Verse 23
The man’s sorrow on hearing Jesus’ command was proportionate to his wealth. His unwillingness to part with his riches showed that he valued them more than treasure in heaven. He really wanted material wealth more than eternal life (Luke 18:18).
The other Synoptic evangelists recorded that at this point the young man went away (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22). He is the only person in the Gospels who came to Jesus and went away in a worse condition than when he came.
Jesus’ logic is quite clear in this conversation. He reasoned that God alone is perfect (Luke 18:19). Moreover God’s standard for obtaining eternal life by good works is perfection (Luke 18:20-21). Therefore no one can obtain eternal life by good works.
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