Introduction

This talk was given at St. Peter’s Church on March 30, 2025. Rev. Mark Fletcher explores wealth and faith, examining how material prosperity can create spiritual barriers and the danger of treating God transactionally. He challenges us to embrace the gospel as a free gift received through grace alone.

In these days, there is a quite significant shift taking place in terms of cultural attitudes to wealth. Recent studies showed that people are far more likely than in many previous generations to say that their ambition in life is simply to be rich, and I think it’s influenced by high profile super rich people.

But if that’s the case, and if we live in such a materialistic world, then I think we need to think quite clearly about wealth and about our theology of wealth so as not to get swept along with it. The Bible has a great deal to say on the subject and perhaps no more famous story than this one. The story of the rich young ruler.

So a young man comes to Jesus. He is clearly wealthy, likely from an important family. It’s almost certainly inherited wealth, and he is by all accounts a decent person. He honours his father and mother. He would give to charity, and when he says in verse 20, all of these commandments, I have kept nobody questions that. Nobody disagrees.

He would’ve looked like an impressive person. I’m sure he was well dressed and would’ve carried himself as somebody sure of themselves does. And the disciples are really impressed with this person, slightly in awe of somebody like this coming to speak to Jesus. And yet he does come to find Jesus. And the question has to be, why does he do that?

Why does a young man who has apparently everything come seeking Jesus? And verse 16, he has a question. Teacher, he asks, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? Now, what is he asking for? Because what it sounds like in the way that we hear that is he’s asking how to get to heaven. But I don’t think that is primarily what it is. That the word that is translated eternal life is more the kind of the life of eternity, the life of God. And Jesus

in verse 17, reflects back his question and says, if you wish to enter into life. And so do you get the sense that despite all that this young man has, he knows that it isn’t everything. That it isn’t it that he’s missing something. When people have that opportunity to have money, they very quickly realize that it isn’t actually the answer.

Do you know there’s an astonishing quote by Benjamin Franklin. He said wealth never made a person happy yet. Nor will it. The more a person has, the more they want. Instead of filling a vacuum, wealth creates one. If it satisfies one desire, it increases that desire in another way. It’s quite an observation, isn’t it?

He says, wealth doesn’t bring happiness. It doesn’t make sense of life. It leaves you always wanting more. So that is this young man. He comes to Jesus. A man who seems to have so much, and yet he knows that he is lacking. However, something in his question betrays him. So the question he asked was, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?

Can you see that? What he is essentially saying to Jesus is, what is the deal? How do I get this? He sees God as transactional. That he expects there to be a quid pro quo. I do something in order to get something. And I think that is one of the real problems that wealth brings. Because it offers status and a means to be in control.

And so essentially what he is doing is offering God a deal equal to equal. It stands in contrast to so many of the characters that we’ve met so far in Matthew’s Gospel. The humble who require the grace and mercy of God, or do you remember the Canaanite woman who we met a couple of weeks ago who knew she had no right to the blessings of God and was simply asking for the crumbs that fell from the table?

Yet, he says, what do I need to do to get this? And so Jesus says to him okay, you know the deal. If you want a transactional relationship with God, keep the commandments. And Jesus points him back to what he already knows, points him back to the Old Testament and says, do that. And I think it’s fascinating ’cause there is something, I think in all of us that assumes that is how God works.

We want something from God, we make a promise in return. You need to succeed at a exam, you promise that you will do something in response. Do you see? That’s a transactional relationship with God. Now this young man clearly has tried that. And he knows that he’s still lacking. Verse 20, the young man’s man said to him, I’ve kept all of these things. What do I lack?

Now, I can’t help but think he’s actually slightly self deceiving if he thinks he’s kept all the commandments. There’s something slightly self-righteous about him there, isn’t it? But what is even more interesting is this nagging sense of lack that he experiences. This nagging emptiness that is there and is part of the human condition.

There was another rich young man who realized the same thing. His name was Saint Augustine, and we pray his prayer often in our services because he said, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. And so many of the things that our society pursues whether that’s wealth or experience or hedonism are attempts to fill that God shaped void.

This young man knows that he is lacking. That his life is incomplete, and I think it’s really important that we remember that experience. When we look at the glamorous lives of people that we see on television or on social media, and it seems that they have everything and the life that they present seems so attractive. And yet the reality is that none of those things can actually satisfy this longing within the human soul.

