Luke 18:18-29 Meaning: The Rich Ruler's Question
18A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one: God.
20You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
21He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”
22When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
23But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!
25For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
26Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”
27But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake,
18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, even God.
20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and mother.
21And he said, All these things have I observed from my youth up.
22And when Jesus heard it, he said unto him, One thing thou lackest yet: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23But when he heard these things, he became exceeding sorrowful; for he was very rich.
24And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26And they that heard it said, Then who can be saved?
27But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28And Peter said, Lo, we have left our own, and followed thee.
29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
18And a certain ruler questioned him, saying, `Good teacher, what having done--shall I inherit life age-during?'
19And Jesus said to him, `Why me dost thou call good? no one is good, except One--God;
20the commands thou hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery, Thou mayest do no murder, Thou mayest not steal, Thou mayest not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.'
21And he said, `All these I did keep from my youth;'
22and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, `Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things--as many as thou hast--sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;'
23and he, having heard these things, became very sorrowful, for he was exceeding rich.
24And Jesus having seen him become very sorrowful, said, `How hardly shall those having riches enter into the reign of God!
25for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.'
26And those who heard, said, `And who is able to be saved?'
27and he said, `The things impossible with men are possible with God.'
28And Peter said, `Lo, we left all, and did follow thee;'
29and he said to them, `Verily I say to you, that there is not one who left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the reign of God,
18And a certain ruler asked him saying, Good teacher, having done what, shall I inherit eternal life?
19But Jesus said to him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, God.
20Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21And he said, All these things have I kept from my youth.
22And when Jesus had heard this, he said to him, One thing is lacking to thee yet: Sell all that thou hast and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in the heavens, and come, follow me.
23But when he heard this he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24But when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, he said, How difficultly shall those who have riches enter into the kingdom of God;
25for it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26And those who heard it said, And who can be saved?
27But he said, The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.
28And Peter said, Behold, we have left all things and have followed thee.
29And he said to them, Verily I say to you, There is no one who has left home, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
Meaning in one sentence
In Luke 18:18-29, Jesus shows that eternal life isn't earned by good deeds but received by following Him, letting go of anything we love more than God.
Context
This passage takes place as Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem. He has just welcomed little children, teaching that the kingdom belongs to those who receive it like a child. Then a ruler, rich, young, and influential, approaches with a pressing question: what must I do to inherit eternal life? He calls Jesus 'Good Teacher,' showing respect but also revealing his assumption that salvation comes by some good deed. Jesus first redirects his understanding of goodness to God alone, then tests the ruler's devotion by asking him to sell all he has and follow. The man walks away sad, attached to his wealth. This leads to a conversation with the disciples about the impossibility of human effort and the possibility of God's grace.
Key Words
The ruler calls Jesus 'good' (agathos), a word that describes what is intrinsically excellent and beneficial. Jesus presses him: that kind of goodness belongs to God alone. The man uses the word as flattery, but he doesn't yet realize he is speaking to the One who is truly good. Then Jesus says he 'lacks' (leipei) one thing. This verb means something is absent, a gap. The ruler had many possessions, but something essential was missing, a heart yielded to God above all. Finally, the disciples hear the word 'impossible' (adunatos), literally 'without power.' What is powerless for humans, God can do. Salvation requires divine strength, not human achievement.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in diverse ways. Some, particularly in Catholic and Orthodox traditions, see the call to sell all as a counsel of perfection, especially for those called to monastic life. Many Protestant commentators, like Wesley and Henry, emphasize that Jesus gives this command specifically to this man to expose the fault line in his heart, not as a universal rule. The early church urged detachment from possessions but stopped short of requiring all believers to sell everything. Across all traditions, verse 27 is a cornerstone of hope: what we cannot do, God can.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think the ruler was lying when he said he kept all the commandments from his youth. In fact, his sincerity is not the issue. The problem is that his obedience stopped short of complete allegiance to God. The one thing he lacked revealed that his heart belonged to his wealth. He was not necessarily a hypocrite, but like all of us, he needed to be shown where his trust truly lay.
Living This Out
This week, take one honest look at what you hold most tightly. Is it a bank account, a relationship, a career dream? Do you really trust Jesus more than that? You might not be called to sell everything tomorrow, but you are called to place that thing in His hands. Let the impossibility of letting go drive you to prayer: 'Lord, You can do what I cannot.' That surrender is the first step in following Him.
Main takeaway: Eternal life is not something we do for God, but a gift we receive when we let go of everything else and follow Jesus.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The rich man loved his money more than Jesus. Jesus wants us to love Him more than anything else.
For ages 9, 12
This story teaches us that even if we seem to do everything right, our hearts can still be attached to something we don't want to give up. Jesus asks us to trust Him completely. It can be hard, but God can help us let go. He promises treasure in heaven that never runs out.
Questions People Ask
Why did Jesus ask the rich man to sell everything?
Jesus saw that his wealth was the one thing he loved more than God. By asking him to give it away, Jesus showed him where his true allegiance lay. It wasn't a requirement for everyone, but it was necessary for this man to be free.
Does this mean rich people can't be saved?
No. Jesus said it is hard, but not impossible. With God, all things are possible. The danger is trusting in riches instead of God. Many wealthy people in the Bible (like Abraham, Job) were faithful.
What does 'inherit eternal life' mean?
In Jewish thought, 'inheriting' the age to come was a gift from God. The ruler treated it as something to be earned. Jesus corrected that: eternal life is a gift that comes through following Him.
Why did Jesus ask 'Why do you call me good?'
Jesus was not denying His own divinity. He was challenging the ruler to think about who he was speaking to. If only God is good, then either Jesus is not good, or He is God. The question invited the ruler to recognize Jesus' true identity.
What is the 'one thing' we lack?
For the ruler, it was detachment from wealth. For each of us, it may be something different, pride, control, comfort, reputation. The one thing is whatever competes with Christ for ultimate loyalty.
For pastors & researchers
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