Luke 18:18-30

The Rich Ruler

18 ¹And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to ²inherit 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: ³'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'"

21 And he said, ⁴"All these I have kept from my youth."

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. ⁵Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ⁶treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

23 ⁷But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ⁸"How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ⁹the 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 ¹⁰the kingdom of God."

26 Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"

27 But he said, ¹¹"What is impossible with men is possible with God."

28 And Peter said, "See, ¹²we have left our homes and followed you."

29 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, ¹³there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers^[a] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,

30 who will not receive ¹⁴many times more ¹⁵in this time, and in ¹⁶the age to come eternal life."

Luke 18:18-30 In-Context

16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

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 men 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."

31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.

32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 18-30, see Matthew 19:16-29; Mark 10:17-30; [Luke 10:25-28]
• 2. [Matthew 19:16]; See Matthew 25:34
• 3. Romans 13:9; Cited from Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20; [Matthew 5:21, 27]
• 4. [Philippians 3:6]
• 5. Luke 12:33; [Luke 16:9; Luke 19:8; Acts 2:45; Acts 4:34, 35; 1 Timothy 6:18, 19]
• 6. Matthew 6:19, 20
• 7. [Ezekiel 33:31]
• 8. [1 Corinthians 1:26]; See Matthew 13:22
• 9. See Matthew 12:28
• 10. [See ver. 24 above]
• 11. Luke 1:37; Genesis 18:14; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:17, 27
• 12. Matthew 4:20, 22; Mark 1:18, 20
• 13. [Luke 14:26]
• 14. [Job 42:10]
• 15. [Matthew 6:33]
• 16. Matthew 12:32; Ephesians 1:21; [Luke 20:35]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or wife or brothers and sisters