Luke 18:18 - 30
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 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.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers[b] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What was the purpose of the ruler asking this question?
2. What is the purpose of Jesus question about calling Him good?
3. Why does Jesus bring up the commandments?
4. Why did the ruler have to sell everything he has?
5. Do we need to sell everything we have to follow Jesus?
6. What does it look like to have treasure in heaven?
7. What is it about wealth that makes it difficult to enter the kingdom of God?
8. What is the camel going through the eye of a needle referring to?
9. What did Jesus mean by what is impossible for man is possible with God?
10. What was Peter trying to say?
11. Should we be leaving our house and family to serve God?
12. How does the rewards work and what are they?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html says:
ReplyDeleteA common interpretation is that Jesus was showing this guy his sin. Jesus’ point was not that he would be saved by keeping the commandments; his point was: “you haven’t kept the commandments, so you must be saved by another way — namely, by faith in me.”
Some people say that this interpretation is importing a theological system onto the text. That it seems too complex of a treatment of the passage.
But I don’t think it is. This becomes clear when you consider the account in Luke. For, in Luke, right before this Jesus had just told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
Here’s the point: The rich young ruler failed to learn the lesson of the Pharisee and tax collector. It is after this that the rich young ruler comes up to Jesus and says “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
When Jesus says “you know the commandments,” and the rich young ruler responds “all these I have kept from my youth,” he is echoing the Pharisee from the passage just a few verses earlier. He, like the Pharisee, thinks he is a law keeper.
And so, with the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector coming just before this (with the instance of the children coming to Jesus right in between — which makes the same point as the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector [“whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it”]), it is hard to escape the conclusion that Luke is indeed seeking to drive home the same lesson.
Jesus is essentially saying to him: “OK, you don’t get it. So I’m going to show you that you aren’t a law keeper by challenging you on this point.” So he challenges him with the first and tenth commandments — to have no other gods and not to be covetous — by saying “go, sell all that you have.” And when the rich young ruler becomes sad at this, it shows that, like the tax collector, he is not a lawkeeper after all — he has broken the tenth commandment and first commandment by preferring money over God.
Here’s the point: When Jesus said to him “you know the commandments” and even “go, sell all that you have,” Jesus was not saying that we become saved by keeping the commandments. That would contradict the point of the parable he had just told before this about the Pharisee and tax collector (18:9-14).
Rather, his point was to reinforce the point of that parable — that none of us are lawkeepers but are only justified by acknowledging our sinfulness, as the tax collector did (18:13-14). This is what it means to receive the kingdom of God as a child (18:17) — you don’t rely on your own efforts, but simply cry to God for mercy. Jesus was bringing the rich young ruler to see the same point about salvation that he just made in verses 13-14 and verse 17.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteOne objection: After the rich man goes away, Peter basically says “Hey, look, we did what you told him to do — we did leave our homes and follow you” (18:28). So does this indicate that, since Peter did do what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do, Jesus was actually saying he would be saved by selling all his possessions?
Not in the slightest. For if you look back to when Peter left everything to follow Jesus, you see something striking. After Jesus demonstrated his power by enabling the large catch of fish, notice what Peter did:
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'” (Luke 5:8).
Notice that this is also in the gospel of Luke. Luke clearly intends for us to remember this. Here’s the point: Peter entered the kingdom just like the tax collector in the parable. He entered the kingdom by, like the tax collector, acknowledging his sinfulness and looking for mercy. And Jesus gave him mercy, and then Peter left everything to follow Jesus.
Acknowledging our sin and looking to Christ for mercy comes first. Then, lawkeeping follows. Those who think they are following the law without having humbled themselves like the tax collector (18:13-14) or a child (18:17) or Peter (5:8) are not following the law and are not saved.
But those who, like Peter and the tax collector, know that they are sinful and look to Christ for mercy — these people are then able to follow Jesus in radical obedience. But humbling ourselves by looking for justification apart from works comes first. Then, out of that, radical obedience flows — sometimes even to the point of, like Peter, leaving all our possessions in following Jesus.
