Luke 18

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:18-25

The ruler who refused the crown. It is a certain ruler, a young man, who accosts our Lord. And the question which he asks represents one of the deepest cravings of the human breast. Is it only in the Gospels that we find this question? It is written into all the religions, into the best of all the philosophies, the poetries, the guesses at truth, which have commanded the thought of the ages, It is as old as human nature, as manifold in its complexion as the human experience, as abiding in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:19

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God . The title "good" was a singular one for the young ruler to have used. It was never used to the most famous rabbis by their pupils. It implied an intense reverence, but nothing more. The young man distinctly did not then believe the Master was Divine, else he had never made the great refusal recorded directly afterwards. "To be a good man is impossible … God alone could have this honour" (Plate,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:20

Thou knowest the commandments. The report in St. Matthew is somewhat fuller. There the ruler, when directed to the commandments, replies by asking "which?" expecting most likely to be referred to some of the elaborate traditional laws of the rabbinic schools, which were difficult to keep even by men in the position of a wealthy Pharisee; but to his surprise Jesus mentions the most general and best-known of the ancient ten. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:21

And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. He listens to the Master with something like impatient surprise. There is a ring of concealed indignation in his "All these have I ever kept. What do you take me for? I am a religious, God-fearing Jew; from my child-days have I kept these." Kept these! How little the poor questioner knew the secrets of his Own heart! Yet he had answered Jesus in the true spirit of a Pharisee trained carefully in the rabbinic schools. We read, for instance,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:22

.— Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing. St. Mark ( Mark 10:21 ), who had St. Peter's memories to draw from, adds here a very touching detail. "Jesus beholding him [looking earnestly at him] loved him." There was something noble and true in that life, struggling in the imperfect light of the rabbinic teaching after eternity and heaven, and feeling that in all its struggles some element was surely wanting; and Jesus, as he gazed on the young... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:23

And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. St. Mark adds (a memory of Peter's) that when he heard this the ruler went away frowning, with a lowering look. This was too much. He could not, even at the bidding of that loved Teacher, give up the pleasant life he loved so well, the things he prized so highly; so silently and sadly he turned away. The 'Gospel of the Hebrews,' a very ancient document, dating from the first days of the faith, a few fragments only of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:24

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! The temptations which beset a rich man are so many and so various. The poor, indeed, with all their trials, stand fairer for the kingdom than do their envied richer brothers and sisters. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:24

Wealth and piety. Wherein lies the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom? This young ruler shrank from parting with his property, but Jesus Christ does not ordinarily ask men of wealth to "sell all that they have and give to the poor." His difficulty, therefore, is not the common one. 1 . It is not that the rich man is not as welcome to the friendship of Christ as the poor man. He does not make distinctions in his invitation, or in his desire that men should come to him. In... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:25

For 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. This simile, taken in its plain and obvious sense, appears to many an exaggerated one, and various explanations have been suggested to soften it down. The best is found in Lord Nugent's 'Lands Classical and Sacred,' who mentions that in some modern Syrian towns the narrow gate for foot-passengers at the side of the larger gate by which waggons, camels, and other beasts of burden... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:26

And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? This hard saying appeared to the disciples to be terribly comprehensive in its scope; the longing to be rich was confined to no one class or order, it was the universal passion. Were theft guiltless here? Were they not looking for riches and glory in the Messianic kingdom of the immediate future? And of all peoples the Jews in every age have been credited with the blindest devotion to this idol, wealth. In St. Mark ( Mark 10:24 ) we... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:18-25

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:22

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:24

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:24

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:25

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 18:26

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