Fitting Into Heaven

11.24.12

Matthew 19.23-27 23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” (NASB)

To us in America, our thought is: more is better. We hardly think along the lines of: that’s enough. What we can’t achieve through hard work and sweat, we’ll achieve through debt. To us the end is never near and the cup always has room for more.

When Jesus told them it was hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the disciples were shocked and dismayed: Then who can be saved!? (If the rich have a hard time then we poor, have no chance at all. The rich have every advantage and we have few to none!) Money helps some but it is by no means the only advantage out there. And God doesn’t use our money.

Jesus’ reply was simply: “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” In other words, citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven is according to God’s terms, not men’s. People don’t think the way God does. People use a different valuation than God does. To most people more is better and the more the better.

Peter said, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” Peter wasn’t convinced. To him the rich had every advantage and the poor none. Peter had given up his business, his status as a business man, his family life, and on and on the list went. Peter hadn’t yet reached that place where he understood God to be his Source and Supply – Peter was still valuating according to the world: more is better and the more the better.

Jesus tells Peter and the rest that their giving all on earth would be repaid in Heaven and they’d be rulers of the twelve tribes of Israel. I’m not sure they understood. I think they were still hung up on the less is more that Jesus was trying to get them to understand.

For me there is a correlation between the things of earth and the things of heaven: the correlation is this: money cannot buy one entrance into heaven – so Paul, quit trying. Possessions cannot buy one entrance into heaven – so Paul, quit trying. Leisure cannot buy one entrance into heaven – so Paul, quit trying. The things of earth all belong to God so treat them accordingly.

Make as much as you can, give as much as you can; worship God as much as you can, serve the Lord as much as you can; and trust as much as you can. The Kingdom of heaven is immune to the things of earth but how I treat the things of earth will prove my worthiness to handle the things of heaven. Less is more now, equates to the endless treasures of God then…it’s all in how I handle what I have now… It is hard for the one who hoards earth to fit into Heaven.