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Jesus was not saying that there will be no rich people saved--the Old Testament is filled with samples of wealthy people who surrendered to the will of God and remained wealthy and who will have a share in the kingdom. But in the days of Jesus the people had come to accept the teaching that the rich would automatically be in the kingdom, primarily because their richness was seen as a clear evidence of God’s blessing on their life (and poverty was seen as a punishment for sin--the poor were called sinners). But Jesus here made it clear, that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom.
The response of Jesus makes it clear that salvation is by the grace of God: “With man this (salvation for everyone) is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDelete1. Why did Jesus tell the man that he had to obey the commandments to enter life?
As stated in the articles above, he was attempting to teach the man that he could not be justified by his own good works.
2. Why did Jesus tell the man that he had to sell everything to follow Him?
This was a continuation of Jesus teaching that the man could not be justified by his works. Jesus cut his foundation out from under him. It was an act of love.
3. Do we have to sell everything to follow Jesus?
In a way, yes. We cannot let anything on this earth get in the way of following Jesus. Once we are done with allowing money to rule us, God leads us to use money for His kingdom. When it doesn't matter whether we have money or not, it doesn't matter anymore whether we have money or not. It only matters that our money has become God's money, and that our plans for the money are God's plans.
God wants His people to utilize power on this earth (i.e. money) for His kingdom.
4. Why exactly is it harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom?
Because money is a trap. It leads us to rely on it instead of God. If we can avoid reliance on money, we can be part of the kingdom. Then, money becomes beneficial to God's kingdom.
5. Should we be leaving our spouses, children and houses?
Our priority is to God and God alone. If our family has the same priority, it's almost always God's will that we serve together as a team. The family makes us stronger and able to serve God more. If our family does not have the same priority, we need to choose God over them.
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While some have suggested that Christ's question contradicts the orthodox view that He was God incarnate, the opposite is actually the case. Jesus is forcing the young ruler to face the implications of calling Jesus "good," not only with regard to Jesus' goodness, but also with regard to his own. The young ruler shows himself to be "good" by every human test - he is devoted to keeping the Law. His fellow Jews considered his wealth to be another measure of his goodness. However, Jesus' pointed question here and His command that the young ruler renounce his wealth and follow Him (10:21) reveal that human standards of goodness are not God's.
The first commandment of the Law is to place God first in one's life and to love Him completely. The young ruler "went away sad" (10:22) because he realized that though he had devoted himself to keeping the other commandments, he had failed to keep the first.
When we consider that Jesus is drawing a distinction between human standards of "good" and God's standard, it becomes clear that following Jesus is good according to God's standard. And, even if Scripture did not elsewhere abundantly declare Jesus' goodness and righteousness (see, for example, John 10:11, 14; Romans 3:25; Heb 4:15; 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19, etc.), the command to follow Him would proclaim it. Thus, by the very standard Jesus is exhorting the young ruler to measure himself by - God's standard - Jesus is good. And, if Jesus is good by this standard, Jesus is implicitly declaring His Deity.
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He questions the young ruler's use of the term, but this does not mean that Jesus refuses the title. If we consider the immediate context and other verses that speak to the issue of Christ's goodness, the correct interpretation of this verse becomes clear. The immediate context, as demonstrated in the commentary (above), argues that Jesus is not refusing to accept the term. Further, Jesus elsewhere uses "Good" to refer to Himself: "I am the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11).
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteTo understand Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s question—“What must I do to be saved?”—we must consider three things: the background of the rich young ruler, the purpose of his question, and the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. At first glance, it appears that Jesus is saying that the young man and, by extension, all people must obey the commandments in order to be saved. But is that really what He was saying? Since the essence of the salvation message is that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), why would Jesus offer the rich young ruler an “alternative plan”?
Since no Roman ruler would address Jesus as “teacher” or “master,” it is assumed that this man was a Jewish ruler in the local synagogue. This man also had “great wealth” (Matthew 19:22), and Jesus later used His conversation with this man to teach the detrimental effect money can have on one’s desire for eternal life (verses 23–24). The lesson Jesus draws from this incident concerns money, not salvation by works.
