Luke 18:18-30 comments: the rich ruler

18:18 ¶  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. 20  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21  And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22  Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25  For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26  And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27  And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. 28  Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30  Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Jesus turns the ruler’s own question back on him. Some writers say that the Jews didn’t address their rabbis, teachers, or masters as good, the implication being that was only reserved for God alone. It is as if Jesus is saying, “Only God is good. Why do you call me good if you do not believe I am God in the flesh?” He then goes on to speak of the commandments. Paul reinforces these standards for us, given by God Himself.

Romans 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Jesus, knowing the condition of this ruler’s spiritual heart, tells him that he lacks one thing, to give up his earthly treasure to feed the poor and to put his mind on heavenly treasure. But, this man could not bring himself to part with his riches in this manner. Jesus then explains how hard it is for people with wealth to enter into God’s kingdom.

Jesus uses the statement that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This has often been distorted in evangelical circles to refer to some kind of door in the gate of a city that a camel would have to get down on its knees to pass through, being unburdened of its load. Unfortunately, there is no proof that the first century Jews called any door a, “needle’s eye,” and this fantasy is based on a 15^th century, or maybe 9^th century, myth about this door.

The fact is that a camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle. It is an absurdity. Jesus makes a very important point here. While that is impossible, nothing is impossible with God. The lesson taught here is that wealthy people tend to rely on their wealth and not God. They are not likely to give up their comforts to follow Christ and will typically make excuses that they can have their wealth and be good Christians at the same time. What Jesus is saying here is that nothing can be more important than God or you cannot enter into God’s kingdom, which makes it of a much smaller population than we would normally think.

 It is Peter then that makes the statement that unlike the rich ruler he and the disciples have left all to follow Jesus. Jesus’ final statement is that these disciples who have forsaken all they had in the world will receive abundant reward and have everlasting life to enjoy. This can only be referring to the people who were listening to Christ speak rather than to us as to apply this to the church would be a contradiction to the standards for our treatment of our families that the Holy Spirit has given us.

1Timothy 5:8  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Certainly, then, this is not a warrant for a new Christian to abandon his or her responsibilities to their family and justify it by their new-found faith. Jesus is talking to a select few disciples who are to follow Him to see His death on the Cross and to witness the aftermath of His Resurrection from the Empty Tomb and even to suffer martyrdom themselves.