When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:22-27
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly… But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “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 19:5-6, 8
The headline blares: “THE COMBINED WEALTH OF THE WORLD’S TOP TEN BILLIONAIRES IS GREATER THAN THE TOTAL GDP OF THE 85 POOREST COUNTRIES ON EARTH.” Most of the billionaires’ names are household words…Musk, Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg, Buffet, Page. Some onlookers long for such wealth, some want to redistribute it, and some are content with what they have.
The Gospel of Luke’s account of Jesus’ encounters with two extremely rich men is timeless. Even though Zacchaeus is named and the other man is designated only as a ruler, early readers of Luke’s gospel likely knew exactly who these men were. Riches and fame go together, impress many, and touch numerous lives.
As I contemplated these encounters with Jesus and the rich men, I noticed contrasts: how each man approached Jesus, how Jesus responded to their initiative, and their responses to Jesus.
The ruler asked a question about how to have eternal life; confident that his life of following the commandments would likely qualify for that reward. Zacchaeus humbly climbed a tree, excited to catch just a glimpse of Jesus.
Jesus challenged the ruler “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”…the ruler had overlooked the most critical element in his self-assessment. Jesus picked Zacchaeus out of the crowd and said “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” and he complied.
The final responses of the two men to Jesus are most revealing.
The ruler became “very sad” as his heart was closed to such a radical change. This was not surprising to Jesus. He said to the ruler “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.”
Jesus then turned to his disciples “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Just a few miles later Zacchaeus astounded everyone (and still does) with his heart’s unsolicited response: “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.”
When have you seen Jesus prompt the impossible? Rejoice and thank him for what he’s done.
By Kathleen Petersen