The first thing Jesus says to the man’s greeting, “Good teacher,” is to remind him that no one is good except God (Matthew 19:17). Jesus was not denying His own divinity. Rather, Jesus was immediately getting the man to think about what “good” really means—since only God is good, then what we normally call human goodness might be something else entirely This truth comes into play later in the conversation. When the man asked Jesus to specify which commandments he should keep, Jesus recited six of the commandments, including “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19). The man replies, “All these I have kept. . . . What do I still lack?” (verse 20), and that is a key statement. The young man was obviously religious and sincere in his pursuit of righteousness. His problem was that he considered himself to be faultless concerning the Law. And this is the point that Jesus challenges.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteDoes the passage about the rich young ruler teach that Jesus expects His followers to give up all of their possessions to follow Him?
It’s true that Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up his wealth and follow Him ( Mark 10:21 ).
On other occasions, Jesus didn’t rebuke friends who owned property or command them to sell their homes and businesses. In fact, He often ate with people and stayed at their homes. Friends like Mary and Martha or Zacchaeus the publican were clearly not among the poor. He was even buried in the newly excavated tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin.
So why, then, did Jesus set up what seems to be such a stringent requirement for this particular young man? ( Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 ).
Jesus knew the young man’s heart. He knew that he was looking for a way to earn his salvation on his own terms. He may have thought that the Master would give him a specific task or good deed to perform that would win eternal life, one that wouldn’t require him to humble himself and unconditionally set his life under the authority of Christ. Instead, Jesus set up a requirement that clearly illustrated the basic issue: the rich young man’s desire to retain control of his life.
Jesus wasn’t implying that salvation can actually be earned by good deeds. Even if the rich young ruler would have given away his riches and followed Christ, he wouldn’t have earned his salvation. However, if he had done so, he would have surrendered his desire for autonomy and acknowledged God’s authority to do what He wanted with his life.
Jesus felt compassion for this young man. But because He knew that the ruler was seeking to manipulate God, He had no choice but to send him away with a clear awareness of his failure.
The Bible makes it clear that possession of wealth involves responsibility, including a responsibility to be compassionate to the poor. But the Bible doesn’t say that all Christians should sell everything they have and give the proceeds to the poor. The hearts of some people, like the rich young ruler’s heart, may require such drastic measures. But for others, giving away everything would be an act of poor stewardship—an unwillingness to make wise, compassionate use of the gifts given by God.
On the other hand, Jesus indicated that a poor person is spiritually in a better position to receive the gospel( Matthew 19:23-24 ; Luke 6:24-25 ). A poor person can’t look to wealth to shield him from the reality of his spiritual poverty and dependence upon God. Poor people have their worries, just as wealthy people do. But poverty is a blessing in disguise when it makes it harder for a person to maintain the illusion of control, and easier to see his need for God. Furthermore, the best things in life aren’t related to wealth. A person in good health is better off—even in material terms—than a well-to-do person with a terminal disease. A person with a small income can enjoy friendship, love, and the beauty of the natural world just as much as a wealthy person can.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteWhat really matters is the purpose that possessions play in our lives. Are we looking to possessions for the meaning and security in our lives, or are we looking at them as blessings that can help us fulfill our role in God’s kingdom?
The apostle Paul left no doubt regarding the means of our salvation and assurance:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And what about our physical needs? Although Jesus doesn’t tell us that possessions are evil in themselves, He clearly defined where our focus should be:
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).
What did Jesus mean when He said that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven? Bible students have given a variety of answers to this question. Some have seen the expression “eye of the needle” as a term denoting a gate into Jerusalem so small that a camel could go through it only after it had shed its entire burden and assumed a kneeling position. Others have said that the Greek word translated “camel” should be changed a little so that it means “rope.” In other words, it is easier for a rope to be passed through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Neither explanation is critical to interpreting the passage.
Jesus deliberately drew a ludicrous picture to make a strong impression on those who heard Him. He wanted His disciples to recognize that riches can be a great hindrance to salvation. Then, to make it clear that not all wealthy people reject salvation, He added, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Through the working of the Holy Spirit, even rich people sometimes acknowledge their spiritual poverty, repent of their sins, and follow Christ.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly did Jesus mean when He said, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first”? First, we should eliminate what He did not mean. Jesus was not teaching that the way to get to heaven is to live a life of poverty in this world. Scripture is clear that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8–9)—and independent of one’s financial status. Also, Jesus was not teaching an automatic reversal of roles in heaven. There is no heavenly law wherein the poor and oppressed must rule over the rich and powerful. The rich aren’t always last in heaven, and the poor aren’t always first. Nor will believers who enjoy wealth and prestige on earth be required to somehow be abased in heaven. Earthly rank will not automatically translate into an inverse heavenly rank.
