Luke
18:18-30
The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44
6. Discipleship and the rejected king, 18:15-19:44
ii] Jesus and the Rich Ruler
SynopsisIn contrast to the last episode where parents with babes in arms come to Jesus, now a rich man comes to Jesus and asks the way of salvation. Jesus answers by giving him an outline of the social demands of the law, to which the rich man claims compliance. Jesus then suggests that he still lacks one thing, that he gives his wealth to the poor and follows him. In deep sadness, the rich man leaves, for he is a wealthy man. Jesus then notes the impossibility of possessing mammon in this age, and at the same time, possessing the age to come, although what is impossible for a mere human is not necessarily impossible for God. Peter goes on to foolishly claim that he and his fellow disciples have done the impossible, and is gently reminded of God's grace.
Teaching
Membership of the kingdom of God is neither gained, nor maintained, by works of the Law.
Issues
i] Context: See 18:15-17. Jesus and the Rich Ruler is the second episode of six in the teaching unit Discipleship and the Rejected King, 18:15-19:44. This series of studies depict Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, revealing something of his messiahship, and his teachings on discipleship, a discipleship which is grounded on divine grace and appropriated through faith. Having revealed that the children of faith, the true sons of Abraham, are those who receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives a gift, 18:15-17, Luke, with the story of the rich ruler, goes on to reinforce the point that the gift cannot be earned.
ii] Background:
At the heart of this episode is the heresy of legalism / nomism; law-obedience for salvation / blessing. See "Background", Nomism, 11:37-54.
iii] Structure: Jesus and the Rich Ruler:
Jesus' engagement with the ruler, v18-23:
The ruler's question, v19;
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus sets a foundational truth, v19;
"no one is good except God alone."
Sin exposed by law, v20-23;
The human condition under Law, v24-25;
"easier for a camel to go through eye of a needle than ...."
Jesus' engagement with his disciples, v26-30:
The disciples' question, v26;
"who then can be saved?"
Jesus sets a foundational truth, v27;
"what is impossible with man is possible with God."
Sin exposed by law, v28.
"when you have done everything you were told to do
you should say, 'we are unworthy servants;
we have only done our duty'", 17:10.
The human condition under grace, v29-30;
"and in the age to come eternal life."
iv] Interpretation:
In the previous episode, Jesus and the little children, we learnt that entry into the kingdom of God is gifted, it is received as a child receives everything that sustains their life. Entry into the kingdom of God is a gift of divine grace, appropriated through faith in the faithfulness of Christ.
Now, in this episode, Jesus and the rich man, we learn that membership of the kingdom of God cannot be earned. The rich man wants to confirm his status in the kingdom, confirm his salvation, a status which, in his mind, is based on his goodness. So, Jesus lays the foundation of the discourse by pointing out that "no one is good - except God alone." Jesus then refers the rich man to the social demands of the Law, which he believes he has properly fulfilled in his life - he is a good man! Jesus then exposes his flawed goodness by detailing the true nature of the command to love one's neighbour. Of course, for this good man, as for anyone, the utopian perfection required for inclusion in the kingdom of God is well beyond him, and so he leaves broken before God - "No one is good!"
Jesus now makes the point that it is difficult for a person with possessions to enter the kingdom of God, in fact, it's more than difficult, it's bit like trying to fit a camel through the eye of a needle. And given that we all possess mammon, to some degree or other, we all face the difficulty - all humanity stands with the rich ruler.
Given that all humanity carries the clutter of this age, "Who then can be saved?" Of course, the reader already knows the answer, an answer Luke provided with the story of Jesus and the little children - the kingdom of God is received as a gift of God's grace. It is not possible for a person, weighed down by the clutter of this age, to enter the kingdom of God, but what is impossible for a mere human, is possible with God.
Peter again demonstrates his humanity with an example of one-upmanship; he does love to big-note himself. Jesus kindly puts him in his place by reminding him that all the promised blessings of the covenant freely belong to the children of the new age of the kingdom, blessings now and not-yet. Peter, in his claim for status, is in danger of finding himself humbled, whereas the rich ruler, now aware of his state of loss, is potentially on the way to be exalted.
