Click here for the Luke 18:23-27 PODCAST
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus 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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ~ Luke 18:23-27
The events of today's text happens in response to the question of the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18: "What do I do to inherit eternal life?" Here is a man who believed in God. The Lord Jesus doesn't say one thing to this man about faith. He doesn't tell him to believe. He doesn't tell him what to believe. He doesn't give him facts to believe. The rich young ruler's issue was discovered within his heart. Salvation begins in the heart.
No matter what we may believe, no one enters the kingdom of God unless we confess our sinfulness and submit our eternity to the person of the Jesus Christ as our Savior. Salvation is not just about what we believe concerning God and His work. In addition, it is about what we believe concerning our own hearts. It is about coming to the end of ourselves and it is about recognizing that we have not and will not achieve anything to merit God's favor.
In John 17:3 we read, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." “Eternal life” is God's life. For mankind, eternal life is having a personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus. We can not have a personal relationship with God but through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is justification and it precedes sanctification.
The practical result of having a personal relationship with God is being given His definition of all things. This is sanctification, not to be confused with justification which is being made right and acceptable before God. Justification renders a personal relationship with God wherein we have the possibility of growing in a deepening knowledge of God and His ways. It is out of this relationship with God that we learn to view time through the lens of His word and eternity.
In v.23 we read, "When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy." When the rich young ruler heard the words of the Lord Jesus, "Give all you have to the poor and come and follow me", he was sad because he was used to being defined by His wealth.
The Lord Jesus was not saying that everyone must give up all their wealth in order to be saved. It is not possessing riches that keeps people out of heaven. It is not even being possessed by riches and trusting them that makes salvation difficult for the wealthy. It is our willingness to allow God the experience of driving His flag into our existence that makes the difference. The one thing this young man lacked was the Lord Jesus.
In v.24-25 we read, "24 Jesus 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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
It is impossible for rich people who trust in their wealth to be saved. The Jews had been conditioned for thousands of years that wealth was a sign of God's favor. They assumed that their acceptance before God was based on certain conditions, like wealth. But God's grace is the opposite of their assumptions. His grace is unconditional acceptance given to an undeserving people by an unobligated giver.
Some say this needle of which the Lord Jesus spoke in v.25, was a reference to the Needle Gate, a low and narrow after-hours entrance found in the wall surrounding Jerusalem. It was purposely small for security reasons, and a camel could only go through it by stripping off any saddles or packs and crawling through on its knees.
Others say, "No, no, the Lord Jesus is referring to a survival needle and an actual camel ring through it." Whichever is correct, the point is it is an impossibility. And to add to that was the fact these Jews believed that riches were a mark of God’s blessing in their life. So they ask, “Who then can be saved?”
The world is full of people who are caught up in religion because they are aware of the huge hole in the human soul. And, most can't figure out what's missing. This is the cry of the unsatisfied, the unfulfilled heart. The answer is to get to the place where we cry to God out of our lack. But, this man's life-long habit of appearing to have it all together fought against him.
In v.27 we read, "Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God." Only God can bridge the chasm that man created, separating us from God. And, He did this by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sin head on and defeated it. As a result, the foundation of Christianity is God’s faithfulness, not ours.
Christianity is Good News, not good advice, good technique, or good behavior. We experience His eternal life, not ours. We, in no way, contribute to the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. And, His life, eternal life is unaffected by death.
