Journey's Weekly Homilies

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 12, 2003
Homily by Marcia

Wisdom 7:7-11
Hebrews 4:12-13
Mark 10:17-27

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the dominion of God."  Does this mean God only likes poor people?  What if a poor person were to become rich, so that they didn't have to worry about whether they had enough money to buy food for their children?  Would God stop liking them?  I'm not ready to sell everything I have and give it to the poor.  Does that mean I'm not going to be part of the dominion of God?

At this point I start looking through a copy of Dante's Inferno to figure out which circle of Hell I will end up in.  Dante's description of Hell has nine circles.  Each circle contains people being punished for a particular sin.  My thought is:  choose the punishment you dislike least and commit the sin that goes with that punishment.

Seriously, though, why would Jesus have such harsh words to say about rich people?  Sometimes the gospels show Jesus associating with rich people.  He healed Jairus' daughter.  It's true, he stopped on the way, to heal a woman who didn't have any money.  It's true that because he stopped he was late reaching Jairus' daughter, so that by the time he reached her everyone thought she was already dead.  But Jesus did heal Jairus' daughter.  He didn't refuse to heal her because she was rich.

So what was Jesus thinking of when he said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the dominion of God?"  What were rich people like in Jesus' time?  Rich people in Jesus' time often got their money by questionable means.  Many rich people were collaborators with the Romans.  The Romans charged the peasants high taxes.  When the peasants couldn't pay, their land would be confiscated and given to Romans or Jewish collaborators.  The Romans employed local Jewish people to collect the taxes for them.

In Jesus' time everyone knew that rich people often got their money by dishonest means.  But people had been taught that it was offering sacrifices at the temple that brought a person God's favor.  Rich people in Jesus' time had money to offer sacrifices at the temple.  They had a way to reach God that poor people couldn't equal.  Rich people had access to God.  God was on the side of rich people.  Rich people were rich because God blessed them with wealth.

That is why the disciples are amazed when they hear that rich people will have a hard time getting into heaven.  The disciples are thinking, "If rich people, the people God likes best, are going to have a hard time getting into heaven, isn't it going to be even harder for us poor people?  God doesn't like us as well as he does them."  Jesus is trying to teach the disciples that rich people are not necessarily God's favorites, and the disciples don't quite understand.  Jesus is reminding the disciples of something they should know from the Old Testament scriptures.  Many Old Testament prophets have said that keeping God's commandments is more important than offering sacrifices at the temple.

Jesus agrees with the Old Testament prophets that keeping the commandments is important.  The first thing Jesus asks the man who wants to inherit eternal life is, "Do you keep the commandments?"  The man assures Jesus that he keeps the commandments, that he doesn't kill, or steal, or bear false witness, or defraud anyone.  So apparently this rich man did not get his wealth by dishonest means.  Jesus then invites the rich man to follow him, to become one of his disciples.  The rich man cannot make such a complete
commitment.  He has other ties, other loyalties.  The rich man's money keeps him from following Jesus.  Even though this rich man is honest, even though he hasn't cheated anyone, he still can't be part of the dominion of God.  When Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the dominion of God," he is not condemning rich people or saying he dislikes them.  Jesus loves the rich man in today's scripture story.  When Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the dominion of God," he is making an observation.  Rich people really do have a hard time finding the dominion of God.  First they have to follow the commandments, which isn't easy for anyone.  But besides following the commandments, rich people have an additional barrier to overcome.  Rich people have a good life, a comfortable life.  It's difficult to give that up to follow Jesus.

Jesus asks each of us to give up whatever keeps us from following him, from entering the dominion of God.  Jesus asks us to let go of whatever part of our life is weighing us down, is keeping us from experiencing life fully, is keeping us from connecting with other people.

This scripture story challenges us to turn to God, to ask God for the wisdom we need to see our life as God sees it.  If we turn to God, God will give us discernment, guidance, the next step on our journey.