The fact that God chooses his personal representatives from all different kinds of men is evidence that having great wealth in itself is no sin, provided, of course, that the wealth was gained without exploiting others or taken by force.
The Gospel of Matthew records a short incident between Jesus and a nameless young man who is described as having great wealth. There is nothing to indicate that the young man wishes for anything more than what he mentions - to know the requirements for him to have eternal life with God. His background seems to have included religious instruction because he assures Jesus that he has been diligent in keeping the commandments (as delivered from Moses) since childhood.
At this point, it's easy to ask questions, the answers to which are not entirely clear. Why did the young man choose to approach Jesus? Did he make an active effort to find him, or did he just happen to be in the area? Was Jesus teaching a lesson to all, or simply taking questions from some possible new disciples? Was there anything of a mocking tone in the young man's question? Was he inspired enough to guess that he had missed something that went beyond the simple framing of the Ten Commandments?
Regardless, Jesus answers the questions put to him respectfully, though not with any pretend humility that people often used in the presence of prominent persons. A conclusion is reached very quickly. In so many words, Jesus says, "Take your possessions, sell them and donate the proceeds to the poor. Then follow me, and you will have all you need in this life and the next."
This is not the answer the young man expected, nor was it the one he was prepared to back up with action. The scripture says he "went away sorrowing" no doubt thinking "This man doesn't know anything about my responsibilities and all that's expected of me. Follow him? My gosh, if I gave it all away it wouldn't put a dent in the number of poor, and then I would be one of them.What would THAT solve?"
Jesus saw all this, and used it as a teaching moment. Riches don't completely keep us from advancing in spirit, but they can certainly cloud our vision and distort reality. Most of us would see a clearer path to eternal life by living the simple life, knowing that mortality is short and soon to end no matter what our balance sheet may show at this moment.
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