our verse for today, He combines them by saying that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. His followers were aghast! How could Jesus say such a thing? After all, they believed that the rich were rich because God favored them. If those who were highly favored by God had such difficulty entering the kingdom, what does that mean for the rest of us poor folks?!

The book of Proverbs contains great wisdom about wealth. There may be no finer example than Proverbs 30:8-9: “Don’t let me tell lies. And don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day. If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.” Rather than desiring riches, we should only desire our daily bread. Why? Because if I am too wealthy, I may deny my need for God.

The point is that the rich are often—but not always—self-sufficient. When you have everything you could want, where is there room for what you most need—a relationship with the Lord Jesus? The other issue is that of self-sacrifice for the sake of God’s kingdom. The context of today’s verse is a rich man who wanted to follow Jesus, but when Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, he went away very sad. In other words, the cost was too great. He could afford everything he wanted, but couldn’t pay the cost of following Jesus.

The adage, “Be careful what you wish for,” is very appropriate for us as we consider Jesus’ words. Do you dream of winning the lottery or inheriting millions of dollars? Be careful what you wish for. Your champagne dreams and caviar wishes just might make it easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for you to enter the kingdom of God.

By Shawn Cornett, Bible League International staff, Indiana, U.S.