Impracticable (hard) does not mean impossible

[jugghead]

     The past few days, the statement by Christ about a camel and a rich man have been on my mind (Matthew 19:24); but not just what He said, but what the disciples said.
     I had never noticed it before, but there are only two possibilities of what the disciples were thinking when Christ made His statement: either, the disciples thought that everyone was rich; Or, that only the rich would be saved, why else would they ask, "Who then can be saved?"; Blind for so many years and never seeing this. Christ is not saying that rich men cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, He is just saying it is hard (impracticable)(G1423).
     Why is it so hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom, it is because his mind is focused on the physical aspect of riches; this is why the man walked away sorrowful, he was focused on his physical possessions. But despite physical riches, a man can enter into the kingdom. Is not Abraham (Faith) a perfect example?
     The word "sell" (G4453) in the original meaning means "to barter", this aspect of bartering is an exchange of something you have for something you want or need, and that in itself is about repentance, to think differently ..... an exchange of one thought or idea for another; but not just for another thought or idea, but a better one. Have not all of us who have come into the UR understanding, exchanged what we may have first believed to be true (ET) for what we now "KNOW" to be true?

[sheila]

 Hi, I figure the disciples said.."then who can be saved" was because of the law of sacrifices for sin..gifts to the poor,looking after widows and orphans...

  it was an easy thng for a rich man to offer up sacrifices..but the poor man or beggar had not bread for the day,let alone coin/temple tax/or doves

  to offer/sacrifices for offenses.   Jesus said..they give out of their abundance..and the widow gave the only means of living she had.

  trading their old wineskins in for new/new covenant instead of old righteousness by works of law.Those men that thought they were rich under the law

  would have to release their delusion of self righteousness to accept Christ the righteousness of God. the Laodecian church holds this same delusion.


   God's true treasures are His children..even the lives/spirits of men...He said He would make a man more precious than the gold of Ophir. He had

  the Israelites to 'borrow" from the Egyptians[and not pay back/because they were sold for nothing] gold and jewels and place them on their

  childrens heads when they left Egypt.   anybody that possess'es what GOD DEEMS as the real riches..is the rich men. Rich men have

slaves/servants....and Pharoah didn't want to let go of what he considered 'his' possessions.That same spirit was operative on the 'rich man'....and he

did not want to let go of his possessons/rich's..for the true riches[gifts to the poor men in need[sustain life] of who God really see's as the true

treasures.   The religious leaders of Christ's day also didn't want to release  to the rightful owner those whothey held/possessed authority over.

Yes,God values man and his life and spirit as the most precious  riches.


  ye can not serve God and mammon..for ye will hate the one and cleave to the other...You can serve/love God and your brother as yourself.


  no rich human can take anything with him when he leaves this world....he becomes a begger of mercy/grace unto God...all his works/riches

are  of no value. But,because of what God did through Jesus Christ/redemption..and because that man's Father see's his life as precious and loves

him..not even that will separate him from the love of God.


   the true rich man has in possession what God considers as the true treasure/what He values most.. " let my people go" he will not

  enter into the true promised land[heaven]...but have plagues and devastation and the loss of his firstborn.  Pharoah portrayed that spirit/prince of this

  world..and the adversarial spirit remains in operation to this day. :2c:


   

[sheila]

 I will harden his heart.........  Job 41;24   his heart is as hard/firm as stone.....yes as hard as the piece of a nether millstone.

[eaglesway]

There is a real interesting article on those verses here :


http://www.biblicalhebrew.com/nt/camelneedle.htm


The amazement in the response, "Who then can be saved?" may possibly show that then, even as now, most people thought that people who had money were somehow more worthy than the poor- as sheila posted, according to our gospel, it is the other way around  most of the time.

In a world were there is such desperate need, to gather such huge sums of money requires ignoring a lot of opportunities to heal and to serve, and an extremely narcissistic view about life and why we exist as a family of humans related to one another in kind and basic needs- yet so often not related at all in the heart.

[marie glen]

I agree! great post Sheila! And Jugghead!

I can appreciate how small the eye of a needle is! By when I try these days to thread one, even with my tiny thread! :laughing7:

Whether it's a camel or a rope (made of camel hair) pretty difficult. For any to be saved, let alone if their true 'god' / wealth is mammon!

I agree Sheila, all we will take with us out of this life is our relationships.. Love we have for others

     what we have learned.. and most of all, our relationship with our Lord and with our Father Almighty..

It's not even wealth and riches, and money.. all that can be used to bless others (and give freedom to study! and more time to spend seeking/pursuing Him.. But it is, as we know, the love of money.. that is "the root of all evil".

Who was it who prayed "not poverty lest I steal, nor riches lest I forget You.."? (Can't remember!)

They said, "Who then?! Can be saved!?" ...Very interesting insight!

[Dandelion]

I tend to think of it this way: Rich folk sometimes are more focused on things of this world. Some are and some are not, but it is harder for them not to focus on material things, if only to not loose the wealth that they already have.

But, if we are to walk with God, we must walk in the Spirit. The Spirit is concerned with the things of God, not the things this world has to offer.

To enter Heaven, we need to see through God's eyes.

Hence, this conversation between Nichodemus and Jesus.

John 3:

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him."

3Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."a

4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Can he enter his mother's womb a second time to be born?"

5Jesus answered "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

10"You are Israel's teacher," Jesus replied, "and do you not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.b 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.



D.

[sheila]

 :thumbsup: 

[jugghead]

All of this is how I understand the relationship inside each one of us between our own mind and heart, if the mind possesses the knowledge of forgiveness or compassion but does not (or cannot) give it to it's own poor heart then it just remains knowledge in the mind and does not come to life in the heart to be shown towards others, which is just another way of saying "faith without works is dead".

What I see as the problem with most is; most only show this light (forgiveness/compassion) to those, who they think. are worthy .... or have earned it .... the rest of the time it stays chained up in someone's heart, a prisoner wanting to be let go.

Until the veil is torn from top to bottom ..... a fracture in the land ..... carved out in the spirit between the mind and the heart, the water from the throne cannot flow to that barren wasteland of a heart ..... when it does, the heart becomes the sea of glass before the throne and that prisoner can now rest in His rightful place upon the throne of the mind.

[sheila]

 :thumbsup:  Jugghead.  but Jesus says we must be perfect like the Father...for God causes his sunshine and reign to fall on both the wicked and good......

     even the wicked love those who love them. so how would we differ?...........God"s goodness....He gives the son even when we were still enemies.......

         fo this reason I preach to the "sinners" out there..God has freely given you eternal life...He loves you and  is saving ALL.

[jugghead]

:thumbsup:  Jugghead.  but Jesus says we must be perfect like the Father...for God causes his sunshine and reign to fall on both the wicked and good......

     even the wicked love those who love them. so how would we differ?...........God"s goodness....He gives the son even when we were still enemies.......

         fo this reason I preach to the "sinners" out there..God has freely given you eternal life...He loves you and  is saving ALL.

Yes, that is why we are a peculiar people, we are willing to be forgiving and compassionate (sunshine/light) towards those who are wicked or good, for that is being perfect like our heavenly Father, most of the wicked do not, they only love those who love them