The disciples are an example of those who may be first, and they happened to be poor (but their poverty was not what makes them first in heaven). The rich young ruler is an example of those who may be last, and he happened to be rich (but his wealth was not what makes him last).
The Lord’s statement that the last would be first and the first last might also have held special meaning for Peter, who had just spoken of having “left all” (Matthew 19:27). Perhaps Jesus detected in Peter’s statement a bit of boasting—Peter was on the verge of becoming spiritually complacent—as the rich young ruler was, but for a different reason. Jesus’ response in verse 30 may have been an indirect warning to Peter to always find his sufficiency in Christ, not in his own sacrifice. After all, without love, even the greatest sacrifice is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:3).
In the chapter following Jesus’ statement that the first will be last and the last will be first, Jesus tells a parable (Matthew 20). The story concerns some laborers who complain that others, who did not work as long as they, were paid an equal amount. In other words, they saw their own labor as worthy of compensation but considered their companions’ labor to be inferior and less worthy of reward. Jesus ends the parable with the statement, “The last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). The most direct interpretation, based on the content of the parable, is that all believers, no matter how long or how hard they work during this lifetime, will receive the same basic reward: eternal life.
There are several ways in which “the first will be last and the last first” holds true. There are some who were first to follow Christ in time yet are not the first in the kingdom. There are some who were first in privilege yet are not first in the kingdom. Based on the terms of the New Covenant, the Gentiles had equal access to the kingdom of heaven, although they had not served God under the Old Covenant. The Jews, who had labored long under the Old Covenant, were jealous of the grace extended to the Gentile “newcomers” (see Romans 11:11).
What Jesus is teaching in Matthew 19:30 is this: there will be many surprises in heaven. Heaven’s value system is far different from earth’s value system. Those who are esteemed and respected in this world (like the rich young ruler) may be frowned upon by God. The opposite is also true: those who are despised and rejected in this world (like the disciples) may, in fact, be rewarded by God. Don’t get caught up in the world’s way of ranking things; it’s too prone to error. Those who are first in the opinion of others (or first in their own opinion!) may be surprised to learn, on Judgment Day, they are last in God’s opinion.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-1017-31-17-as-jesus-started-on-his.html continued:
ReplyDeleteSummary of questions and findings:
1. Why did Jesus deny that He was good?
Jesus was not denying that He was good. He was attempting to get the ruler to know what good means, so that the ruler would stop thinking of himself as good.
2. Why did Jesus mislead the man by giving him the commandments?
Jesus was setting the man up. He gave the man a list of commandments that the man was already doing, but leaving out the commandments the man was having an issue with. When Jesus asked the man to give up his wealth, it was clear that the man wasn't so great at following the commandments after all. The commandments are there for us to see where we fall short. It's only when we are aware of our lack that we can start depending on Jesus for justification and eternal life.
3. Why was selling everything the one thing the man lacked?
Because of his heart. In his case, his possessions possessed him. Following Jesus requires total dependence. Until the ruler could rid himself of his own support, he couldn't fully rely on Jesus.
I think most, if not all of us, also lacks at least one thing. We have our idols which keeps our devotion to Jesus divided. It's what makes us ineffective for God's kingdom. Fortunately, God still works with us - little gleams of His glory sneak past our idols.
4. Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God?
Entering the kingdom of God requires us to rely on nothing else. There's something in all of us that resists being helpless. God is truthful with us in that He demands us to rely on Him. We lie about other things, such as money. We think that our reliance on money is actually self-reliance. The opposite of God-reliance is self-reliance - something that our worldly hearts desire more than anything else.
