Luke 18,18-30
The Rich Ruler
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 it 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 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.”
Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study.”
We will adopt a relaxed but also enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new world of learning. Each time I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct an in-depth study and discuss questions with everyone.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring a new learning experience to you all. The following is my interview with Sister on related questions. Today is the 52nd lecture on the Gospel of Luke.
Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!
2. My summary of Luke study 52:
Well, everybody! First, here is today’s personal study summary.
A rich ruler asked Jesus how to obtain eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments. He said he had. Then Jesus asked him to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him. The ruler became sad because he was very wealthy. He couldn’t let go of his money.
Jesus told his disciples that it’s extremely hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom – like a camel through a needle’s eye.
They asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered that humanly it’s impossible, but God can make it possible.
Salvation is God’s work, not our own effort. Peter reminded Jesus that they had left their homes to follow him.
Jesus promised that anyone who sacrifices for God’s kingdom will receive far more in this life – not just material things, but true family, joy, and purpose – and eternal life in the age to come.
The key lesson: It’s not that money is bad. It’s about what holds your heart. The ruler loved his wealth more than God. Following Jesus means trusting him above everything else.
Now let Sister Ingrid give a deeper summary.
3. Sister’s comment on my study summary:
The first question that comes to my mind is: why did the rich ruler seek out Jesus? He did everything the law expected of him, so what more did he want to know?
There can be two answers. The first may be that he wanted Jesus to confirm that he was right in what he was doing; the second may be that he felt deep in his heart that keeping the commandments was not enough, that there must be something more.
Jesus asked him why he addressed him with the title “good teacher.” The man was a ruler and should have known what was written – that only God is good. So, in other words, he confessed that Jesus is God.
In that confession, it looked as though he expected confirmation that everything was fine with him.
But then came an unexpected “but”: one thing was lacking. He should sell everything he had and give it away. And that was not possible for him, as Sister Kiki already said, because his heart hung on his money.
And Jesus said that it costs the wealthy something to give it away and follow him.
That does not mean that we all have to give everything away, but the question is always: are we willing to give something up for Jesus’s sake?
Peter confessed that he had given up everything for Jesus. Jesus confirmed that he would receive a reward in this life and in eternal life.
Giving to Jesus is, in other words, a twofold investment: we receive security from Jesus in this life, and eternal life through salvation in the next.
4. Q&A section, based on Luke 52:
Okay, based on the Bible study content above, let me now ask Sister a few related questions. We hope the following questions will be helpful to our brothers and sisters.
- Why did Jesus say to the ruler, “Only God is good”? What was he trying to teach him?
He wanted to teach him to follow God and not human opinions.
- The ruler said he had kept all the commandments. Why did Jesus still say he lacked one thing?
Because he built his security on keeping the commandments and on his money.
- Why did Jesus ask him to sell everything and give to the poor? Was that a special test for him?
Yes, that was a test for him – whether he could live without the security of his wealth.
- The ruler became very sad. Why did his riches make him so unwilling to give up?
He had much, and he did not want to give away everything he had.
- Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom. What does that picture mean?
The Needle’s Eye was a gate leading into the town. It was very small. A camel could go through it, but only if all its load was removed and it bowed all the way down to the ground – then, with great effort, it could pass through.
- The disciples asked, “Then who can be saved?” What did Jesus mean by “What is impossible with man is possible with God”?
The disciples felt a bit of frustration, because they thought that if they preached this message, no one would obey it. But Jesus encouraged them that there will always be some who follow this message by the grace of God.
- Peter said they had left everything to follow Jesus. What did Jesus promise them in return?
They would receive a great reward in this life and eternal life.
- Jesus promised “many times more in this time” – does that mean money or something else?
Salvation is worth much more than a very wealthy life. When you are wealthy, you live with the insecurity that your goods can be stolen or destroyed. The life that Jesus gives us will never be destroyed.
- What was the real reason the rich ruler walked away sad, while the disciples stayed?
He was not willing to give away what he had and follow Jesus.
- If Jesus asked you to give up something you love most for him, what would make it hard for you?
I must confess it is easy for me to follow Jesus, because I don’t have much. I have a monthly income which is not very high, but it is enough to live on.
But when I was young, I had a secure job and a good income. Maybe I should have given it up and joined a mission work for one year, but I was afraid to give up my security, so I decided to stay in my job.
Later, Jesus allowed things to be taken from me and challenged me to receive him wholeheartedly as my Redeemer and to follow him wherever he calls me.
I see: with lighter luggage, it is easier to live and to preach the gospel of Christ.
