“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” Luke 18:27

“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’’ is a sentence from Luke 18 that is a source of confusion for many of us and makes us fear wealth. The worst outcome of such a mindset is how we look at wealthy people. We look at all wealthy people as wicked with no chance to enter the kingdom of God just because of that statement Jesus made to a rich man who refused to share his wealth with the poor. However, it is very unfair to regard all rich people that way just because of that passage and the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 will prove it.

Zacchaeus is a tax collector who is rich like the young rich man in Luke 18, and it happens that they are both in similar situations. Apart from their wealth, they are both eager to meet Jesus. The Bible said that the rich young man ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before him (Mark 10:17). Zacchaeus on his side ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:4). But there is one thing that made the difference. One is ready to share his wealth with the poor and the second is not ready to do so. While the young rich man went away sad when Jesus asked him to share his wealth with the poor, Zacchaeus was very proactive in sharing his wealth with the poor even when Jesus did not ask him anything. Here is his statement: _“Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8). And to Jesus to reply: “Today salvation has come to this house. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” 

The story of the two wealthy men is evidence that wealth is not always the problem but the priority we give to wealth in our hearts. Yes, I believe that it is not easy for rich men to accept the kingdom of God. But I also believe there is hope for everyone based on the statement of Jesus in Luke 18:27 “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”. The proof, money stopped being the priority of Zacchaeus when he met Jesus.