Parable of Rich Young Ruler About Physical Wealth And Spiritual Pride
SPIRITUAL WEALTH Is The Ultimate BLINDER of God’s Wisdom and True Knowledge
Matthew 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
Mat 19:16-28 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19. honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Jesus said that He ONLY SPOKE IN PARABLES. So when he is talking about one thing, on the surface, it is a misdirection for what He really means, right? This is a prime example of His double meaning (or more) word arrangements.
We realize that most men can understand one or two different meanings for any one term or statement. A wise man, often times can discover 3 or 4 different understandings for a term or statement. Jesus has a MINUMUM OF 10 UNDERSTANDINGS for every word that came out of His mouth. We are simply too dull to realize what we are missing.
In this parable, as you dwell upon it, it becomes more and more apparent that Jesus was, in fact, talking about the POTENTAL problem of too much money. But I know some really devout and holy people who really love the Lord and have a bucketful of money. I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY who is a spiritual know it all, with an obnoxious UN-child like dominance, who is really walking with the Lord.
This parable is primarily talking about people who have no room in the mind or heart for any sort of new input (new truth). This is not a potential problem, this is a LETHAL problem. They are completely satisfied with all of the spiritual understanding that they currently hold, usually because they are identical to the men, or women, who are teaching them, parrots in fine plumage that they emulate.
Do you realize that the various beliefs that you hold ARE YOUR POSSESSIONS, the exact same word He used about this Rich Young Ruler. Jesus said “Sell all your possessions”, but this time the man FAILED to ask Jesus, as he had before “WHICH ONES”… Since he did not ask Jesus “which of my possessions” should I sell. Instead, He, and we, assume Jesus meant ALL OF YOUR PHYSICAL POSSESSIONS. But no. Jesus’ main intent to the man was “get rid of the wrong spiritual beliefs and understandings that you possess, and trade them in for what I am I now telling you”.
Once you find a new and better understanding of God, here is what He tells us to do:
Mat 13:44-45 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Rich Young Ruler Was Most Likely Paul
It has been surmised that the true identity of this “rich young ruler” was in fact Paul, who before he changed his name to the western Paul, his birth name was Apollonius of Tyana. Paul was the son of Herod Antipas. Paul had riches beyond our imagination, both physically, and spiritually. Growing up in the home of Herod, he would have known mystics and clerics from the Babylon Mystery Religion all his life. He called himself a MASTERBUILDER, which is an exclusively Freemasonic term today – a very prideful and harmful group of “rich” people.
Is A Heretic Good or Bad?
Orthodoxy teaches that you are to learn the terms and conditions of orthodoxy (if you want to be a part of their club). If you step outside of the boundaries they set up, then you are a heretic.
Jesus was the original heretic!!
Jesus is the one who began His ministry, and then ended it, by turning over the tables of the Jewish money changers, so that He would UPSET the powers that be to the maximum degree. (John 2:15 / Matthew 21:12)
Have you “turned over” any tables lately? Or instead, are you actually sitting at one of the tables that today He would be dumping over?
her•e•tic
Does that sound like what Jesus would have taught?
Why don’t you decide for yourself what is right? Luke 12:57
Jesus said that unless you change, and become like little children, you will never see the kingdom of God – which is a minute by minute occurrence, not an end goal.
Once you realize that the key to understanding is to unlearn the orthodoxy that keeps you at arms reach from God, and instead say Hi to Jesus, the Father of your spirit. Your other Daddy.
Russell Dibird
Not only the point of temporal “treasures” being meaningless, AND a real inhibiter of spiritual progress, but the inherent inferiority thereof… Then, another good transition to the fact that there are no spiritual know it all’s… I give you this to add: ” Better hope for a fool, than for he whom thinks he knows much.” It is the person whom believes they can not learn anything new or substantial/important, that makes this true… Inasmuch as they are closed off to new and better understandings by the very belief… regarding your statement of the parody of wisdom and satisfaction of some to simply mimic what others know, I agree! To that effect; the student should ALWAYS surpass the teacher/master, THAT is how the teacher/master knows he has done well…
I especially like you elucidation of the possessions parable herein… Though I do believe Jesus meant the physical ones too, the point YOU make is far more important and critical to development, nicely said.
Hmmmmm…. You refer to Apollonius de Tyana… Interesting… This person is of great interest, you know???? He was known to stop war simply by standing between two opposing armies, who, would rather cease the conflict then upset that man… I know this subject well, sir. I urge you to be as open minded towards him as you are telling your readers to be toward spiritual understandings. I tell you true, as far as the Masonic reference to a “Master-Builder” , Apollonius was more of an architect of destiny than merely a member of that Order… By the way, there are no confirmed reports nor records of his birth dates or death. He is a figure much respected and of much interest to many groups, religions, etc…. And for good reasons. Research will show that what records and stories do exits paint him in good lights, sir. He was charitable, good natured, devout, a teacher par excellence, and of noble character. “IF” he was associated with any Orders and Societies, those were different then than they are now…
Anyway, good ending with the lest ye become as children teaching… Yea, indeed, forget what you think you know, learn anew, and break from the cyclic perspectives of mundane life and established though patterns, programed pseudo-“religions” etc. to realize divine reality eh? Indeed.
Your words here are well received. Especially your shattering and explosive definition of Jesus as the first heretic!!! Well done. THAT should help brake some mental barriers!!! If that does not indicate how off the established faith machines of orthodoxy are, what shall, I say????