Now, of course, the narrative leading up to this statement by Christ involved a young man who professed to have obeyed the commandment to love his neighbor as himself. "What else must I do to have eternal life?" the man asked. Knowing that the young man had NOT obeyed this commandment, Christ told him to "go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." What happened next? We are informed that "when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions." (Matthew 19:16-22, NLT) In other words, this wealthy young man loved his money more than he loved God or his fellow humans! Moreover, he did not understand that eternal life was NOT something that he could earn - that it was something that was available through the man who was then speaking to him (John 14:6, Romans 6:23)!
Jesus also said: "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money." Luke 16:13, NLT) Indeed, when Christ was asked to intervene in a dispute between two brothers over their father's estate, he declined and offered some advice. He said: "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." (Luke 12:13-15, NLT) Then, he proceeded to tell them a story about a man whose farm produced a crop that surpassed his expectations to such a degree that he didn't have sufficient space to store it all. As a consequence, the man decided to build bigger barns to hold the abundance. Nevertheless, in the telling of his tale, Jesus said that God intervened and told the man that he would die that very night, and all that he had worked for would accrue to someone else's benefit (Luke 12:16-21, NLT).
This was all reinforced by Jesus telling his disciples to look at the natural world around them and learn from it. He said: "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." (Luke 12:22-31, NLT) In other words, the pursuit of wealth is a useless/unnecessary pursuit - our attention should be focused on being within God's will for our lives!
Christ went on to assure his followers that their Father wanted them to have and participate in his reign. He concluded the thought with this message: "Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Luke 12:32-34, NLT) He pointed out that everything that can physically be acquired by us in this life is subject to rot, decay, and/or deterioration in value.
Likewise, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: "true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (I Timothy 6:6-10, NLT) Paul reiterated to his young apprentice what Christ had taught to his original disciples about the pursuit of wealth. Just as Christ had taught, Paul knew that Godly behavior could NOT be founded in the pursuit of self-interest. He understood that a true Christian MUST love his/her neighbor as his/herself (Romans 13:9 and Galatians 5:14).
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