Bible passage: Luke 18:18-29
Key verse: "Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’” v24
This teaching is an interaction at the other end of the social scale. Here is a wealthy ruler seeking to know what it takes to be acceptable to God.
This guy would be a great recruit; he would be on the top of the list for any organisation looking for new members. The conversation Jesus has with a wealthy and influential man is opposed to His interaction with poorer others from a previous post.
The inquirer asks how he can be certain he will inherit eternal life. Jesus gives the answer any rabbi of the time would have given, that is to follow the two great commandments. But that wasn’t enough, the wealthy ruler wants more information and greater certainty.
Jesus then makes one of the better known statements of the Bible - “sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven”.
This is a challenging statement, the questioner leaves unhappily because he was very wealthy.
Jesus then says “how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven…easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle”.
These words need to be taken in the context of all the Bible says about money and how we are saved. But the key point is that our wealth is very likely the greatest impediment to our trusting and serving God.
Prompt: Hold your possessions lightly; follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
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