Can the rich get to heaven?
In the story of the rich young ruler, we find the following verses:
Jesus, seeing that he (the rich young ruler) had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25)
Before jumping to the conclusion that it was wealth that made it hard to get to heaven, let’s look at the entire story.
The rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked:
What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 18:19)
Jesus told him to keep the commandments and not commit adultery, murder, or stealing. These are all commandments to which most of us could quickly respond the same way as the young man did.
All of these I have kept since I was a boy. (Luke 18:21)
But then Jesus told him:
You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me. (Luke 18:22)
But the rich young ruler was not willing to do this.
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. (Luke 18:23)
His wealth was more important to him than the eternal life. He thought being good and keeping the commandments was enough. He walked away and said “no” to Jesus’ invitation.
In this situation, Jesus did not mention the earlier commandments:
I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 20:2-5)
The rich young ruler’s wealth wasn’t preventing him from heaven; it was that he worshiped his wealth more than God.
Let’s return to the question: Can the rich get to heaven? The answer is yes. It’s not wrong for Christians to be wealthy. The Bible is full of examples of wealthy people Jesus embraced.
Shortly after the encounter with the rich young ruler, we find Jesus passing through Jericho. There, he encounters another wealthy man, and the results are very different.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. (Luke 19: 1-2)
Zacchaeus climbed a tree because he was too short to see Jesus in the crowd. Jesus noticed him and said:
Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19: 5b–6)
This wealthy man was seeking Jesus, and Jesus invited Himself into his house. That made Zacchaeus very happy.
And without Jesus asking, Zacchaeus proclaimed:
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 19:8b)
This is an example of a man who did not worship his possessions. He was giving freely without asking.
Jesus responded to Zacchaeus:
Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19: 9-10)
Jesus clearly indicated Zacchaeus had been lost but was now saved. His salvation wasn’t a result of giving up half his possessions but came from him worshipping God with his possessions. Eternal life and Jesus’ approval were more important to Zacchaeus than his worldly wealth, so he accepted Jesus’ invitation.
It is not the status of our bank account that matters; it is the condition of our heart—loving God and loving people.
Is your treasure on earth or in heaven?
Gretl Siler, CPA, MBA, CTC, MAcc has retired from the CPA world and is focused on her next adventure—teaching life wisdom from God’s Word on YouTube. Look for her on Lift Your Life with Awe.
