In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Last week, you heard about the rich young man who came to Jesus and
asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus commanded
him to obey the Law, and to give all he had to serve the poor. Mark
records that the man went away sorrowful, because he had many
possessions.
On the heels of that account, Jesus
says, “Children,
how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of heaven!”
Indeed,
how difficult it is to enter God's kingdom. The way is long, the road
is tough, and distractions and detours threaten on every side.
There is no
short-cut to heaven. You only get there by traveling the road set
before you through this world and life. And that road is very
difficult, very narrow, and often fearsome. It truly is easier for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man to enter
heaven. To enter heaven, you must pass through the valley of the
shadow of death. You must pass by the riches and glitz and glamor
that this world lays out before you. You must forsake home and work,
family and friends, and all that you have. The devil and his forces
will try very hard to distract you from the truth, to detour you from
the road laid ahead.
