Summary
When a rich ruler asks JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions, distribute the proceeds among those who live in poverty, and then follow him. The man becomes sad as a result and Jesus teaches about wealth and the kingdom of GodThe kingdom (reign) of God is a central theme of Jesus' teaching and parables. According to Jesus this reign of God is a present reality and at the same time is yet to come. When Christians pray the Lord's Prayer, they ask that God's kingdom... More.
Analysis
The rich ruler who comes to Jesus appears to do so in good faith; he is not trying to trick Jesus or parade his own virtue. He wants to know about eternal life. Likewise when Jesus names some of the ten commandments (see Exodus 20:12-17) and the man claims to have followed them–nothing appears amiss. What Jesus says next is shocking, however, since he does not say the same thing to anyone else he meets in LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More (however, see Luke 14:33), at least not in a way like this. Jesus seems to target the man’s particular weak spot, given his wealth and power: “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor.”
Luke does not disclose how the man responds, except to note that he becomes sad. Jesus asks him to do more than separate himself from his wealth, so the issue here is about more than simply relinquishing one’s money, security, and advantages. Jesus tells him to redistribute his wealth to people who are poor. This is a significant move, for it appears to imply that the man must give up his status and privilege, as well. If he does, he will no longer be either rich or a ruler. The man, if he follows Jesus’ command, will make himself at the mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More, so to speak, of others whom he has, by his relinquishments, helped to elevate over himself. He will give up his honor and his social standing as well as his money, and those things are not easily earned back.
In what follows, Jesus does not lessen his demands or imply that his expectations for the rich ruler do not apply more broadly. He says, rather, that it is extremely difficult for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of God. With an absurd example, he compares the situation to a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle. What he means is plain: a large thing simply cannot fit into a tiny opening. It is impossible.
(Note: there was no gateGates are openings in walls or fences for entrance and departure. In the Bible (as in Ruth and the prophets) the city gate was a commercial center where business and social transactions took place. In Amos the gate is the location of the law court... More in Jerusalem, or anywhere else in the ancient world that scholars know about, called “the eye of the needle.” Some have proposed that there was such a gate, in imaginative attempts to soften Jesus’ statement by implying that a humble, crawling camel carrying nothing on its back might barely fit through such a gate. But Jesus neither promises nor implies any such thing.)
Jesus’ words shock those who hear them, for they exclaim “Then who can be saved?” Jesus holds out hope, perhaps, when he replies, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” Those around Jesus might assume that a wealthy person appears to be blessed by God already. If, as they now learn, someone with wealth does not fit in the kingdom of God, then who does? Jesus has more to say, to explain the importance of giving up wealth, status, and other things that purport to provide security.
Jesus tells PeterPeter (also known as Cephas, Simon Peter) was the disciple who denied Jesus during his trial but later became a leader in proclaiming Jesus. More and the others that he is aware of all they have relinquished to follow him. He reassures them that they do not remain destitute or alone as a result. They “get back very much more,” now and in the future. This is not a promise of wealth or repayment. Jesus definitely does not preach a prosperity gospel in Luke, or in any other biblical Gospel. Jesus means that life in the kingdom of God comes with new family and new ways of finding security. His words would be comforting, one presumes, to those around him and those in the early church who found themselves estranged from friends and family because of their decision to follow Christ.
