Tag: luk6

Camels, Needles, & Riches!

Today, the parable of the rich man stood out to me. This rich man in our reading is a moral person, and he wants to know from Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He wants to make sure all the bases are covered. While he has no concept of the actual righteousness needed to gain eternal life (the righteousness of Christ), he believes he has followed the law perfectly. Notice what Jesus says to him. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:21–22, ESV)

What a revelation this must have been for the rich man: his trust was in riches, not God—and yet, what a rejection of true riches for a rich man! Notice what Jesus says to His disciples about the rich: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” … “In fact, 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!” (Mark 10:23–25, NLT) As I thought about this, I was reminded of what Jesus said about the poor: And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20, KJV) 

Neither poverty nor riches are the keys to inheriting eternal life; eternal life comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone, rich or poor. Yet riches present a stumbling block to true wealth. As believers, let us not covet riches, for they can and do pierce people through with many sorrows. Rather, notice what Paul said to Timothy: Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17–19, NKJV)

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Luke 17:11-18:14.

The Upside-Down Kingdom!

The kingdom of our God is upside-down and backward, and everything about it is the opposite of what we see and want to do. For example, in today’s reading, we see Jesus teach His disciples that blessed are the poor, hungry, weeping, hated, and reviled. If we experience those things, do we consider ourselves blessed (Luke 6:20-23)? No! When we see the rich, those who are full, the well-off and carefree, and those held in high regard by all, do we think woe is them? No! Yet Jesus said woe unto them (Luke 6:24–26). We naturally think woe to those whom Jesus blessed, and blessed are those on whom Jesus pronounced woes.

That’s not all! Jesus went further with his teachings and applied them in a personal way. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35–36, ESV) Jesus says that even sinners love those who love them, do good to those who do good to them, and lend to those who can and do pay them back (Luke 6:32–34). Once again, the kingdom of God is the opposite of our natural assumption. It’s upside-down and backward. 

Are we not thankful that the kingdom of God is such? As sinners, did not we need this kind of treatment from Jesus? Was not God merciful to bring us into His family, though we were His enemies, laden down with our inquiry and sin (Romans 5:8–11)? Let us rejoice that God’s kingdom is backward and upside-down, for instead of us being left to die in our sins, Jesus died for our sins so that we might live forever with Him. Yes, Jesus practiced what he taught—He loved His enemies!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 3; Luke 6.