Rich people going to heaven

Luke
I want to build on my previous post about the eye of the needle and a rich man going into heaven.  Check out the blog post on March 24 (click here).  That one was about the parallel passage in Mark 10.  Today's reading is Luke 18:18-30.  Not only is it impossible for a camel to go through the eye of an actual needle, but it is also impossible for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of heaven... on his own.  The ruler in this story had asked "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  This question is similar to the one of the rich young man in Matthew 19, which I posted about on January 27 (click here).  It's all about doing.  We can't do anything, so of course it is impossible for us to get to heaven.  But with God, through Jesus Christ, we can!
I think that the emphasis on the fellow being rich demonstrates that rich people don't think they need God as much as poor people, because they have the resources to get through life comfortably without really having to rely on God.  So for rich people, it is more difficult to get to the point where they can depend on God for salvation.  Of course, this is a major generalization, so if you have a differing view, let me know.

The rich young man

Matthew 
If you read the October 9, 2010 post and comment (click here), you'll find I already commented on today's reading from Matthew 19:16-30 - the story of the rich young man.  This young man hadn't actually kept all the commandments, even though he says he did.  At least, he didn't keep the spirit of the law, because he neglected the poor and needy all around him, even though he had so much wealth.  He was completely missing the point on what eternal life is all about.  It's not about us doing anything on our own; it's about us coming alongside God in his mission and participating with him in his work (helping the downtrodden, for instance).