Possessed by Possessions

Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” ¹⁷And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸He 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; ¹⁹Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” ²¹Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:16-22

The story of the rich young man exemplifies the difficulty of following Jesus and the gravitational pull of wealth and possessions. This story is situated toward the end of Matthew's gospel, after he had developed a large following and well earned reputation as a healer, teacher, and prophet. The young man comes to Jesus seeking guidance for a righteous life. His dialogue with Jesus reveals that he has strived to keep all the commandments. He asks: "what do I lack?" Jesus then tells him if he wishes to be "perfect" to go sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. This was too high a burden for the man and he "went away grieving." He went from Jesus upset because he knew he was not righteous and he would have to give up everything to become righteous.


Jesus' question to the young man bears further examination. Jesus asks: "If you wish to be perfect..." The word "perfect" here does not suggest a life without moral blemish, rather a complete and whole life; a healthy life, filled with God's presence. He cannot be whole with God with an abundance of possessions and wealth. The issue for the young man is the power and control his possessions have over him. His possessions possess him, and unless he can exorcise himself from their possession, he cannot be right with God. Anything apart from God can have the power to possess us. This is the nature of idolatry. For the young man, it was his possessions and wealth and the lifestyle they afforded which led him away from God. Others who have an abundance may not face the same call from God, but many people do. Money and things get elevated to a special status and have the spiritual capacity to capture our attention and spirit.


After the young man left, Jesus and his disciples engaged in further dialogue about the power of wealth and possessions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:23-26

Jesus plainly states the difficulty for wealthy people to be righteous before God. Wealth here is most likely defined as having slightly more than the basics to live, rather than a life of luxury. To this assessment, the disciples ask: "then who can be saved?" This is the question the rich young man did not understand. Jesus tells the disciples, and us, that for humans it is impossible but with God all things are possible. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot fulfill the law on our own or be righteous. The rich young man asks Jesus: "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" His focus is completely on himself rather than God. It is only God who can make us righteous. On our own we will hoard our possessions and wealth and relegate God to an afterthought. But, by the grace of God and the power of Spirit, we have been made righteous and can live with and for God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to put you first in my life and not be possessed by wealth or possessions. Let me always remember the bounty you provide each day, in Jesus' name, AMEN.