Luke 18:27 & 30 –
<27> He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” <30>” will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”
Go back and read verse 14 also since that was my focus until I thought about this parable. It’s about being humble and the results.
This is the parable of the rich man who was asked to give everything to the poor. It is used many times as an excuse for being poor or wealth envy. Why would Jesus compare a rich man getting into the “Kingdom” to a camel going through an eye of the needle? Is it because God does not want wealth for us? Is it because money is evil? No, it usually gets mentioned that money is the root of all evil when discussing this parable.
Now right after saying that it’s almost impossible for a rich man to enter heaven verse 27 hits. So immediately Jesus is saying it’s difficult but not impossible for a rich man to enter heaven because of God’s grace. This often gets brushed over when talking about this parable, since the focus always tends to be about the evil rich. In this case he was not evil, money just had a hold on him! The key is all things are possible with God!
Now the other aspect of this verse is many claim that Jesus never said he would not regain is financial status. But verse 30 is crystal clear that if we give it all away for the “Kingdom,” it will be repaid many times over. And this is where the “rub” is for man … say you are rich and give it all away knowing God will restore it and then some. Then the question is did you do it believing you would be “safe” or because you had really released the grip of wealth? Unfortunately we cannot hide our hearts like the husband and wife who tried to “skim some from the top” before giving it “all” away … they died instantly once they refused to admit.
The key is your heart in both cases and boy this could get real twisted and tangled. Mix it in with not being a good steward because giving to the poor more often just “enables” them and you really have a mess. So manage your resources well, but don’t let them be your master. Live like it doesn’t matter if you were rich or poor, but manage like you’re rich no matter what.