Luke Reflections: The Rich Ruler
Written by Very Reverend Peter Howell-Jones, Luke 18:18-30
In the 1953 film The Million Pound Note, Gregory Peck plays a poor sailor who is handed a £1 million banknote. Suddenly, doors open, people fawn over him, and he’s treated like royalty—without ever needing to spend a penny. But by the end, the note nearly costs him his dignity and the woman he loves.
It’s a fascinating parable about the illusion of wealth. And it echoes a much older story.
The Rich Young Ruler
We don’t know why the rich ruler asked about eternal life. Unhappiness? After all industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie noted long ago that millionaires seldom smile! One of the problems of rising affluence is that ‘enough’ always means just a little more – TV and advertising make sure of that! And money can get in the way of the relationships which are so essential to our happiness.
Whatever the reason Jesus challenges him to give his money to the poor but the price is too high. The rich man walks away, broken-hearted, knowing what he leaves behind. We think of money as opening doors but here it closes the door to life, not just eternal life but to the life of this new community of disciples who put Jesus before their financial choices. He is invited to let go of his money because we can’t travel light with heavy baggage, or engage with others when we are full of ourselves.
When ‘Enough’ Is Never Enough
This story challenges us about how we live with money, the choices that we make. And the challenge to generosity is one that we cannot duck. A generous heart and a generous lifestyle will open doors for other people in need. It will also open doors for us to new life in Christ and in relationship with his people, his disciples. But following Jesus with our money is not easy. It has to cash out in our day to day living and attitudes. Some years ago Fr John Dresko, an orthodox priest, wrote the following which has not been translated from the original American:
“My gift to God is a genuine reflection of my heart. If I give $400 per month to the bank on my car loan, but think the church is fleecing me for $20 per month, I have a heart problem. If I do my grocery shopping and write a check when I leave for $100 so my family can be fed, but think $20 per month is too much for the Bread of Life, I have a heart problem. If I can go to the package store and drop $20 for a bottle of liquor but gripe about the costs of sharing the Blood of Christ, I have a heart problem. If I cheat the church out of regular giving by pleading about my ‘cash flow’ while ignoring the fact that the church has the same bills and the same ‘cash flow’, I have a heart problem.”
Reflect
Millionaires seldom smile: in what ways might money make us unhappy?
What do you make of the ‘heart problem challenge from Fr John Dresko?
How might generosity ‘open the door’ for us as we seek to follow Jesus more closely?