Interpretive approaches: The somewhat left-of-field interpretation offered above aligns with that of the parable of The Good Samaritan, Lk.10:25-37, a piece of teaching with a similar introductory question on the Law. In the parable of The Good Samaritan, the point that Jesus makes is not "be good Sams", but rather, "you are not good Sams." For the "lawyer", as for the rich ruler, doing "likewise" is next to impossible, if not impossible. So, how is a person saved? How does a person enter the kingdom? Jesus points to the answer when he says "What is impossible with man is possible with God." Even so, we may still be floundering, so Luke reinforces the answer by his arrangement of the context - the episodes before and after (note how both Matthew and Mark introduce this episode with the story of Jesus welcoming little children). Membership of the kingdom God is not based on doing, but on receiving; it is a gift of divine grace, and is received just as a child receives its daily life as a gift.
So, like the rich young ruler, we are trapped by the clutter of this age, and doing is not going to save us. As with getting in the kingdom, so with staying in, this episode encourages us to see our discipleship in the terms of receiving, rather than doing. The Christian walk begins, and proceeds, as a gift of divine grace appropriated through faith in the faithfulness of Jesus, and this apart from works of the Law. For the appropriateness of reading Pauline theology back into Luke, see "Interpretation" in the introductory notes.
This conclusion is far removed from the approach taken by the majority of commentators, most of whom tend to go down the doing road - "the renunciation of riches", Evans, eg.:
•iEllis: "Jesus always requires from one ... that earthly security upon which one would lean. Only in the context of abandonment to Christ's demand can one's basic life motivation really be 'for the sake of the kingdom of God'. Peter represents the true disciple who answers, 'We have left our homes and followed you'. Jesus likewise is the true leader whose demand does not exceed his own commitment - unto death";
•iFitzmyer, "a challenge .... to a way of life beyond those duties of ordinary disciples";
•iNolland, "a radical detachment from the claims of earthly wealth is required of those who would follow Jesus";
•iBock, "in a crucial contrast to the rich ruler, the disciples are used as a counterexample to show that Jesus' request is possible. ...... Such giving is not just required of disciples. Jesus himself will give all for them";
•iGreen, "Luke uses the interaction between Jesus and the ruler to help define again the particularity of the community orientated toward Jesus, a community of those who embody the values of the kingdom of God. They are those who distance themselves from the status conventions of the world, who find their devotion in God and not in 'what they have', who undertake a radical disposition of their possessions on behalf of the poor and who follow Jesus in discipleship."
v] Synoptics:
See 3:1-20. This complex pronouncement story is also found in Matthew 19:16-30; and Mark 10:17-31. Mark's account is more detailed than Matthew and Luke, although he doesn't add any significant information. Matthew tells us that the rich man was young and Luke tells us that he was a ruler, so the title The Rich Young Ruler. Matthew adds a theologically significant eschatological saying in 19:28, Mark adds "along with persecutions" to the list of blessings, and both Matthew and Luke conclude with a saying commonly used by Jesus as a warning to those who hear; "Many that are first will be last; and last first."
Mark is usually identified as the prime source for both Matthew and Luke, although, irrespective of whether they consulted Mark, it is likely that the story circulated widely as part of the set oral tradition of the early church. There is evidence of the amalgamation of separate strands of gospel tradition in the formation of the whole, given its formal structure; see "Structure" above.
Text - 18:18
Jesus and the Rich Ruler, v18-30: i] Jesus' engagement with the ruler, v18-23. a) The ruler's question, v18. Jesus is approached by a man of the ruling class, synagogue ruler, and/or member of the Sanhedrin. The question underlines the business of doing, and this to confirm entry / participation in the kingdom of God = the attaining of eternal life.
kai "-" - and. A transitional de would be expected to indicate a step in the narrative, but the use of a coordinate kai indicates an intention to closely link this episode to the one before. The stories of Jesus welcoming little children and the rich ruler go together; "Then a certain member of the Council", Williams.
legwn (legw) pres. part. "[asked him]" - [a certain ruler questioned him] saying. Attendant circumstance participle, expressing action accompanying the verb "to question, inquire", semi-redundant construction serving to introduce direct speech - Semitic in form. For adverbial, means, "by saying", see legwn, 4:35. "A man of high standing came to him with a question", Rieu.