5. What did Jesus mean that with man this is impossible?
It is impossible for us to obey the commandments and earn our way to heaven. It's only through God's grace that we can get there. Not only is it impossible that we will obey His commands, it's also impossible that we will completely conquer our idols and rely on God. Even in this we need God's grace to receive eternal life. We will never be able to do anything to elevate ourselves.
6. Will the disciples really get a hundred times the homes, brothers, fields in the present age? What does that mean?
Because it says "in the present age", it means what we get on earth. If we leave all, the Christ community that we get to partake in makes up for the family we may need to leave behind (assuming God commands that). In a properly functioning Christ community, we share a lot, so a person who has left all gets to share in those thing - homes, food, etc.
7. What did Jesus mean when he added that the first will be last, and the last first?
On one hand this is describing God's economy. Those who give up points in the eyes of this world (for the kingdom of God) will be better able to thrive in the Kingdom economy. Because they have learned how God's economy works, they will do better in it.
On another hand, this is describing how the Jewish nation rejected Jesus, and now the Gentile nation is given a chance to enter the kingdom first (before the Jewish nation comes back to Jesus near the end).
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/18-18.htm says:
ReplyDeleteSt. Luke alone describes the inquirer as a “ruler.” As used without any defining genitive, it seems to imply that he was a member of the Council or Sanhedrin. The term “youth,” in Matthew 19:20, is not at variance with this inference. It is defined by Philo as including the period between twenty-one and twenty-eight—an age at which a place in the Council was probably open to one who was commended both by his wealth and his devotion. St. Paul obviously occupied a position of great influence at a time when he is described as a “young man” (Acts 7:58).
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/18-20.htm says:
Thus does Christ ‘send the proud to the Law, and invite the humble to the Gospel.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/18-25.htm says:
Verse 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. This simile, taken in its plain and obvious sense, appears to many an exaggerated one, and various explanations have been suggested to soften it down. The best is found in Lord Nugent's 'Lands Classical and Sacred,' who mentions that in some modern Syrian towns the narrow gate for foot-passengers at the side of the larger gate by which waggons, camels, and other beasts of burden enter the city, is known as the "needle's eye." It is, however, very uncertain whether this term for the little gate was known in ancient times. But the simile was evidently a common one among the Jews.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteKent Hughes - in Jesus’ day it was a breach in religious decorum to call Jesus “good teacher.” There is not one example in the Talmud of a rabbi being addressed as “good.” So was the ruler’s use of “good” casual, thoughtless flattery? Or was it simply “the poverty of his moral perception”? Or was the ruler breaking decorum to voice what he sensed in his heart?
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Jesus gives us one of the best definitions of eternal life declaring in His prayer to His Father "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3).
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In sum, the young man was in a sense only "one verb" away from eternal life! Instead of coming to Jesus helpless, dependent, and trusting, like a small child, the rich ruler comes as a young man, a rich man, a "good" man. But Jesus will show him that he is still far too big to walk through the minute eye of a needle, figuratively speaking of course (Lk 18:25)!
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe young man did not realize the implications of what he was saying. Thus Jesus was forcing him to a very uncomfortable dilemma. Either Jesus was good and God, or else He was bad and man. A good God or a bad man, but not merely a good man. Those are the real alternatives with regard to Christ. For no good man would claim to be God when he was not. The liberal Christ, who was only a good moral teacher but not God, is a figment of human imagination.
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If Jesus had taken an evangelism training course, He would have dealt differently with the rich young ruler. From an evangelist’s point of view, this guy was a piece of cake. His eagerness is evident from the fact that (Mark 10:17 reports) he ran, not walked, up to Jesus. He even knelt down before Jesus, right in front of others, and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus didn’t even have to figure out how to turn the conversation to spiritual things! What an opportunity! Shouldn’t be too hard to get a decision! ...It shouldn’t take much to lead this man to Christ. But Jesus seemed to take the wrong approach! Anyone with a little bit of training knows that when a person asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” the right answer is, “You don’t have to do anything. Eternal life is completely free! Just believe in Jesus and receive God’s free gift!” Then you lead him in prayer to receive Christ, give him assurance of salvation, and rejoice that another name has been added to the Book of Life! The one thing you would never do with such an evangelistic prospect is to tell him to keep the Ten Commandments as the way to gain eternal life. We all know that obeying the commandments won’t get anyone into heaven. And yet that is precisely what Jesus did! When the guy replies that he has done that, Jesus then brings up the subject of money and tells him to give away everything—not a tenth, but the whole works—and then he will have eternal life. We won’t even bring up the subject of money in the first ten follow-up appointments, but here Jesus brings it up with an evangelistic contact and tells him that if he gave it all away, he would go to heaven! Jesus really could have used some training in how to share His faith!
