MATTHEW 19:23 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
And Jesus said to his disciples: truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. The teaching on wealth and the kingdom that follows the young man's departure: the rich person enters the kingdom only with difficulty. The difficulty is not economic but spiritual: wealth creates the illusion of self-sufficiency that closes the door on the dependence that the kingdom requires.
Church Fathers on Matthew 19:23
The Lord took occasion from this rich man to hold discourse concerning the covetous; 'Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, &c.'
What He spoke was not condemning riches in themselves, but those who were enslaved by them; also encouraging His disciples that being poor they should not be ashamed by reason of their poverty.
To have riches is no sin; but moderation is to be observed in our havings. For how shall we communicate to the necessities of the saints, if we have not out of what we may communicate?
Read all 17 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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