Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, March 20, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Has anyone else noticed just how often Jesus talks about wealth? According to some cursory online research, 11 of Jesus’ 40 parables were about money. In multiple ways, Jesus points out that we human beings are always tempted to put money in the place of God, and God ain’t havin’ it. After all, we are to have no other gods before God. Yet I, for one, live in a society in which I am taught that money can solve all my problems. Just look at the rich folks who are trying (and succeeding) to buy access to COVID vaccines before the people who are disproportionately affected by the disease (lower income and/or BIPoc communities).
Honestly, it astonishes me how many Christians out there continue to accumulate mass quantities of wealth without seeing the problem. I think we all need to do some remedial gospel reading. How ‘bout you?
Gracious God, forgive me my tendency to put money in your place. Amen.
