Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23-25)

Trusting In The Wrong Things

Riches and wealth have been around since the beginning of time. Man is the only creature to give his life for gold in a river. A bear, walking in the same river and seeing the same gold, will only look for a fish. He will not heed the glistening of the gold because he knows there is no value in something that will not sustain life. The bear desires to feed his stomach to survive. Gold will not do that. Wars have been fought over riches. Money has ruined families, destroyed friendships, and led to murder, drugs, and prostitution. Men have spent their lives amassing the largest cache of money possible and leaving it all when they die.

There is nothing inherently wrong with riches. Currency is required to conduct business, whether it is salt, precious jewels, or paper currency. A modern version is trying to use electronics as money. A piece of paper backed by authority is worth its face value. When the United States was divided as a country, the southern states created their own currency that became worthless after the war. Those who trusted in the Confederate dollar were left empty. The worth of money rises and falls. World economies influence world currencies, making some rich and some poor. Trusting in riches is a fickle experience.

Jesus had watched a wealthy man walk away from Him. The man came to Jesus seeking eternal life. He understood there was more to life than the world he knew and wanted to secure a place in eternity. After Jesus told him what he needed to do to be saved, he walked away sorrowfully. He was unwilling to part with his riches. The wealth he was accustomed to was his security blanket. As a Jew, he was an obedient child of God, living under the covenant of the Law of Moses with a clear devotion to duty. He failed because he believed wealth was more important than his relationship with God.

Trust is a pattern of thought that embeds one’s belief in a certain area with an exclusion of other things. Riches and wealth can be used for many good things, which is commendable before God. Many of the great people of scripture were very wealthy, including Job, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Boaz, and Saul of Tarsus at one time. Jesus said it was hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Wealthy people can become Christians, but the riches of this life can hinder obedience. If a man trusts in wealth instead of God, he cannot be a disciple of Jesus.

The rich man was told to sell all his wealth, give his money (all of it) to the poor, and follow Jesus. He could not let go of his wealth to follow Jesus. Sadly, he died and left all his riches and was not rich for eternity. He trusted too much in something worthless. Money has such a strong pull over people’s hearts that many will never obey the gospel because they love money. The greed of another dollar drives people to work jobs that rob them of their spirituality. They believe their happiness comes from houses, cars, boats, recreation, and the newest toys. Jesus teaches that if a man trusts in riches, he cannot be a disciple of God. The two are not compatible or comparable.

It matters what a person trusts in for his hope. There is nothing in this world worth holding on to because all things of this life will disappear. The hope of Christ and the love of God will endure forever and will bring the wealth of eternity. If there is a lesson from the story of the rich ruler, trust in God and leave the riches for the blessings shared with others. Trusting in God brings happiness. Riches will never bring you true happiness.