Luke 18:18-34
Luke 18:18-34
The Rich Young Ruler in this passage is asking the age-old question - what must I do to go to Heaven. Even as secular as our world is today, everyone wrestles with this question. What happens after death and what does it take to go to Heaven? Have I lived a good enough life? What’s interesting is that when the Rich Ruler asks Jesus what it takes to have eternal life Jesus answers by listing commandments from the Bible, but he leaves out what he calls the “greatest commandment,” to love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40). The Rich Ruler answers that he has kept all the commandments. So then Jesus adds “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” In other words, Jesus says, sell your stuff, love others and follow me, and this sent the Rich Ruler away sad.
So what does this passage mean/what is it teaching us? The Rich Ruler thought that eternal life could be earned or purchased, but Jesus shatters that theology. He says it’s harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (v. 25). It wasn’t the Rich Ruler’s good deeds that made it impossible for him to have eternal life, it wasn’t even his money. It was that he thought he had everything he needed - he didn’t need God. He thought he could achieve eternal life on his own by his means. The truth is, even if we worked our fingers down to the bone we could still never remove our sin and our need for a savior. Salvation and eternal life belong to God (Ps 3:8, Rev 7:10). This is why Jesus says, “what is impossible with man is possible with God” (v. 27).
My favorite part of this passage is how Jesus follows up the section on needing God to inherit eternal life with a blatant description of the sacrifice he needed to make to give them that life. Our salvation is a free gift from God - all we have to do is believe, but it was not free for Jesus. Our salvation demanded his perfect, holy, sinless life as a substitutionary sacrifice for ours. This is where the application comes in. If that reality is true for us, then we should be willing to forsake ALL to follow him. We must be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him (Matt 16:24-25). Is there something in your life that is holding you back from following him? A possession, a job, a past hurt, a sin? Take heart, Christ will help you let go of whatever is holding you back and has given you his word to encourage you.
Family Discussion
What is the “Golden Rule?”
What is one thing you have given up to follow Jesus?
Is God calling you to give up something in your life right now?
By: Joe Weaver
The Rich Young Ruler in this passage is asking the age-old question - what must I do to go to Heaven. Even as secular as our world is today, everyone wrestles with this question. What happens after death and what does it take to go to Heaven? Have I lived a good enough life? What’s interesting is that when the Rich Ruler asks Jesus what it takes to have eternal life Jesus answers by listing commandments from the Bible, but he leaves out what he calls the “greatest commandment,” to love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40). The Rich Ruler answers that he has kept all the commandments. So then Jesus adds “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” In other words, Jesus says, sell your stuff, love others and follow me, and this sent the Rich Ruler away sad.
So what does this passage mean/what is it teaching us? The Rich Ruler thought that eternal life could be earned or purchased, but Jesus shatters that theology. He says it’s harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (v. 25). It wasn’t the Rich Ruler’s good deeds that made it impossible for him to have eternal life, it wasn’t even his money. It was that he thought he had everything he needed - he didn’t need God. He thought he could achieve eternal life on his own by his means. The truth is, even if we worked our fingers down to the bone we could still never remove our sin and our need for a savior. Salvation and eternal life belong to God (Ps 3:8, Rev 7:10). This is why Jesus says, “what is impossible with man is possible with God” (v. 27).
My favorite part of this passage is how Jesus follows up the section on needing God to inherit eternal life with a blatant description of the sacrifice he needed to make to give them that life. Our salvation is a free gift from God - all we have to do is believe, but it was not free for Jesus. Our salvation demanded his perfect, holy, sinless life as a substitutionary sacrifice for ours. This is where the application comes in. If that reality is true for us, then we should be willing to forsake ALL to follow him. We must be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him (Matt 16:24-25). Is there something in your life that is holding you back from following him? A possession, a job, a past hurt, a sin? Take heart, Christ will help you let go of whatever is holding you back and has given you his word to encourage you.
Family Discussion
What is the “Golden Rule?”
What is one thing you have given up to follow Jesus?
Is God calling you to give up something in your life right now?
By: Joe Weaver
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