Preoccupation with their wealth is a notorious fault of the rich. The wealthy are generally held captive by their wealth. Exactly for this reason Jesus warned that “wherever your treasure is, there too will be your heart”. And it was also for this reason that the young rich man[] was required to part with his fortune. Discipleship is a matter of total, undistracted, and unqualified commitment. When Jesus said “you cannot serve God and money”, he also indirectly indicated the difficulty of the rich entering the [realm of God]. On the other hand, it seems clear that Jesus had a few relatively wealthy followers (e.g., Joseph of Arimathea, Lazarus, Zacchaeus, and perhaps Matthew) and was happy to take advantage of their hospitality. If it is not theoretically impossible that the rich can be saved (i.e., without giving up their wealth), it is practically the case that only a relative few are able by the grace of God to live with their riches in a way that does not compromise their full, undivided commitment to Jesus in discipleship. But to live with wealth in this way is tantamount to giving it all away. It remains generally true that wealth “is a stumbling block to those who are avid for it, and every fool will be taken captive by it”. We should recognize that by the standards of first-century Palestine, most upper-middle-class Westerners and those on the Pacific rim would be considered wealthy. For all such persons the questions of wealth, discipleship, and the poor cannot be sidestepped if following Christ and his teaching means anything at all. --D. A. Hagner, Matthew 14–28. Vol. 33B: Word Biblical Commentary
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:22:00 +0000
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