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteIn particular, He teaches us how to share the gospel with good people—those who believe in God and have lived decent lives. There are three main lessons:
1. Even good people need salvation.
When I say “good person,” I am referring not only to those whom others would label as good, but also to those who view themselves as good. Most people flatter themselves by thinking that they are on the upward side of the goodness curve. Satan has blinded us to the enormity of our sin in God’s sight. And, we all compare ourselves with those who are worse sinners than we are, not with those who are better.
2. Good people are saved by abandoning trust in their own goodness, because salvation by human goodness is impossible.
A. SALVATION BY HUMAN GOODNESS IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE HUMAN GOODNESS CAN NEVER COMPARE WITH GOD’S GOODNESS.
B. SALVATION BY HUMAN GOODNESS IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE HUMAN GOODNESS ALWAYS FALLS SHORT OF GOD’S HOLY LAW.
Why did Jesus lay this requirement on this man? If it were a universal requirement for salvation, Jesus would have put the same demand on Zaccheus, but He did not (Lk 19:1-10). There are several views, but I believe that Jesus was using the Law as a tutor to convict the man of his sin (Gal. 3:24). The man claimed to keep all of the commandments, but Jesus is saying, in effect, “You don’t keep the first half of the commandments, to love God with all your heart, because your money is your god. You’re an idolater. And, you don’t keep the second half, to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18-note), because you are unwilling to give generously to the poor.”
C. SALVATION BY HUMAN GOODNESS IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE HUMAN GOODNESS DECEIVES US ABOUT OUR TRUE HEART CONDITION.
3. Good people are saved by turning from their sin and trusting in God alone to save them.
So why did Jesus lay this heavy requirement on this man? He did it because a man cannot cling to his idols and genuinely trust in Christ for salvation at the same time. Saving faith is inseparable from repentance, which means, turning from our sins. Mark 1:15 sums up Jesus’ message: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Repentance loosens our grasp on our sin; faith lays hold of God for deliverance. Repentance and saving faith always go together.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteWhy do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone (Mt 19:17, Mk 10:18) - There are differences of opinion as to the significance of Jesus' question.
Here is one thought on the meaning of Jesus' question - Is He saying He is not good? Jesus is not saying that He Himself is not good, although we know He is because He is God. What Jesus seems to be doing is teaching the young ruler about what true goodness is, what the standard of goodness is, and thus He emphasizes that the standard of what is really good is God alone. What Jesus is saying to the young man is that he was not good. There is none good but God.
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Joel Williams has a well reasoned comment on "good" in the present context - The rich man and Jesus have different ideas about the meaning of the word "good." The rich man apparently defines goodness in terms of personal piety attained through human achievement (Lane, 365). Since he felt that he had fulfilled God's commandments from his youth (Mk 10:30, Lk 18:21, Mt 19:20), he probably also believed himself to be good. Now he was asking another good man ("good Teacher" - Mk 10:17, Lk 18:18) what else he should do to guarantee eternal life (Mk 10:17, Mt 19:16 "What GOOD thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life", Lk 18:18). Jesus' question in Mark 10:28 (Lk 18:19, Mt 19:17) is not a confession of His Own sinfulness but rather a challenge to the rich man's notion of goodness. Jesus points the man to the goodness of God. God is good in an unlimited and perfect way, not by achievement but by His eternal character. This perfect standard of God's righteousness complicates the rich man's quest for eternal life.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThis young man has missed (or misunderstood or is self-deceived concerning) the true purpose of God's Law (See Related Resources below) which was given to teach him that he is a rank sinner (like all of us)! Leon Morris was absolutely spot on when he said that "When anyone takes seriously the requirements of the law, he is on the way to coming to Christ." The rich young ruler had yet to come to the understanding that before a Holy God, he was a great sinner and in a wretched state.
