Luke 18:18 30 A CERTAIN RULER asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 19 Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is good except God alone. 20You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. 21 All these I have kept since I was a boy, he said. 22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. "en come, follow me. 23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24Jesus looked at him and said, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. 26"ose who heard this asked, Who then can be saved? 27Jesus replied, What is impossible with men is possible with God. 28Peter said to him, We have le# all we had to follow you! 29 I tell you the truth, Jesus said to them, no one who has le# home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life. THIS TEXT DRAWS on two common tendencies in Luke: the use of contrast and the discussion of wealth as the basis for a call to faithfulness. 1 Note how o"en Luke discusses wealth or the associated issue of generosity (3:11; 5:11; 6:23 26, 34 35, 38; 7:5; 8:3, 14; 10:34 35; 11:41; 12:13 21, 33; 14:12 14, 33; 16:9 13, 19 31; 18:22; 19:8). 2 Handling material goods is a major life and spiritual issue. Contrasts echo throughout this text.!e rich man stands in contrast to the disciples in verses 28 30. Interestingly, we know this man as the rich young ruler, but Luke does not relate his age, just his status (Ma#. 19:22 tells us he is young). Luke is more interested in the man s a#itude than suggesting any kind of immaturity, since the a#itude is 1!is text has parallels in Ma#hew 19:16 30 and Mark 10:17 31.!e Lucan version is closer to Mark in the way it proceeds than Ma#hew. 2 R. Stein, Luke, 459. 1
destructive no ma"er how old a person is.!is rich man also stands in contrast to the blind man who seeks Jesus healing in 18:35 43.!at man, though blind, sees clearly, while the rich man, though possessing eyes, has his vision clouded by his possessions.!e rich man is like the Pharisee in 18:9 14, in that he is more concerned with where he stands than in knowing God s grace.!e text begins with the ruler asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (cf. 10:25). He is probably someone of social status, who is not only wealthy but holds some level of civic power. He wants to know how he can be sure he will be saved when God passes out the gi# of life. 3!e ruler addresses Jesus as Good teacher, perhaps in an a"empt to gain a good hearing. But Jesus puts the ruler on notice at the start that he will not be won over with a fla"ering greeting, warning the man that only God is good. When Jesus exhorts the ruler to go in a difficult direction with his wealth, the teaching is not accepted as good but is rejected with a change of countenance (v. 24).!e issue of goodness raises the question of honoring God. Jesus replies in terms of God s commandments (see Ex. 20:12 16; Deut. 5:16 20), omi"ing the ones related to God.!e Old Testament basis for Jesus reply is Deuteronomy 30:15 20, which shows that loving God first from the heart means not being drawn away into various expressions of idolatry that the world offers. 4 One of the key dangers of wealth is that possessions come first and people slip down the list. Adultery, murder, stealing, and lying should not to be a part of a believer s walk, while honoring parents should be. Jesus calls for character that is not self-serving and does not take advantage of others.!e ruler replies that he has been obedient to these commands since his youth (probably when he assumed adult responsibility around age thirteen).!ere is nothing for him to learn or fear. Jesus replies by adding an additional test to see if the man will serve God. Remember that the ruler has just called Jesus a good teacher. Surely he will respect the challenge of this mentor. Jesus then calls on the man to sell everything he has and give to the poor; by doing so he will receive treasure in heaven. A#er that, he must follow Jesus and join him in walking with God (v. 22).!e combination is crucial to understanding the nature of Jesus reply. Will this man prefer what earth can give him or what heaven offers?!is is not a test of works but a 3!e expression to inherit life has a rich Jewish background. See Psalm 36:9, 11, 18; Daniel 12:2; 2 Maccabees 7:9; 4 Maccabees 15:3; 1 Enoch 37:4; 40:9; 58:3; Psalms of Solomon 3:12. 4!e parallel in Ma"hew 19:19 cites the command to love one s neighbor, which is seen as a corollary and outgrowth to loving God in light of the Ten Commandments as a whole. 2
probing of his heart, an examination of his fundamental allegiance. Jesus is asking, in effect, Are you covetous, and is your security in God s call or in your possessions? Jesus has already taught that one cannot serve God or Money (16:13), so the reply is designed to see which the man prefers. 5 In sum, Jesus wants to know if his faith is in the things of the earth or in the way of God.!e man reacts with sadness. He is wealthy and would have to give up much. Jesus commentary in verses 24 25 implies that the personal identity of a rich person is so bound up with the things of this earth that it is all but impossible for him to turn everything over to God s care (cf. 6:24; 12:15, 21; 16:9).!e remark about the eye of the needle sounds strong. If a camel going through the eye of a needle is impossible, where does that leave the rich for whom entry into the kingdom is even harder? 6 Jesus remarks to the rich man have traumatized the disciples.!e rich were o#en seen as the blessed. A#er all, did not Old Testament teaching on wealth suggest as much (Prov. 6:6 11; 10:4; 28:19)? If the rich cannot get into heaven, who can? Who can be saved (v. 26)? But we should note that the rich are not always portrayed as the recipients of divine blessing in the Old Testament.!e prophets o#en took them to task for not using their resources generously, and blessings did not automatically await them (Amos 6; Micah 6). Jesus call stands solidly in the Old Testament prophetic tradition. What human beings cannot do, God is able to do. He must change the human heart and open the way to himself.!ere are those who are able to do what Jesus asks. God makes it possible. So Peter steps forward and raises the fundamental question. His statement, We have le# all to follow you, in effect is asking whether they have passed the sell all test. Have they done what Jesus is asking the ruler to do? Jesus reply basically responds affirmatively to Peter. Anyone who leaves home, wife, children, or the family for the sake of the kingdom of God will receive much more family in this life, the family of God, and eternal life in the age to come.!e passage ends with the same topic that began it: eternal life. We must ally our- 5!ere is another indication of the rhetorical force of Jesus request of the rich man. Zacchaeus was a rich man who sold half of his possessions to give to the poor; yet Jesus said of him that salvation had come to his house.!is rich man simply turns away, showing that he does not even want to discuss the call with Jesus. His heart is firmly rooted in his material identity. 6 Some have argued that Jesus is alluding to Needle s Eye Gate in Jerusalem here, but this is entirely unlikely, since then there is no figure of speech to interpret. A camel going through a gate was not a difficult assignment; see D. Bock, Luke (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1994), 301. 3