And so Jesus says to him, fine. If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. Now, if there was ever a verse to strike fear in our hearts, it’s that one. I remember as a teenager with a slightly shaky relationship with church, and yet I knew all about that verse and I had strong opinions on it.

But Jesus says, you want to know what you lack. in actual fact, the greatest commandment is you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength. But the truth is, of course, that this young man loves his wealth far more than he loves God. And he trusts in his money far more than he trusts in God.

And this young man who is used to having everything that he wanted, used to getting the things that he asks for, goes away with nothing. He went away sad because he had many possessions. Is this harsh on the young man? It certainly feels quite uncomfortable, doesn’t it? And I think the disciples found this quite uncomfortable.

But I think that the truth is until he is able to humble his proud heart, all of his kind of outward show of morality is just a smoke screen. And Jesus’ reflection? How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is easier he says, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom.

And this is an important theme, I think, and I have a responsibility to it. Not least because Paul, the apostle in his letter to Timothy says this. Command, it’s a strong word, command those who are rich in this present world, not to be arrogant, not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain. But to put their hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

That’s the problem with wealth. It makes us think that we’re more important than we are. It makes us think that we are better than others. It makes us proud, and we are tempted to put our hope in it rather than in God.

But of course, it is God who is the source of all good things and the source of all of our joy and our life and our enjoyment. However, that is not the end of the story, the rich young man going away, sad. Because the disciples are really confused by this, they thought he was such a good man, and yet Jesus has allowed him to walk away and they say, , who can be saved?

And Jesus said. With man, it is impossible. But with God, all things are possible. Because, you know, there has to be another way that God does actually humble, proud hearts and that for those who haven’t been able to keep all the commandments, for those who know that they’re not good enough, for the flawed and for the broken, there is another way.

And that is the heart of the gospel. You know this. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And in the gospel there is a righteousness from God, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. And Jesus says, I have come that they might have life and life in all its fullness. Because in humility and repentance and faith, we come to Jesus and we discover the free gift of life and life everlasting.

So do you need to sell your possessions? Well, breathe easy. That’s not the point of this story. The point is that we need to hold firm to the gospel. That the righteousness that we find, that the life which is offered to us is a gift that we receive by faith and by faith alone we cannot earn it. Although it is notable that Jesus and all his disciples did sell their possessions, didn’t they?

However, the gospel should challenge our attitude to money. Work is a good thing. It’s part of being made in God’s image. Creativity likewise is a wonderful thing, and we should strive to create with our hands and money. Well, money is fine. It’s a means of exchange. It’s a useful tool. It can do real good.

But we need to be wary of it. We need to be wary of what Matthew himself calls the deceitfulness of wealth. In fact, there’s a particular pathos to this story because it’s written by Matthew, the writer of the gospel, and Matthew was also a rich young man who was ensnared by his wealth. You remember he was a tax collector.

Alienated and excluded because he loved money more than he loved people and more than he loved God. We need to guard our hearts. Beware of the pride that wealth brings, and the way that we can find ourselves coming to love it and to need it. There’s a real profound Christian wisdom in learning to live frugally and gratefully.

Living within our means, grateful for God providing our daily bread. Living more simply in order to actually live more richly. One of my favorite quotes is Dickens, I think it’s in David Copperfield. And it says annual income, 100 pounds. Annual expenditure, 99 pounds. Results happiness. Annual income, 100 pounds. Annual expenditure, 101 pounds. Result misery. And I have found that to be true. Living simply and frugally grateful to God for what he provides is the way to live.

And I think we need to break the hold that money has on us, and I think we do that simply by being generous. Another great quote. Money is like manure. If you spread it around, it does a whole lot of good. But if you pile it up, it will stink to high heaven.

So, this lent, hold first to the truth that your relationship with God is not a transaction. It is by grace from start to finish. And therefore you don’t get to be in control of it. The life that you seek is a gift and a gift from God to be received with joy. But also learn to be wise about your money.

Use it well. Challenge the hold that it has on you and know that the pursuit of money is not the pursuit of life. The way of life is the way of Christ. And it is a gift to be received day by day with joy. Amen.