Matthew 19:16-26
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
There is a portion of the Bible I have been unable to find again, but it is an Old Testament prophecy saying in Jesus' day, there will be enough, but not an abundance. It says something like a cow, several goats, and possibly a horse to go with a donkey. Enough to farm, to work, to eat and not worry. And it was accurate for Nazareth.
However, in Jerusalem, the Davidic line was overthrown by the second exodus return from Babylon; for the first time the Herodians, not of the Davidic line, were calling themselves kings.In 63 B.C, the Roman Republic set up Syria and Judea as a Roman client state with Judea being a suburb. Judea survived 103 years before yielding to the Herodian Dynasty in 37 B.C. Herod the Great married a Hasmonean princess, Mariamne (they had previously overthrown Rome), and planning to drown the last male Hasmonean heir at his Jericho palace. It was a time of such great riches, Oxford historians said it wasn't until the 14th century A.D that the wealth would be repeated.
The Temple was run on money, with the donations being declared by brass trumpets, both to announce the gift or tithe and to prevent theft. The more money given, like the Scripture on Corbain, given to the Temple instead of parents, assures us position was determined by gifts. In one part of the Bible, we learn of elaborate prayer given to cheat widows of their houses.
The Temple was run on money, with the donations being declared by brass trumpets, both to announce the gift or tithe and to prevent theft. The more money given, like the Scripture on Corbain, given to the Temple instead of parents, assures us position was determined by gifts. In one part of the Bible, we learn of elaborate prayer given to cheat widows of their houses.
Luke 20:45-47
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
It was a time when wealth signified the very blessing of God. It is done today in the Mormon Church. I had been a patient of a prosperous Mormon doctor for many years, I liked him very well; he had been made a Bishop in the Mormon Church, because they could see the blessing of God in his very prosperous salary.
One of the problems with a prosperity driven Gospel, - he had committed a sin, it was found out, he was supposed to repent in front of the congregation as he had been asked to resign his Bishop position. Instead he took the opportunity to thank the congregation for the many memories he'd had of being a Bishop and treated the supposed rebuke as if he'd won an award. It really did not earn him the respect of his Temple and he lost most of his clients.
This points out, we do not all really want to be Mother Theresa. And yet we have the desire to do what needs to be done to continue in God's favor. Combined with our unwillingness to be something we prefer not to be. When in actuality, this hits all of a little close to home. And we could become glum thinking about how we all fall so very short of God's holiness. And Jesus being Jesus - does for us what he did for Peter (who was from the largest household in Capernaum and also closest to the Synagogue).
Matthew 14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
Unfortunately, the man in the Gospel isn't named and we do not know what was his fate. We do learn how much the disciples believed material wealth gave them God's favor. This time echoes another time. Genesis 6. Noah's time. What did cause God to render judgement to the earth instead of Jesus' needed mercy?
Genesis 6:5-6
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
The English Standard Version of Scripture regards this wickedness as partially explained with violence. We have come from a very violent last century in history. However, the Revised Standard Version finds this wickedness to be the desire for power as in position. Right to Life believers say that aborting life generally comes from a desire to prosper, as in power for position.
We are always in God's blessing to pray for others. And to yearn for them to walk with God's blessings. However, Salvation comes from God. It is His work and He has done so much for us. To Him be the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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