poihsaV (poiew) aor. part. "[what must I] do" - [good teacher] having done [what will i inherit eternal life]? The participle is adverbial, instrumental, expressing means, "by doing what .......?" The use of the future tense is deliberative. "What have I yet to do to deserve eternal life?" / "to obtain possession of eternal life", Cassirer.
v19
b) Jesus sets a foundational truth for the following discussion, v19. As the apostle Paul would put it; "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"; "There is no one righteous, not even one."
autw/ dat. pro. "-" - [but/and jesus said] to him. Dative of indirect object.
tiv "why" - why. The interrogative pronoun is usually treated as if seeking cause, "why?", but it could serve here as an exclamation, "What! You call me good. Before we get into this discussion there is something we need to get straight. No one is good except God alone", cf., TH.
agaqon adj. "good" - [you call me] good. Accusative complement of the direct object me, "me", standing in a double accusative construction and stating a fact about the object "me".
ei mh "except " - [no one is good] if not = except [god alone]. Introducing an exceptive clause which establishes a contrast by designating an exception.
v20
c) Sin exposed by law, v20-23. In listing the commands of the second table of the Law, Jesus seeks to establish the basis of his proposition that "no one is good", that all have sinned and stand under God's just judgment, locked outside the kingdom of God. Jesus does not list the commands as if by doing them the ruler can be saved. The primary purpose of the Sinai Law / Law of Moses is to expose sin and prompt a reliance on divine mercy, appropriated as Abraham appropriated God's mercy, namely, as a gift of grace through faith, cf., Gal.3:24. See the Prime Purpose of the Law in the notes of the Great Sermon.
Both Luke and Matthew do not include Mark's "Do not defraud." The command is not found in Ex.20:1-17. It is also interesting to note that Luke's order differs from Matthew and Mark, but follows the same order as Paul's list in Romans 13:9, // Ex.20:13-15, LXX.
mh moiceushV (moiceuw) aor. sub. "you shall not commit adultery" - [you know the commandments,] do not commit adultery, [do not commit murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour the father of you and the mother]. As with the other commands, this verb is a subjunctive of prohibition.
v21
The ruler is probably sincere in his belief, with the full weight of the law having eluded him.
oJ de "-" - but/and the = he. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to the ruler
ek + gen. "since [I was a boy]" - [he said, all these things i guarded, kept = observed] from [youth]. Adverbial use of the preposition, temporal, as NIV; "I've kept them for as long as I can remember", Peterson.
v22
When confronted by a legalist / nomist, Jesus will often drive home the full weight of God's law (eg., adultery becomes lust), so now, with the rich ruler, Jesus establishes the proposition that "no one is good" by revealing the divine requirement of neighbourly love for a disciple. Doing for entry into the kingdom of heaven / salvation is impossible, cf., Gal.2:15-16. Note a similar statement in 12:33.
Some commentators suggest that Jesus accepts that the ruler has kept the law, but if he wants to be a disciple he must renounce his riches, just as the apostles have done. This interpretation is unlikely. Jesus' utopian / idealistic demands do indeed set an objective to aim at (Aim = dispossession of mammon; Objective = live lightly with mammon), but ultimately, only one person has lived the perfect life, and it is by identification with him that a person possesses "treasure in heaven", ie., the kingdom / salvation. Only those identified with Christ and his cross, by grace through faith, have any hope of the imitation of his faithfulness, and even then, a pale imitation at that; See Cross-bearing discipleship, 9:18-27.
de oJ "-" - but/and the = he. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from the ruler to Jesus.
akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "when [Jesus] heard this" - [jesus] having heard [said to him]. The participle is adverbial, usually treated as temporal, as NIV.
soi dat. pro. "you" - [still, yet one thing is lacking] to you. Dative of interest, advantage, "for you", or reference / respect; "with respect to you."
ptwcoiV dat. adj. "to the poor" - [sell everything, as much as you have, and divide, distribute] to the poor. The adjective serves as a substantive, dative of indirect object.
kai "and" - and [you will have treasure in the heavens]. Here introducing the apodosis of what is essentially a conditional clause; "sell .... and give ...... and then you will have treasure in heaven." The phrase "treasure in heaven" seems to serve as a synonym for "eternal life", the gift of the kingdom, 12:32.