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And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth". "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
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In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus took the "letter of the Law" and applied it to one's heart. For example, Jesus equated anger with murder (Mt 5:21-22-note) and surely the young man had been angry with someone since his youth. And Jesus equated looking at a woman with lust as an act of adultery (Mt 5:27-30-note), and for a young man with hormones raging it would be a stretch for him to say he had never looked at a woman with lust! The rich young ruler was like Paul who thought he was blameless regarding the righteousness which is in the Law (cf Php 3:6).
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But don't be confused. Jesus is not saying the DOING would earn the young man eternal life, but his willingness to DO would be a reflection of a miraculously, supernaturally changed heart, the new heart every believer receives by grace through faith in Christ.
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We may make two mistakes here. The one is to believe this applies to everyone, when Jesus never made this a general command to all who would follow Him, but especially to this one rich man whose riches were clearly an obstacle to his discipleship. Instead, many rich people can do more good in the world by continuing to make money and using those resources for the glory of God and the good of others. The second mistake is to believe this applies to no one, when there are clearly those today for whom the best thing they could do for themselves spiritually is to radically forsake the materialism that is ruining them. Francis of Assisi was a notable one who heard Jesus speak these words to him, and gave away all he had to follow Jesus.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard the Master say a hard word? If you have not, I question whether you have heard Him say anything. Jesus Christ says a great deal that we listen to, but do not hear; when we do hear, His words are amazingly hard.
Jesus did not seem in the least solicitous that this man should do what He told him, He made no attempt to keep him with Him. He simply said—‘Sell all you have, and come, follow Me.’ Our Lord never pleaded, He never cajoled, He never entrapped; He simply spoke the sternest words mortal ears ever listened to, and then left it alone.
This man did understand what Jesus said, he heard it and he sized up what it meant, and it broke his heart. He did not go away defiant; he went away sorrowful, thoroughly discouraged. He had come to Jesus full of the fire of earnest desire, and the word of Jesus simply froze him; instead of producing an enthusiastic devotion, it produced a heart-breaking discouragement. And Jesus did not go after him, He let him go. Our Lord knows perfectly that when once His word is heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. The terrible thing is that some of us prevent it bearing fruit in actual life. I wonder what we will say when we do make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain, He will never cast anything up at us.
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Beware of any hesitation to ABANDON to God. It is the meanest characteristics of our personality that are at work whenever we hesitate, there is some element of self-interest that won’t submit to God. The great aim of the Holy Spirit is to get us ABANDONED TO GOD.
It is only by ABANDON that you find HIM. Jesus Christ always brings us back to one thing--’Stand in right relationship to Me first, then the marvelous doing will be performed in you.’ It is a question of ABANDONING all the time, not of DOING. Vacillation in a crisis is the sign of an UNABANDONED nature. An ABANDONED nature never can vacillate because there is nothing to weigh; such a nature is completely ABANDONED to another. ABANDON to God is of more value than personal holiness. When we are ABANDONED to God, He works through us all the time.
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Sadly this young man though sorrowful, did not have the godly sorrow described by Paul...
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Cor 7:9,10)
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It is not the fact that a man has riches that keeps him from the kingdom of God but the fact that his riches had him. Beware of possessions lest they end up possessing you and eventually drag you into a Christless Hell! Money is a wonderful servant but a terrible master!
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-18-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteConstable - Riches are a handicap because they present two temptations to the wealthy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:9–10). First, rich people sometimes conclude that because they are rich they are superior to the poor, perhaps more blessed by God, and therefore do not need God’s grace. Second, they may conclude that because they are rich they are secure, and therefore they fail to plan for the future beyond the grave.
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Robertson - This is probably a current proverb for the impossible. The Talmud twice speaks of an elephant passing through the eye of a needle as being impossible.
