I can’t – He can

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This scripture falls on the heels of the parable of the rich young ruler. He had come to Christ with his chest stuck out in pride for all that he had materially, and all that he felt he had in religiosity. He had kept all the laws, and in his peers eyes had seemingly been rewarded for his keeping them. He had great wealth, and it seemed as God was rewarding him for his diligence. Christ knew that he worshipped his wealth, and not the Provider. This parable can really hit home in the society which I live, we are consumed by wealth and the pursuit of it. The prosperity preachers have come to make a good living off of it; they preach that if you are not wealthy you simply do not have enough faith; name it and claim it they shout. But how do they answer for the scriptures in this parable? 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” Christ was challenging the disciples to go against the prosperity teaching of even that day; wealth did not equate salvation or proofs of one’s blessings because of their religiosity. Christ continues on in Matthew 19 to speak of how the last will be first, and the first will be last, in the kingdom of God. If we are focusing on our position here, we are missing the blessing of our position to come, with a humbled servant hearts life of service for kingdom work here.

Matthew 19:26 is a scripture that can be used in many contexts. It is a scripture that points to our need for Christ and God’s grace in all our lives. It points to the power of Him, and our need for him to accomplish all things. It points to our need for a Savior, for we can never our way into heaven. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. It points to the power that the Creator of the universe has, and his ability to rule over it. It points us to what should be our focus in life, serving the eternal and not the temporal pleasures we feel that we can attain. It places us outside of our comfort zone, where Jesus is, to see and feel that only that He can accomplish. We get outside of where we can attain great things, into where only He can provide these things. It takes us out into the area that pride is left behind; the root of all sin is not found when we are where only He can accomplish the work. These things may only be evident to you and God, but he knows the heart, and rewards the heart truly seeking him.