Luke 18:18-30 "Can The Rich Be Saved?"
I used to love watching The Walking Dead on Sunday nights. My favorite character was Herschel Greene. Older dude with a white beard—someone I could relate to on the show. He was also a man of faith. The show is about a virus that causes people to come back from the dead as cannibalistic zombies. In one episode he said, “I can't profess to understand God's plan, but Christ promised a resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind.”
Well, a few seasons into the show, Herschel was attacked by a zombie and it bit a chunk out of his leg. If you’re bit, you die. But the leader of the show, Rick Grimes, has the idea to cut off Herschel’s leg to save his life. Herschel wasn’t crazy about the idea but eventually went along with it and it worked. His life was spared.
Which was good because later he’d save his daughter, Maggie, many times—she would go on to be the hero of the show and save thousands of people.
Sometimes, if we want to live, we have to give up something that’s killing us. We’ll almost never want to do it.
My dad saw a doctor about a sore spot on his neck and was told he was going to have to lose half his tongue and a part of his jaw. Many of you have had similar doctor’s visits—either for yourself or with a family member. It’s never really a difficult decision but it’s not easy either.
Today Jesus is going to diagnose a young man with a terminal disease—unfortunately, it’s one we all have.
VERSE 18:
And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 18:18
Matthew says he was a young man, Luke says he was a ruler—probably a leader in the local synagogue, maybe a member of the ruling council (The Sanhedrin). He’s wealthy, powerful, and young—that’s quite a combination. He had heard about Jesus and must have thought Jesus would know the answer. It’s an interesting question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
He wants the recipe. He wants Jesus to tell him to do something. Something really difficult. Obviously, this Jesus guy had cracked the code, figured it out, it must be doable since He did it. Wants Jesus to tell him what to do.
I think the question betrays part of his misunderstanding. What does a person usually have to “do” to inherit something? Usually, they just have to be born or adopted into the family—that’s usually what qualifies a person for an inheritance.
So, this is a lot like last week with Jesus blessing the babies. Those infants didn’t have to “do” anything, they just received the blessing.
The things we “do” usually work the other way around—people might “do” something to get them written out of a will.
So, the rich young ruler comes to Jesus and says, “Good teacher, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life?”
VERSE 19:
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Luke 18:19
Why’s Jesus being so snarky? This is why they call it “Jesus juking.”
Some people point at this verse and say, “See? Jesus says He’s not God. No one is good except for God!” Is that what Jesus is saying?
No. He’s actually saying exactly the opposite. More like, “You realize by calling me “good” you’re calling me God, right?”
Step one to inherit eternal life: Acknowledge that Jesus is God—The only good and holy person who exists.
Jesus wasn’t correcting that the man called Him “good,” He was pointing out the implication of what he said. He continues to agree with the young man…
Still VERSE 19:
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
Luke 18:19-20
All of these commandments are from what we call the second table—commandments that focus on how to love our neighbor. Very concrete, easy-to-understand commandments that flow from the more abstract and nebulous concepts of the first table—which are ways to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus picked a handful of commandments that most people think they probably do a pretty good job keeping. Including our young friend…
VERSE 21:
And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” Luke 18:21
The rich young ruler wanted to know what difficult thing he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminded him of his Sunday School lessons—the easiest of the Ten Commandments to keep (at least they seem that way on the surface). The young man was like, “Duh! I already know that—give me a challenge!”
VERSE 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.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Luke 18:22-23
Jesus looks into the man’s heart like a human MRI machine—scans for deadly tumors and makes His diagnosis. The man’s wealth, his riches, his family home, his position in the synagogue—those things were fatal to him. They had to be removed. “Sell all your stuff, leave everything behind, and join me on my journey to a cross in Jerusalem.”
And like anyone diagnosed with a terminal disease, the dude wasn’t pleased with the news.
His response is completely understandable. The last thing to be converted for most of us is our wallet—we hold onto our money like Gollem held on to “my precious.” And if you remember what happened to Gollem in the end at Mordor—it’s kind of the same thing that’s going to happen to us if we don’t let it go.
But Jesus goes straight to awkward with this guy. “You want to know what you have to do to inherit eternal life? You have to let go of all that false security and wealth and comfort and power—give it all away—and become one of the least of my disciples. Follow me.”
