13th in Luke      November 26, 2006      

"You are yet lacking in one thing. Go sell all your belongings and distribute the proceeds to the poor, --­then come and follow me, and you shall have great Treasures in Heaven." Luke 18:22

Much to his astonishment, the rich young man heard these words, when he approached Jesus to learn how to secure his place in life Eternal. We must believe, that he approached Jesus sincerely. Perhaps to receive a seal of approval for keeping the Command-ments, as he said. Although his riches did give him a great measure of his economic security, without a doubt he must have been sensing a great void in his conscience.

The Lord answered him by saying: "You know the Command­ments: "Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother." The young man replied: "I have kept all these sacred from my youth." Whereupon Jesus says to him: "You are yet lacking in one thing. Go and sell all your belongings and distribute the proceeds to the poor, ---- then, come and follow me, and you shall have great Treasures in Heaven.

It didn't take long for the young man to make his decision. It was impossible for him to envision himself apart from his earthly possessions, which provided him great leisure and a most comfortable life. Without speaking a word, and with head bowed, he quickly about faced and walked away quietly and dejectedly. It was no surprise then, that the Lord Jesus turned to those, who had witnessed the. dialogue, saying to them:

"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!"Luke 18:25

The rich young man was visibly shaken, because he truly believed, that he had lived by the Commandments. He was further shaken because, as was mentioned, he could not see himself apart from the luxurious life, to which he had been accustomed all his life. On the surface, it may appear that the Lord condemned wealth and the wealthy, but nothing could be further from the truth. We know from the Scriptures, that the Lord was very friendly with Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and many others, who belonged to the aristocracy of His day. As a matter of fact, it was Joseph of Arimathea, who helped take the Lord's Body down from the Cross and bury the Lord in his Tomb, which was being used for the first time.

The Lord never condemned the wealthy, but He did condemn the manner, with which, they selfishly used their wealth, disregarding the needs of others, by not being stewards of God. The Lord knew, that the more one acquires, the more he or she is inclined to become rather selfish, and self-centered, and slowly spiritual cataracts are formed, followed sometimes by spiritual blindness, when it is impossible to see the needs of fellow humans.

I don't think we have to look far to ascertain, that when it comes to contributing, it is the average person, who gives from the heart, even sometimes to the point of depriving self of something, that would have satisfied some need. impossible to see the needs of fellow humans.

This young man is depictive of so many, who even though they are baptized Christians, are surely not enlightened Christians. How many superficial Christians at some point of need, do make the decision to lift their heart upwardly in the hope of salvation, especially in difficult times, --- yet, the power of the material things and the passions of this world, are heavy chains for them. These chains bind them so, that they quickly give up, in what could have been their spiritual quest, --- and which could have been their guarantee for true happiness in this life, and no less in Eternity.

Goethe, the famous German philosopher, speaking of lofty ideals stated: "All of us want to get to the top of the summit, but it seems, that no one is desirous of going through the arduous task of

ascending the steps, which will bring us to the summit. So it ^is, "Goethe continues, "that we longingly gazed toward the summit, we persist in walking only through the shadows of the valley."

Yet; you are lacking in one thing." What a soul stirring indictment! The Lord cited the young man, because He was aware, that he was a literal prisoner of his wealth, and that only through liberating himself by distributing to the poor, could his spirit ever become truly free. His wealth stood in the way of something fantastically larger than himself.

The conscientious Christian gladly contributes, so that he can help someone in need, or to aid some common cause; whereas, the ones, who have more than they can ever use and enjoy, except for a few exceptions, contribute the least, just so that their name may not be excluded from the list of donors. This is called token giving, and has no redeeming quality or any value whatsoever.

Repeatedly from His teachings, we see that the Lord condemned only the mania of striving mainly for the material things. He knew full well, that so many would not hesitate to give up their soul, in exchange for the material. However, let us not assume, even for a moment, that the Gates of Paradise are closed to the wealthy; the Gates are closed only for those, who have capitulated to their wealth, and have completely been enslaved to it, instead of them being in control.

There is something to be said about that great investor Warren Buffet, who turned over 30 billion dollars to the Gates Foundation, stating that this Foundation would do a better job of distributing, than he would!

The rich young man, even though he knew the Command­ments must have been torn by the void in his conscience, which must have been rebuking him. His dilemma was, to choose between his wealth, or the guaranteed Kingdom of Heaven and he chose his wealth.

How very true these words. How can one ever climb to the top of the mountain, when one is so weighted down with the burdensome weights of greed, avarice, covetousness, lust, egotism and so many other evils, which plague humankind.

The greedy or miserly person refuses to relinquish even the least of what he or she possesses. The lustful or hedonistic individual will not free himself or herself from the pleasures of the flesh, to which they are enslaved. The vainglorious or egotistical person cannot envision the radiance and the freedom, which only humility can bring. The materialist is devoid of the lofty ideals and principles, which give true meaning, real value, and accent in life!

Thus, with all these and similar burdens and weights, how is it possible for these people to journey upwardly, to reach the summit to meet their God and Creator?

But, the rich young man made the choice of not opening his spiritual eyes, to see what was of lasting benefit, and what was more important for his soul. The Lord was not primarily concerned, whether a person possessed or lacked wealth, but rather with the consecration to the great truths of the spirit. The Lord never condemned riches, but the manner, with which these were used, and the effect and the grip, that wealth had on those, who possessed it.

The Lord knew well the psychology of the wealthy, and that is why He emphasized, that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

These words may not apply to our category, but nonetheless the Lord makes us ever mindful, to be strong in our spiritual domain. That is, to have and enjoy the material things we possess, but these must be subservient to the spiritual. In short, the Lord wanted us to be true masters over our life.

This can be done only, when the proper emphasis and balance is shifted over to our spiritual counterpart, so that our soul is the dominant force in our life. This dominance was truly lacking in the young man's life. --- yet, it is lacking in the life of countless Christians, simply because, we have not become enlightened Christians It is imperative that a Christian become the master over his or her own self, and to constantly be on guard, lest our spiritual counterpart becomes subordinate to our physical counterpart. Christ wants us truly to become free, through the knowledge of His Truth. He affirmed this emphatically when He declared: "know the truth, and the truth shall make you free!"

+Fr. George Papadeas