Luke 18:18–30
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers1 or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
1 Or wife or brothers and sisters
Section Overview
The narrative of the rich ruler shows that he does not think of himself as a child dependent on God for everything, for he has the same estimate of himself as the Pharisee did in the previous parable (Luke 18:10–12): he thinks he has kept the commandments and thus warrants eternal life. Jesus, however, calls upon him not to acknowledge his sin but to sell his possessions in an act of radical discipleship and follow Jesus. Such a requirement fills the man with gloom, which leads Jesus to remark that riches hinder people from entering the kingdom. Indeed, entrance into the kingdom is a miracle possible only with God. Human beings on their own cannot make a decision for the kingdom, but the grace of God secures the response needed. Peter follows up by remarking that they have left everything to follow Jesus, who affirms that those who have left everything for the sake of the kingdom will indeed receive eternal life.
Section Outline
IV. Galilee to Jerusalem: Discipleship (9:51–19:27) . . .
C. The Last Leg of the Journey (17:11–19:27) . . .
3. Entering the Kingdom (18:9–30) . . .
c. Encounter with Rich Ruler (18:18–30)
Response
Jesus shows the rich ruler that he has not kept God’s law, that he worships another god. The ruler thinks he is a good person who keeps God’s commands, but he loves something else more than God. He fails to obey the first commandment; his god is mammon. So the rich ruler is not a good person but an idolater. The point of the text is not that everyone must give up all his money to be saved. If we prize something more than Jesus, we can be sure that the Spirit will point it out to us and dislodge it from our hearts.
We see from this section that we will not enter the kingdom, we will not inherit eternal life, we will not be saved apart from God’s doing what is impossible for us to do. Apart from God’s grace, we are all Pharisees. Apart from God’s power that works miracles, we are all like the rich young man. The only way to become like a little child is if God works supernaturally in our hearts. What does it mean to be a child? It means to give up all the gods in our own hands and take our Father’s hand. It means to entrust everything to God. It means to fall in love with Jesus, to become his disciples.
Or wife or brothers and sisters
18:18–19 A ruler, who we later learn to be rich (v. 23), asks Jesus what he needs to do to obtain eternal life. Since the previous text addressed children, who are dependent on others for everything, we immediately see the contrast. A person with wealth is self-sufficient and can live an independent life. Still, this man wants to experience eternal life, life in the age to come. Earlier in Luke a lawyer asked Jesus the same question (10:25). On that occasion Jesus queried what the law said, and the lawyer emphasized that one must love God and one’s neighbor. Jesus agreed (10:26–28). Here he probes the rich ruler, asking why he identifies Jesus as good, for God alone is good (Deut. 6:4); this is an allusion to the first commandment (Ex. 20:3). The goodness of Jesus and his righteousness shine forth in the entire Lukan narrative, though Luke’s purpose here is not to suggest directly that Jesus is God. Nor is there criticism of Jesus’ character; we should not read this as if Jesus were denying his own goodness. The question has a rhetorical function, anticipating the rest of the story, for it will become evident that the rich ruler, though he claims to be good, does not really know what goodness is. The ruler, in other words, is self-deceived about his own goodness.
18:20–21 When the lawyer wondered about obtaining eternal life, Jesus confirmed that he must love the Lord and his neighbor. Here Jesus turns to some of the Ten Commandments: refraining from adultery, murder, stealing, or lying and honoring one’s father and mother (Ex. 20:12–16; Deut. 5:16–20). The admonition here is not different in content from what was said to the lawyer. Jesus is focusing on commands that reveal love for one’s neighbor, implying that they must be kept in order for one to obtain eternal life. The lawyer, when faced with a similar question, sought to justify himself about the identity of his neighbor. The rich ruler, on the other hand, believes himself to be qualified to inherit eternal life, claiming that he has kept all of these commands ever since he was young. In this regard, he reminds us of the Pharisee who advertises to God his obedience to his commands (Luke 18:11–12).
18:22–23 Still, Jesus does not confront the rich ruler directly with his failures but summons him to be his disciple. The man must sell all that he has, give it to the poor, and become Jesus’ disciple (cf. 6:20; 12:33; 14:33). Jesus says that this is the one thing he is lacking, and it is important to see that this is the one thing he lacks to gain eternal life, for that is the question being answered here. Jesus does not say that the man already enjoys life in the age to come, that this is an extra he must do if he wants to qualify as a super-disciple, as if Jesus were setting before him a requirement for obtaining a greater and distinctive reward above and beyond eternal life. Instead the man must sell all, give what he sells to the poor, and follow Jesus to enter life.
The rich man is grieved and saddened by Jesus’ command. Perhaps he expected to be commended; he is probably exalting himself, just as the Pharisee exalted himself by virtue of his obedience (18:14). His failure to part with his riches shows that he is not like a child, willing to depend upon Jesus for everything. His obsession with his own virtue shows that he is not like the tax collector, who could only plead to God for mercy. Still, this text adds something we do not see in the account of the Pharisee and tax collector or of the children coming to Jesus. Those who call out to God for forgiveness, who are as dependent on God as children are dependent on their parents, become disciples of Jesus. They give all they have to him. If he calls upon them to part with their riches, they do so.