moi dat. pro. "me" - [and come follow] me. Dative of direct object after the verb "to follow after."
v23
Commentators tend to identify the lost state of the rich ruler, who "loved his possessions more than God and his neighbour", Stein; who "longed to inherit eternal life ...... but was unwilling to obey Jesus' command", Geldenhuys. Yet, his pepilupoV, "sorrow", in the face of the coming kingdom, is less precarious than the disciples' pride. It is only those broken before God who are driven to cling to the cross of Christ.
oJ de "-" - but/and the = he. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to the rich ruler.
akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "when he heard" - having heard [these things he became sad]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.
gar "because" - because [he was very much = extremely rich]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why he became sad.
v24
d) The human condition under the Law, v24-25. Both Matthew and Mark tell us that the rich young ruler "went away sorrowful", rather than Luke's "became sorrowful." Matthew and Mark also tell us that Jesus addresses the disciples, but Luke has Jesus looking at the ruler as he makes a point about crhma, "things, possessions". Given the saying in v25, entering the kingdom while possessing this world's things, is not just done duskolwV, "with difficulty", it is impossible. The response of "those who heard", v26, confirms the impossibility, rather than the difficulty. Total dispossession is humanly impossible (although Francis did come close!)
idwn (oJraw) aor. part. "[Jesus] looked" - [but/and jesus] having seen [he had become sad, said]. The NIV treats the participle as attendant on the verb said, "looked .... and said", but it may be adverbial, probably temporal, "then Jesus looked ..... ". The object "having become sad" is probably an interpolation, cf., Metzger.
pwV "how" - what [with difficulty]. Interrogative particle used here to introduce an exclamation; "with what difficulty."
oiJ ... econteV (ecw) pres. part. "the rich" - the ones having [things, possessions to enter]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to enter." Note that Luke uses the present tense of the verb "to enter", whereas Matthew and Mark use a future tense - an example of Luke's realised eschatology. Note also the use of a plural object, "things" - the accumulated debris of worldly possessions.
eiV + acc. "-" - into. Typical stylistic repetition of a prepositional prefix.
tou qeou (oV) "of God" - [the kingdom] of god. The genitive is adjectival; see tou qeou, 4:43.
v25
Proverb / saying. Those who take the view that possessions are a mere hindrance, rather than an obstruction, assume that Jesus' words here are hyperbolic in nature. It does seem though that the very nature of other-person love demands dispossession for the other - in this age, a near impossibility. Note that the story about the existence of a gate in the city wall of Jerusalem called The Eye of the Needle, a small entrance that forced a person to dismount from their camel, is unproved.
gar "Indeed" - for. The conjunction here is likely not causal, but rather emphatic, as NIV; "In fact", NLT.
eiselqein (eisercomai) aor. inf. "to go [through]" - [a large animal, camel] to go [through the eye of a needle is easier]. The infinitive forms a nominal phrase, subject of the verb to-be. The nominative comparative adjective "easier", serves as the predicate of the verb to-be. The accusative subject of the infinitive is "a camel", and the genitive "of a needle" is adjectival, partitive.
h] "than for" - than for. Here serving as a comparative rather than a disjunctive.
eiselqein (eisercomai) aor. inf. "to enter" - the one having much] to enter [the kingdom of god is]. Forming a nominal phrase subject of an assumed verb to-be. The adjective plousion, "plentiful, having much", serves as a substantive, accusative subject of the infinitive. It usually translated "rich man / person", but given the response of those who heard Jesus' words, such a translation evidences reductionism, lessening the extent to which the words apply to the hearer; "The truth is this, it is easier for a camel to slip through the eye of a needle than for a person with possessions to make their way into the kingdom of heaven."
v26
ii] Jesus' engagement with his disciples, v26-30. a) The disciples' question, v26. Matthew and Mark have the disciples respond to Jesus' words with surprise, but Luke simply has "those who heard", so bringing out "the universal significance of the saying of Jesus", Marshall.
oiJ akousanteV (akouw) aor. part. "those who heard" - [but/and] the ones having heard [said]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to say."
swqhnai (swzw) aor. pas. inf. "[can] be saved" - [and = then who is able] to be saved. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to be able." As Marshal notes, "'to be saved'" is the same as 'to enter the kingdom'", and as Thompson adds, it also means the same as "having 'treasure in heaven.'"