selves in relationship to Jesus and rest all our welfare on his care. We call this faith trusting Jesus with our welfare is to enter a new family and to receive the gi" of life. Jesus is saying to Peter that he has that gi". God has made possible what would have otherwise been impossible. THIS TEXT S EXAMINATION of one s fundamental allegiance is really an exposure of the most subtle forms of idolatry. It is a timeless test of the heart. We must pause and reflect as we read this story, asking why Jesus would make such a challenge. Like a prophet, he probes the heart and raises a question that not only this rich man needs to hear, but all of us as well.!is man thought he had a righteous heart, but Jesus question exposed that he had other gods who offered him more than he thought heaven could give.!e call to sell all touched a nerve that exposed this man s lack of allegiance to God and should have led to his turning to God for grace. But he is not interested in laying his priorities out before God. So what is Jesus view of wealth?!at question requires that we look at several texts, not just this one.!is background to the question and the later example of Zacchaeus show that the central issue is not selling everything in order to know God. Salvation does not come through an empty bank account. Rather, what bridges the contexts is the question of where our trust resides. Does it center in our possessions and the security they give? Or does it center in God? Do we recognize that everything we have is part of the stewardship God gives us that is not ours to own? Will we pretend to be righteous, while we hold to other resources as security in the face of God s offer? Peter, Zacchaeus, and others passed the test, not because they literally sold all (Zacchaeus continued to own resources), but because the direction of God became the central orientation for their lives.!ey had le" all for the sake of the kingdom. Even though in some moments there was gross failure, as in Peter s denials, their hearts were turned in the right direction. Also central to this passage is the recognition that God changes the human heart. What humans are too self-focused to accomplish on their own, God does by changing the heart. Salvation is an act of his grace; he is able to cause us to see differently. Even the rich can become poor in spirit through his work. Furthermore, when God directs us, the resources we have are put to use for the needy. 4
Jesus called the rich man to turn his resources over to God so that they could be used to help such people.!is type of generosity demonstrates a heart turned toward God. When God is truly sought out, he points us to service for others. Jesus own ministry is the best example of this. THIS PASSAGE CHALLENGES us to ask where our fundamental anchors of identity lie. Possessions can be one such root.!ey can shade our sight from the central values and chain our heart to the wrong point of identity. Few biblical figures are as tragic as this young rich man as he walks away from Jesus invitation. But others factors, such as achievement, pride, and family, can also reside in the place that should be reserved for God. Anything that excessively anchors us to the earth rather than freeing us as commissioned representatives from God indicates a breakdown in the discipleship process. What is really frightening is how easy it is for all of us to choose earth over heaven. We do not, of course, have to be perfect to be saved, but God s people must recognize just how important trust in him is.!rough hearts focused on the Lord, we receive eternal life and come to know him more fully.!e text also suggests we should carefully consider how to use the resources God gives us. Luke 12:13 21 and 16:1 13 have raised this question already, but this passage highlights the direction our resources should go. Meeting the needs of the poor is a concrete expression of compassion. In a world where a few people, relatively speaking, hold the majority of the world s resources, application of this passage is not easy. Needs exist everywhere.!e rich who have turned to God should act concretely by performing deeds of ministry and service to those who have genuine needs (cf. discussion on 4:16 30; 14:7 14). Perhaps the most fundamental application is one that Peter later develops that Jesus followers are as strangers and aliens on this earth (1 Peter 2:11ff.). When Jesus asks this man to sell all and follow him with the promise of treasure in heaven, he is asking the man to become a citizen of heaven. Such citizenship (Phil. 3:20) means that the things of earth grow strangely dim in light of our glorious and gracious relationship with God. Our resources cease to be ours; they become tools of heaven in order to serve him. Only when we have a sense of detachment from the things of earth can we give our all to God. 5
Another encouraging feature of this text is that such detachment is possible. Peter asked if they had done it, and Jesus assured them that they had. It is possible to take one s heart and place its welfare into God s tender loving care. Jesus tried to get the rich man to give such trust, but he could not. Peter and the other disciples, on the other hand, had and thus joined that family of fellow travelers who honor God. In the end, they gain far more than anything they give up. Finally, the text makes it clear that we gain an entire new family when we come to Jesus.!is truth is particularly important in context where many come from fragmented families.!e church becomes a place where new brothers and sisters provide encouragement, emotional support, and/or other forms of sustenance. We note this especially whenever small groups in churches rally to a family s needs in the midst of a crisis.!rough such support, taking the difficult road of discipleship becomes a li#le easier 6