Living Wise - Sermon on the MountSample

Some time after His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was in Judea and large crowds were following Him. A young man who was very wealthy came up to Jesus and asked what he should do to make sure he received eternal life. Jesus told the man that to enter God’s Kingdom he should obey the commandments. The man wanted to know what else he should do, and he didn’t really like Jesus’ answer.

Jesus told the man he should sell everything he has, give his money to the poor and follow Him. That if the man did this, he would have treasure in heaven. The man walked away from Jesus and was sad, he didn’t want to give up his riches.

The disciples gathered around Jesus and He told them how it is hard for someone who is all about earthly riches to enter God’s Kingdom, that it’s harder than fitting a camel through the eye of a needle! The disciples had left behind their families, their jobs and their homes to follow Jesus, so they began to wonder what reward they might receive. Jesus said, “Suppose anyone has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, husband or wife, children or fields because of me. Anyone who has done that will receive 100 times as much. They will also receive eternal life.”

Living wise means following the narrow path, fitting a camel through the eye of a needle seems pretty narrow! Jesus teaches us that those who make sacrifices to follow Him will be blessed. Living for God and having eternal life and treasures in heaven is far more valuable than having riches on earth. Follow the narrow path that leads to life!