This chapter contains two main themes – Jesus teaching on marriage / divorce, and Him teaching on eternal inheritance.
“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… go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.’ (v17,21,29 abr)
What does it take to enter the kingdom of heaven and inherit eternal life? Dying to this world, sacrificing what is not God-honoring, and living a life in alignment with Jesus’ teachings. Yes, this is much easier said than done.
Jesus radically calls us to primarily pursue that which is eternal. To build up treasures here on earth that thieves break in to steal and moths / rust destroy (see Mt 6:19-20) is vanity, Solomon, and many others over the years have discovered amassing worldly wealth does not buy eternal satisfaction – the happiness it buys is fleeting at best.
No matter what our social, economic, or political position is, I suggest we obey Jesus’ teaching and focus on storing up eternal treasure. That doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a monk / nun and surrendering all worldly possessions (unless God asks you to), but it does mean not pursuing worldly accumulation as a primary focus – obeying the two greatest commandments must be our primary pursuit.
Father God, our Magnificent and Holy Lord, great, mighty and merciful is Your name. Father we thank You for the teachings and examples provided through Jesus. May we take them to heart, loving You and our neighbors as our primary focus. Please help us to honor and glorify You with our investments, and be a light in the darkness of the world. In the name of Jesus our savior and king we praise You, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training