He wasn’t ready to hear that, so he went away sad. There’s a church tradition, a story that was passed down, that this young ruler was Mark—the guy who wrote the Gospel of Mark. At the end of that Gospel, there’s a strange little detail that only the author would probably remember—it says one of Jesus’ followers tried to run away from the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane but they grabbed his tunic and he streaked away naked. As if that tunic was the only thing that young man owned. So, maybe he came back and followed Jesus after all—but not at first, not in this story.
Another detail only found in the Gospel of Mark is that when Jesus looked at the young man, He loved him. A detail that maybe only the guy who looked in the eyes of the Lord would have noticed.
VERSE 24:
Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” Luke 18:24-25
The old “camel through the eye of a needle” trick. What the heck is Jesus talking about?
He said, “It’s difficult for anyone who has wealth to enter the kingdom of God.” That should get all of our attention. I guarantee this rich young ruler didn’t have it as good as any of us. We’re rich beyond his wildest dreams. Air conditioning, running water, refrigeration, automobiles, ice cream—he couldn’t imagine such treasures.
Jesus says, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Which means, “It’s impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Im—poss—ible.
People have been trying for 2,000 years to find a loophole in this. Trying to find some other way to understand it.
I’ve heard preachers say there was a gate called “The Eye of the Needle.” The only way a camel could enter through that gate was to remove all the baggage from its back and then the camel had to get on its knees and crawl through the opening. See? Isn’t that what Jesus is saying we have to do? Get all our treasure off our back and kneel—that’s how we enter the kingdom of God! It’s a nice story. But that’s not what Jesus is saying. There was no “needle gate.”
He didn’t say it was merely “difficult” for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. He said it was “impossible.” He’s talking about an actual camel and the tiny hole in the top of a sewing needle. I suppose you could take some comfort in knowing that the holes in their needles were bigger than ours—still not enough room for a camel to squeeze through.
This is that famous Jesus sense of humor. He’s being ridiculous. It’s funny to think of a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle. Does it try to push through with its nose? Or one foot at a time?
But the crowd didn’t think it was very funny—this is one of the things I like to think Jesus and I have in common. People don’t get our jokes.
VERSE 26:
Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:26-27
They kind of give away their envy. Who doesn’t want to be rich? It’s a bit of a confession on the part of the disciples. They were right to assume what Jesus said to the young man applies to them, too. We all have the same problem our young friend had.
The rich young ruler asked about “inheriting eternal life.” Jesus called it, “Entering the kingdom of God.” And everyone else was like, “Then who can be saved?” Those are all the same thing. Inheriting eternal life, entering the kingdom of God, and being saved. These are all salvation, and they all come from Christ alone by grace through faith. These are all the Gospel.
“Who can be saved?” It’s a valid question. If a squeaky-clean young man who comes from a good family, a leader in the synagogue, who seems to be blessed by God in every way imaginable. What parents wouldn’t be proud to have him as a son? What single lady wouldn’t want him as their man? If he can’t be saved—if it’s impossible for HIM to be saved—then what chance do the rest of us have?
So Jesus tells them, and we should pay close attention to His answer. “What’s impossible with man is possible with God.” You can’t save yourself but God can save you.
This whole thing is even making the Disciples nervous—Peter speaks up for them…
VERSE 28:
And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” Luke 18:28
“But we’re fine, right Lord? We already did what you asked that guy to do, right? We already made the impossibly hard choice—right?”
VERSE 29:
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:29-30
It’s a comforting answer. In other words, “My friends, I haven’t asked anyone to give up anything that I’m not going to give them back times a hundred!”
And I know, we all think, “Of course, when Jesus comes back… or when I die and go to heaven… when I get my eternal reward… then everything I gave up to follow Jesus will be like nothing compared to the riches of glory.”
That’s not the only thing He said.
There is nothing you have given up IN THIS TIME… In this life. Now. Anything you give up, you’ll get back many times over in this life AND on top of that, eternal life in the age to come.
Peter specifically mentions how they had left their families and their homes to follow Jesus—we know he had a wife and a mother-in-law—I’m sure he missed them. Well, his wife anyway. Jesus wanted to remind them that they had a new family in the church—the family of God. He shares His Father with everyone who believes in Him. The waters of baptism are thicker than blood relatives—you know what’s even thicker than that? Blood relatives who are brothers and sisters in the church. And don’t miss this—by sharing His Father with us, He also shares His inheritance with us—this is the answer to how we receive eternal life.
