Lucas 18
John Phillips · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 18
Phillips - Matthew's account reads "an hundred fold," or as we would express it, 10,000 percent! (Exploring the Gospel of Luke) Jim Elliott - "He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot hold to gain that which he can never lose". Lawrence Richards says it this way "I suppose each of us at times asks, “What will I get for what I must give up?" Jesus’ answer is, “Gold in exchange for clay. Eternal life in exchange for a few fleeting years of selfish pleasure.” We gain what we can never lose in exchange for what we could never keep." (Borrow 365 Day Devotional Commentary) We need to remember the words of Jesus Rev 22:12-note “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Mt 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. And Paul... 2 Cor 5:10+ For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat (bema) of Christ, so that EACH ONE may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good (see Good Deeds cf Jn 15:5,16) or bad (phaulos not kakos). Only one life Twill soon pass Only what's done for (in) Christ will last Time (kairos) means a point of time or period of time, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something. An opportunity. Something that lasts for a season and so is transient, temporary or enduring only for a specific period of time. Jesus has given us the gift of "this time" which begs the question are you Redeeming the Time? Redeem the time! God only knows How soon our little life may close, With all its pleasures and its woes, Redeem the time! —Anon. The age to come - Recall their question in Matthew 24:3 "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (See "Three Significant Questions") This age will end (cf Mt 13:39, 40, 49). But in Mt 28:20 Jesus promised the disciples "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The next age is the Messianic Age (Millennium) when Messiah rules and reigns and restores the nation of Israel to global prominence. This phrase age to come is synonymous with "the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne." (Mt 19:28see comments above)
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Phillips comments "As the Niagara River seems to quicken its pace and move forward with renewed force as it approaches the falls, so it was with the Lord. Those who followed Him sensed it and were awed by it."
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Phillips comments that "Two worlds exist: this one and the one to come. Two systems exist: this world's system, with its promises, prospects, pleasures, possessions, perspectives, and power; and that other world's system, with its totally different set of values. The two worlds appeared suddenly in human history. They surfaced immediately after the Fall. The descendants of Cain (Gen. 4) lived for this world, and the descendants of Seth (Gen. 5) lived for the world to come. There can be no compromise between these two worlds. Wealth tends to ally itself to this world, which is why materialism is such a deadly enemy of the kingdom of God. Ultimately, God brings people to Calvary, where we learn what this world thinks of Christ and what God thinks of this world. Those who have riches have a greater stake in this world than do those who are poor. That is why it is harder for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. Riches tend to blind one's eyes to ultimate, eternal, and spiritual realities by anchoring us to the wrong world. The Lord had just upset an entire system of values. In the Old Testament, the blessing of the Lord promised riches and well-being (Pr 10:22). Indeed, this was the criterion by which Job's friends judged the stricken patriarch. It was taken for granted, even by the Lord's disciples, that wealth and health were the natural evidences and attributes of a godly life. Bethlehem, Calvary, and Pentecost have changed all of that." (See Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary - Page 220) Luke 18:25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Camel - Mt 23:24 Luke 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 18:18-27 How Good People Get Saved - Steven Cole Luke 18:18-27 The Impossibility of Salvation, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 18:18-27 The Impossibility of Salvation, Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 18:24-30 The Impossibility of Salvation, Part 3 - John MacArthur Related Passages: Matthew 19:24+ “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:25+ “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” A CAMEL THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE? IMPOSSIBLE! What is Jesus saying with this rhetorical hyperbolic statement? He is not saying salvation is difficult but that it is impossible! Jesus follows up with a clear statement in Lk 18:27 (cf Mk 10:27). For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mt 19:24, No parallel passage in Mark) - Matthew introduces this saying with "Again I say to you" and retains "the Kingdom of God" instead of his usual phrase "Kingdom of Heaven." Jesus intends this statement to be taken literally, which explains the reaction of the disciples in Lk 18:26. Isn't it fascinating that while most Americans would view the rich as privileged, Jesus consistently viewed them as "underprivileged!" Many (especially in the first century) see wealth as a token of God's hand of blessing on their life, but Jesus saw wealth as a major hindrance to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Wealth veils one's vision to the eternal treasures in Heaven, and numbs the mind to the reality of the eternal torments in Hell! Jesus has already given us two parables that deal with the perils of prosperity - The parable of the rich man and Lazarus gives a dramatic warning about this the deceptive danger of riches (Luke 16:19-31+). The parable of the rich fool emphasizes the danger of riches taking our focus off the eternal and placing it on the temporal things of life, concluding "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF THE RICH YOUNG RULER!) (Luke 12:13–19, 20, 21+). Christian should have a certain holy fear of about being rich! Kent
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Phillips - Peter, Andrew, James, and John gave up a prosperous business. Matthew gave up a lucrative career and all of the ill-gotten gains that he had amassed, we can be sure. They had all given up homes and families. (Exploring the Gospel of Luke) NET Note on "left our homes," "left our possessions"; Greek "left our own things." The word idios can refer to one's home (including the people and possessions in it) or to one's property or possessions. (NET versions renders it "Look, we have left everything we own to follow you!") However Peter's question suggests he had forgotten His Lord's words in Mt 16:24 when "Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." And His similar call to discipleship in Lk 14:33+ Jesus declared "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." Oswald Chambers was right when he said "Very few of us know the absolute “go” of abandonment to Jesus." (See Chambers on Abandonment) Have left (863) (aphiemi from apo = prefix speaks of separation, putting some distance between + hiemi = put in motion, send) conveys the basic idea of an action which causes separation. It describes an action which causes separation and refers to total detachment, total separation, from a previous location or condition, in this case from their own homes. Aphiemi is used in Luke 5:11+ "When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him." Matthew 4:20 says "Immediately (after Jesus' command to "Follow Me" - Mt 4:19) they left their nets and followed Him." Although the verb for left is different in the following verse, the idea of separating from everything describes a relatively rich man named Matthew and his response to Jesus' call - "After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi (MATTHEW) sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” (present imperative) And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. (Lk 5:27-28+, cf Mt 9:9, Mk 2:14) Luke's uses of aphiemi - Lk. 4:39; Lk. 5:11; Lk. 5:20; Lk. 5:21; Lk. 5:23; Lk. 5:24; Lk. 6:42; Lk. 7:47; Lk. 7:48; Lk. 7:49; Lk. 8:51; Lk. 9:60; Lk. 10:30; Lk. 11:4; Lk. 12:10; Lk. 12:39; Lk. 13:8; Lk. 13:35; Lk. 17:3; Lk. 17:4; Lk. 17:34; Lk. 17:35; Lk. 17:36; Lk. 18:16; Lk. 18:28; Lk. 18:29; Lk. 19:44; