Luke
18:18-29
"The Rich Man and the
Camel Through the Eye of a
Needle"
18:18 A
certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life?"
19 "Why do you call me
good?" Jesus answered. "No one is goodexcept
God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not
commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do
not give false testimony, honor your father and
mother.'[b]"
21 "All these I have kept
since I was a boy," he said.
22 When Jesus heard this,
he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me."
23 When he heard this, he
became very sad, because he was a man of great
wealth. 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 a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God."
26 Those who heard this
asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus replied, "What is
impossible with men is possible with God."
28 Peter said to him, "We
have left all we had to follow you!"
29 "I tell you the truth,"
Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or
wife or brothers or parents or children for the
sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive
many times as much in this age and, in the age to
come, eternal life."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Jesus Talks to
the Rich Man
The rich man, the camel, and
the eye of a needle! I have heard this passage all
my life. Pretty much all Christians (and many
non-Christians) can quote the statement:
"Indeed, it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
And, all my life I thought
that Christ may have had a vendetta against rich
people and this passage was talking about money or
possessions.
But, after looking closely at
the "camel" passage, I now know this is not the
case.
I am going to focus on two
key verses here; 21 and 27.
When the young rich mab said
he had kept all the commandments since he was
young, Jesus knew this couldn't possibly be the
truth. And, bragging about keeping the commandments
shows a sense of pride which is a sin in
itself.
There are many
interpretations here but I believe you could
substitute "prideful young man" for "rich young
man" with the same results.
God wants us to humble
ourselves before him and come as little children
who are helpless without him, not as prideful
people boasting about how great we are as
Christians.
Verse 27 is a passage which
is almost never mentioned when we hear the "camel
through the eye of a needle" quoted.
It says
"What is impossible
with men is possible with God."
This is the hope God gives
us, even though we are rich in pride just like the
young man here, through Jesus Christ. All we have
to do is to come to Jesus humbly and ask. He will
forgive and lead us into the kingdom.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
Read
John 3:16 for more
information.
Verses for study showing how to get to
heaven are from Life Application Study Bible:
New International Version
Also Look at these Bible
Verses
Luke
1:
16-17 -
John the Baptist -
Mission
Luke
2:8-20 - Shepherds See the
Angels
Luke
2:15-19 - Shepherds Visit
Jesus
Luke
2:21-40 - Baby Jeuss in the Jewish
Temple
Luke
1:26-38 - Mary Learns about Jesus'
Birth
Luke
1:39-56 - Mary Visits
Elizabeth
Luke
1:57-80 - Birth of John the
Baptist
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