Ezekiel 24:15-24 / Matthew 19:16-22
In the book of Job 1:21, there is this quote from Job: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD
gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
Job's tribulations began when all his possessions and children were taken away from him, and his response was rather stoic, although it was nonetheless a statement of faith.
Yes, we came into this world with nothing, and we will depart from this world with nothing. No matter how much or how little we possess, we can't take anything with us. We even have to leave our body behind.
That is the obvious truth and we face that reality day after day as we see death consume our loved ones and friends.
But even in life, what we possess for now may not be ours always. Our fortunes will change, our health will change, our relationships will change, either for better or for worse.
For the prophet Ezekiel, he was deprived suddenly of the delight of his eyes, in that his wife died suddenly.
Ezekiel had to accept that as part of his mission as a prophet, as it will be a sign to his people of what God would be taking away from them so that they will learn that He is the Lord.
The rich young man in the gospel had yet to learn that whatever he possessed was given to him by the Lord. Whether he will eventually learn that he can't take all his wealth with him when he dies, we do not know.
But it is a point of reflection and a reminder for us. Naked we came from the womb, naked we will depart. Whatever we possess is given by the Lord and it must be used to do good.
The Lord is our only true treasure. He is all that we ever want, He is all we ever need.