The rich are not excluded from the kingdom if they use their money for Jesus’ sake, giving generously to the poor. Levi leaves everything to follow Jesus (5:27–28), but not all are required to end their careers as tax collectors: some remain in the profession and work responsibly and ethically (3:12–13; 19:1–10). John Mark’s mother uses the large house she owns, which is doubtless expensive, for the gathering of the disciples (Acts 12:12–16). Zacchaeus does not sell all he owns, but he does give half of his possessions and repays those he cheated (Luke 19:8).
Another dimension of the narrative should be explored. The rich man’s claim to keep the commandments is not wrong in one sense, but in another sense he has not keep the commands the lawyer said were fundamental (10:27), for he does not love the Lord with all his heart or soul. To put it another way, he is actually guilty of violating the first commandment, for he serves other gods (Ex. 20:3). He is again like the Pharisees, because mammon is his idol (Luke 16:9, 11, 13). Refusal to become a disciple of Jesus demonstrates that God is not central in his life. Those who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength follow Jesus as disciples, and thus this text also contains a high Christology. We see again that, unlike with discipleship to a rabbi, which eventually ceases, one never stops being a disciple of Jesus. Jesus requires everything in life to be given up for his sake! Only God makes such demands, showing that Jesus shares the same identity and stature as God.
18:24–27 Jesus next exclaims how difficult it is for those who possess wealth to enter God’s kingdom (cf. 6:24). We see here that the issue before the man is entering into the kingdom of God, which is another way of speaking of obtaining eternal life (18:18). Thus we see again that the man is not called to something extra in order to obtain a special reward that others will not receive. Instead, the issue is whether he will get into the kingdom at all. Jesus does not mean that the difficulty of entering the kingdom with riches can be superseded with a superhuman effort, so that those who are truly committed and surrender all would enter the kingdom. Instead, verse 25 clarifies with hyperbole that entering the kingdom is impossible for those who are rich. There is no basis for the notion that there was a Jerusalem gate called the “Eye of a Needle” that a camel could get through if it got on its knees and crawled. Jesus teaches that it is easier for a camel to pass through the hole in a sewing needle than for the rich to obtain eternal life, for the rich to enter the kingdom.
18:26–27 The wording of this account shows that inheriting the kingdom (v. 18), entering the kingdom of God (v. 24), and being saved (v. 26) are three different ways of referring to the same reality. Jesus’ words about how riches prevent one from entering the kingdom fill people with astonishment, for in the OT riches are an indication of God’s blessing. For instance, Abraham and Isaac are extremely rich (Gen. 13:2; 26:13). In Proverbs riches are associated with wisdom (Prov. 3:16; 8:18); those who work hard become rich (Prov. 10:4); riches are the sign of God’s blessing (Prov. 10:22; 22:4). However, a careful reading of Proverbs gives a more nuanced picture, for the book recognizes that some get rich unrighteously (Prov. 11:4, 16; 28:6, 11) or without trusting in the Lord (Prov. 11:28; 18:11). In any case, as with the comment on 18:22–23 we must take into account all that Luke says about riches in order to gain a balanced perspective. Still, Jesus’ radical words about riches cause the people to wonder who can be saved. We see from Jesus’ reply that salvation is a miracle, that human beings cannot accomplish salvation, for salvation is of the Lord (cf. 1:37; Jonah 2:9). No one can humble himself like the tax collector (Luke 18:13) or become like a child (18:16–17) apart from God’s transforming grace.
18:28–30 Peter’s words about the disciples’ leaving all things and following Jesus seem boastful (5:11, 28), but by following Jesus and renouncing their possessions they have done what the rich ruler was called to do (18:22), proving that they are genuine disciples (12:33; 14:33). No rebuke of Peter is present in Luke, though Matthew includes an implicit criticism of Peter (Matt. 19:30). Luke, on the other hand, focuses on how Peter gets things right, so that we see that those who are humble like the tax collector and receive the kingdom like children express their dependence and humility in a way that changes their life.
Thus Jesus affirms the commitment of Peter and the other disciples. Those who have left their home, wife, brothers and sisters, and children for the kingdom’s sake will receive many times over what they have given up in this age, and in the future they will obtain eternal life. The entire discussion began with the ruler’s asking how he could receive eternal life (Luke 18:18), and the necessity of surrendering all for the sake of the kingdom is stressed. Leaving one’s wife and children does not mean that one abandons one’s family but that some surrender the joy of marriage or having children, or perhaps they travel as missionaries without wife or children. Nor should we interpret literally the promise of receiving many times over what we have given up, as if disciples would have many wives or children. The purpose is to emphasize that believers will receive many blessings in this life and then enjoy eternal life in the age to come (cf. Matt. 12:32; Luke 16:8–9; 20:34–35; Eph. 1:21).