The Rich Man May Be Us

The Rich Man May Be Us

Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” — Matthew 19:24

Most of us read that verse and immediately think of somebody else.

We think of the billionaires, the politicians, the celebrities, the tech giants, and the people whose names show up on magazine covers.

But the truth is, compared to much of the world — and certainly compared to most of human history — the rich man is often us.

If you have a car, you have more horsepower at your command than kings ever dreamed of.

If you have air conditioning, you live with a comfort ancient royalty could not buy.

If you have cable, streaming, or a phone in your hand, you have more entertainers available to you than any king with a thousand court jesters.

If you have a refrigerator, clean water, medicine, electricity, and a roof over your head, you are already living with blessings much of the world still longs for.

The danger is not merely having wealth.

The danger is when wealth has us.

Jesus was not condemning possessions as much as He was exposing the condition of the heart. Riches have a way of making a man feel self-sufficient. Comfort can make us forget our dependence on God. Abundance can make us blind to our need for grace.

So before we point at the billionaires and say, “That verse is about them,” we ought to pause long enough to ask:

“Lord, is it about me?”

Because the rich man in the story may not be far away in Washington, Wall Street, or Silicon Valley.

He may be sitting in an air-conditioned room, holding a smartphone, drinking cold water, and reading this very post.

Lord, keep our blessings from becoming our blindness.