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MacArthur adds that "Fastidious Pharisees would drink their wine through clenched teeth in order to filter out any small insects that might have gotten into the wine. In their typical reversal of values, those Jewish religious leaders were more concerned about being contaminated by a tiny gnat than by a huge camel. They were painstaking about formal, ceremonial trivialities but were unconcerned about their hypocrisy, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, self-worship, and a host of other serious sins. They substituted outward acts of religion for the essential virtues of the heart." (MNTC-Matthew) They would anxiously avoid small faults but willingly commit greater sins without scruples.
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The "Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed. This story has been put forth since at least the 15th century, and possibly as far back as the 9th century. However, there is no widely accepted evidence for the existence of such a gate. (Ed: Thus even a secular encyclopedia debunks this idea!)
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. What was the purpose of the ruler asking this question?
He thought, like most Jewish people of the day, that to receive eternal life, he must follow the commandments. He was coming to Jesus to make sure he had done enough to get in.
2. What is the purpose of Jesus question about calling Him good?
Jesus was setting up the standard of good. It was step one in making the man understand that he was not good. No one is good except God. Notice that Jesus was not denying the man's claim that Jesus was good. He just wanted to make sure that the man understood what he was saying.
3. Why does Jesus bring up the commandments?
Step two was to help the man to understand how people cannot follow the commands. The commands are the standard to which we can never reach due to our sin nature.
4. Why did the ruler have to sell everything he has?
In his case, his riches were blocking him from following Jesus. I wonder what step 3 (and beyond) would have been if the man said, "I go to do as you command."?
5. Do we need to sell everything we have to follow Jesus?
We definitely need to not have any possessions that we "own". If any of the stuff in our lives own us, we need to get rid of it. Jesus requires our complete devotion and Himself to be our one and only possession. But, just because we don't own anything does not mean that Jesus won't have us "steward" things to use for His Kingdom.
So what happens if we examine ourselves and find out there is something competing with our following God? Here's my suggested steps: 1. Repent immediately. Go to God in prayer, ask for forgiveness and help. 2. Go to other Christ followers and confess that thing. 3. As God answers and helps (many times via other Christ followers), let our attitude change towards the thing that is blocking. We need to see God's worth and the thing's relative worthlessness. 4. Let God guide us into the next step. Sometimes it will be to jettison the thing. Sometimes, it will be to change and use that thing for the kingdom of God (as long as we followed step 3). It's going to be a different answer for every situation. We can't apply hard and fast rules.
6. What does it look like to have treasure in heaven?
First of all, eternal life with Jesus is it's own reward. I can't think of anything that could be an addition to that. It's possible that relationships with others, or duties in God's kingdom could also be what this treasure is - I don't know the answer.
Questions and findings continued:
ReplyDelete7. What is it about wealth that makes it difficult to enter the kingdom of God?
Wealth is seductive. It's something that we tend to desire highly. But, no desire can get in the way of following Jesus. If wealth or anything else competes with following Jesus, we must jettison it from our lives. If we can succeed in using influence and worldly power solely for the kingdom of God, all the better! But, it can't compete. Wealth must mean nothing to us personally.
8. What is the camel going through the eye of a needle referring to?
Something impossible in general. There are speculations about whether this had a specific meaning, but nothing is proven.
9. What did Jesus mean by what is impossible for man is possible with God?
Being justified before God is impossible for us. Only Jesus can justify us.
10. What was Peter trying to say?
While it's difficult to discern motive, I think he was essentially asking the same thing as the rich man - "well, we did actually do that, what's in it for us?". I don't think the disciples learned yet the lesson Jesus is trying to teach here.
11. Should we be leaving our house and family to serve God?
See the answer to question #5. Once we give everything over to God, He will give us things to steward. Don't confuse caring for the things that God gives us with us putting ourselves in the place of ownership. The heart looks very different, but to outsiders it may look exactly the same.
12. How does the rewards work and what are they?
I believe that Jesus is referring to our eternal family (those within the kingdom of God), both here on earth and afterwards. Following Jesus will naturally put a barrier between us and all those who don't follow Jesus - even if we grew up with them. Our purpose is completely different than theirs. For those who share our purpose, the bonds go deeper than blood. We gain a huge family that shares our purpose and goals - our very way of life. Think of the stories that soldiers share of their brothers and sisters they fought alongside of. The bonds shared there start to describe what the bonds are between people who are in the trenches together of building God's kingdom.