The Gospel Makes Us View the World Through a Different Lens

The following is a lovely little tale that reveals a wisdom that is found also in the Word of God. The scripture puts it this way: “It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 19:24).

“An old hermit was once invited to the court of the most powerful king of the day.
“I envy a holy man who can be content with so little,” said the king.
I envy your Majesty who can be contented with even less than me,” answered the hermit.
“How can you say that when this whole country belongs to me?” said the king, somewhat offended.
“Precisely,” said the old man. “I have the music of the spheres, I have the rivers and the mountains of the whole world, I have the moon and the sun, because I have God in my soul. Your majesty, on the other hand, has only his kingdom.”

The lesson here is that it matters where our fullest attention is focused. Where we focus our attention is where we give all of our time, talent, and energy, and in doing so, it very really becomes our master. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be” (Mt. 6:21). The king in the story above exemplifies the wisdom of the world where fame, power, and possessions are perceived to be the source of our contentment, happiness, and ease. But the old monk challenges that wisdom and this “offends” the king’s worldly wisdom. As the old monk challenges the king in this story, Jesus challenges us with another perspective in the Gospels.

In the parable of the rich young man, we see a good and truly sincere young man ask Jesus what he should do in order to go to heaven. And Jesus tells him not to murder, or steal, or commit adultery, and to honor his mother and father, in other words, to live in accord with the commandments. To which the rich young man can honestly say he has always done so. And here is where Jesus ups the ante, contradicting the wisdom of the world by telling the rich young man that there is one more thing to do. “If you would be perfect, go, and sell what you possess, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” And we see that the young man “went away full of sorrow, for he had great possessions” (Mt. 19:16-22). We see in the young man’s response how much of a hold the world has on us. It is not easy to follow the ways and the wisdom of God. But in truth it is not the world that saves us. Only Jesus Christ has the power to save us and bring us to the eternal life we were made for and that our hearts truly desire.

We may understand the wisdom of God in our minds, but aren’t we troubled, like the rich young man, by what seems a contradiction to the wisdom of the world and its challenge to us personally? The wisdom of the world promises us happiness in things. The wisdom of God seems a paradox to us. It makes us uncomfortable, like it did the rich young man, who walked away filled with sorrow, because he had so much. Jesus’ challenge to that young man, is meant to challenge us, too. Sell everything? Let go not just of the powers and pleasures of my material possessions, but even those of my ego possessions, my desires, “my” truths? Then, to willingly choose to follow Jesus, to participate willingly in all of his words and his deeds, and even to suffer with Him for the good of others? And to do all of this with even more passion than that with which I pursued the things of the world? This is, indeed, very difficult. At some level we understand the rich young man’s response.

As the old hermit challenges the wisdom of the king in the story above, Jesus is challenging us with the parable of the rich young man. We are challenged to look within and to see where or to what we are giving most of our attention? Where are we directing most of our time, our talent, our material and spiritual treasures? Are we focused on the things of the world, or on the things of God? Do we have the gods of this world or the God of heaven and earth in our souls? Jesus is telling us, just as he did that rich young man, “If you want to be perfect.” If you want to go to heaven…sell all that is not of God and follow him. If I am honest with myself, this challenge is very difficult. I know that I cannot meet it alone, either by my own wits or my own strength. I pray that God gives me (gives us) the grace to see His wisdom and the courage of increased faith to follow Him in the good times and especially in the difficult times. For it is his wisdom alone, not the world’s, that will get us into heaven. In Jesus name. Amen.