v27
b) Jesus sets a foundational truth for the following discussion, v27. Luke avoids the general proposition "All things are possible with God", Mk.10:27, and makes the simple point "salvation is a miracle", Ellis - "what humanly speaking is impossible becomes possible by the operation of divine power", Evans. It may be impossible for someone to achieve their own salvation (in this case through the divestment of possessions in love for the other), but human inability does not hinder divine ability. "The text does not make clear how human inability and divine ability come together to achieve the salvation of 'the rich'", Nolland. In Pauline terms, we could argue for divine grace operating to achieve a sinner's justification, but if confined to the text, we are limited to the view of Plummer and Fitzmyer who argue that God is able to break the spell that wealth holds over some people.
oJ de "-" - but/and the = he [said]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from "those who heard" to Jesus.
ta adunata adj. "what is impossible" - the things impossible. The adjective serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb to-be.
para + dat. "with [man]" - beside = with [men are possible] beside [god]. Here expressing sphere, "in the sight of, in the judgment of (someone)."
v28
c) Sin exposed by grace, v28. It is not clear what Peter means when he says he has left ta idia, "the/his own". The NIV "all we had", "everything", CEV, is rather strong, ESV "our homes" may be the sense, or "families", "possessions", Rieu, ..... We know that some of the apostles were married, had families, owned homes and still possibly fishing boats, cf., Jn.21:3, so Peter is having himself on a bit here; "When you have done everything you were told to do you should say, 'we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'", 17:10 - Peter certainly hasn't done "everything". None-the-less, most commentators view Peter's words positively; "This is not bragging. This is truth", Bock. The attached warning in Matthew and Mark, "Many that are first will be last, and the last first", is cautionary. In the Great Reversal, things aren't always what they seem to be!
de oJ "-" - but/and the [peter said]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to Peter.
afenteV (afihmi) aor. part. "we have left" - [behold] we having left [our own things]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to follow"; "we have left ..... and followed."
soi dat. pro. "you" - [followed] you. Dative of direct object after the verb "to follow."
v29
d) The human condition under grace, v29-30. For Matthew and Mark, the leaving involves family + land, and the return is a hundredfold, with Mark including "persecutions", whereas Luke includes "wife" in the family, no lands, and the return "manifold more", with no mention of persecutions. There is a cost in following Jesus; imitation brings suffering / persecution, but "what a person gives to God is returned many times over, not just in the age to come, but even in this life", Stein.
oJ de "-" - but/and the = he. Transitional; back to Jesus.
autoiV dat. pro. "to them" - [he said] to them. Dative of indirect object.
oJti "-" - [truly i say to you] that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what Jesus says.
gunaika (h koV) acc. "[or] wife" - [no one there is who left house (family??), or] wife [or brothers or parents, or children]. Part of the accusative object of the verb "to leave" which serves in the relative clause introduced by o}V, "who", predicate nominative of the impersonal verb to-be, "there is." A leaving which includes one's "wife" aligns with the radical nature of Jesus' cross-bearing discipleship, a discipleship only realised by our identification with Christ, and not by imitation; see 9:18-27. Such further exposes the paltry nature of Peter's comment. Of course, the tendency toward reductionism applies at this point with some commentators suggesting that the word "wife" is used in terms of the possibility of marriage in the future.
eneken + gen. "for the sake of" - because of, for the sake of [the kingdom of god]. Causal preposition, here providing a reason for the leaving. Matthew has "for my name's sake", and Mark has "for my sake and the gospel." Obviously, all three expressions mean much the same; undertaking cross-bearing discipleship for the sake of the realisation / inauguration of the kingdom in the ministry of Jesus, but not for the sake of salvation.
v30
ouci mh + subj. "[will] fail [to receive]" - [who may] not not [receive much more]. This subjunctive of emphatic negation puts the weight back on oudeiV in v29; "There is absolutely no one ........... who will not receive .....", TH.
en + dat. "in" - in [this time, and] in. Temporal use of the preposition.
tw/ ercomenw/ (ercomai) dat. mid. part. "[the age] to come" - [the age] the coming [eternal life]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "the age".
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