Opinion: Will The Rich Make Heaven?
By Nweke Ugochukwu
Christianity may not be really easy as many will think
Let us look at the story of Jesus and the rich young man in the Bible
Matthew 19:23-26
Parallel versions appear in Mark 10:24-27, and Luke 18:24-27
“I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The saying was a response to a young rich man who had asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he should keep the commandments, to which the man stated he had done. Jesus responded, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The young man became sad and was unwilling to do this. Jesus then spoke this response, leaving his disciples astonished.
A characteristic of human nature is the uncontrollable desire to accumulate property and wealth. What seems to have begun as a simple but necessary self-preservation instinct, storing supplies for the days of scarcity, is uncontrollably unleashed in a compulsion for the accumulation of wealth, which goes beyond what we really need to live a comfortable and secure life.
The prevailing economic style of our consumer society takes full advantage of this weakness of character and we get bombarded with advertising and promotion of lifestyles that only a few can achieve and maintain.
Competitiveness, which has also been instilled from our earliest infancy is combined with this merciless advertisement attack to make us bend our knees before the despicable idol of money.
The book of Proverbs 28:20 says: A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
Jesus warned in Luke 12:15: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
The apostle Paul also said in 1 Timothy 6:9-10: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
I will like everyone reading this, especially the christians to ponder on these questions:
Does It mean that the rich may not enter the kingdom of God?
Can being rich prevent one from entering God’s kingdom?
Can the rich today, give out all his personal belongings to the poor as Jesus advised?
