Luke 18:22-26

18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have 1  and give the money 2  to the poor, 3  and you will have treasure 4  in heaven. Then 5  come, follow me.” 18:23 But when the man 6  heard this he became very sad, 7  for he was extremely wealthy. 18:24 When Jesus noticed this, 8  he said, “How hard 9  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 10  18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 11  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then 12  who can be saved?” 13 

1 sn See Luke 14:33.

2 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

3 sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.

4 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.

6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

7 tn Or “very distressed” (L&N 25.277).

8 tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 Ë13 33vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L Ë1 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA27 places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

tn Grk “him.”

9 sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

10 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

11 sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.

12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.

13 sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?