The rich young ruler went away sad because he thought he had too much to lose by following Jesus. The truth is, he had so much more to lose if he didn’t. I’m not only talking about heaven and hell things—although that’s true, too. I’m talking about here and now things—in this time.
His quality of life was not going to diminish if he followed Jesus. He might die a martyr. He might be forced to run away naked in the middle of the night when the soldiers show up with swords. But he would never regret any of it. Peace and joy that surpass all understanding.
Not everyone is called to be a martyr. Not everyone is called to give away all their possessions to help other people. The Bible is full of very wealthy people who serve God faithfully with all their money and treasure. Abraham, David, Hezekiah. In a few weeks, we’re going to meet Zacchaeus—Jesus doesn’t tell him to give all his wealth away. Joseph of Arimathaea was a disciple and was rich, so was Lydia. Remember Ananias and Saphira? (They might not be the best examples but they weren’t told to give up their wealth.) James only warns the rich against trusting in wealth instead of trusting in God. Sometimes people say, “If money is such a bad thing why does the church take up offerings?” The answer is obvious: The mission of the Gospel is not to make money but it does take money to do the mission. Always has.
Jesus had a lot of wealthy people who followed Him and paid for the ministry. The rest of the New Testament talks about a bunch of wealthy and powerful people who used their wealth to further the kingdom of God in their time.
So, Jesus isn’t telling everyone to give everything away—that’s not the point of this passage. But don’t miss what one of the points is: He might. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities. He is absolutely saying that everything we have must be put under His Lordship. Every single thing. The question is always: Lord, what do You want me to do with this all this stuff You’ve given me?
He will tell you. But you probably won’t like His answer at first.
And when you hesitate—because you probably will—remember our friend the camel.
Jesus doesn’t ask for anything from any of us that we wouldn’t be better without. It’s always a serious diagnosis of a potential spiritual problem. Have any of your possessions bitten you? Infected you? Better get that hatchet. He also doesn’t ask for anything from us that He isn’t going to return with massive interest. This is true on every level. We can’t outgive God.
But when you hesitate—because you probably will—remember how small a needle is.
And, most importantly, in your moment of hesitation—don’t do what the rich young ruler did—don’t walk away from Jesus sad.
You can’t do anything to inherit eternal life but if you walk away from Jesus and His grace, you can certainly renounce your inheritance. Following Jesus is the only way to life. Eternal life and abundant life in the here and now.
Jesus is offering you life. He is the way the truth and the life. Abundant life now and eternal life to come. What do you have to do to receive it? Don’t walk away. Don’t cut yourself off from the divine source—the Creator and sustainer of life. Don’t try to achieve success in life with all the things you’ve managed to accumulate and shove in your pockets. Just don’t walk away, keep trusting and believing in Jesus, following Him—bring all your stuff with you. He’ll tell you what to do with it. He’s got big plans. Plans that include you. To bless you, not to harm you. To save you. Be ready to let go of anything that would keep you from holding on to Him.
Don’t keep staring at all the things He tells you to give up—keep your eyes on His promise. Fix your heart on God’s Word that “you shall have treasure in heaven.” The kingdom of heaven in the here and now and the kingdom of glory that’s yet to come. Heaven can’t be bought with money but hell sure can—hell will try to buy you with your own money. The things you possess will try to possess you.
Before the rich young ruler would be able to give up all his possessions, he was going to have to put his trust and faith in Jesus. It’s the same with you. Until you trust in the pure grace of what Jesus has promised to do for you in this life and in the life to come, you’re going to hold onto all your stuff like you’re afraid He’s trying to take it away from you. If you want to live, you’re going to have to give up everything that’s killing you. You’re not going to want to. But He doesn’t ask you to give up anything that isn’t in the way of the better life He has for you.
I don’t think there could be a greater assurance and comfort for all of us sitting here in Katy, Texas this morning than what Jesus said here: God can even save the rich.
All your wealth, all your keeping the Commandments, and personal sacrifices can’t save you. But Jesus promises that any sacrifice made for God’s kingdom will be generously compensated in this life and in the life to come. Eternal life in the kingdom of heaven is your inheritance by your loving heavenly Father’s grace alone. And, in His generosity, He will also reward you as you love and care for each other now.
AMEN
[Prayer] The blessings You give, the promise of the life You offer us, generous Father, are impossibly out of our reach. Lift us up by the grace of Your Son, our Savior, that we may receive all You have prepared for us. Amen.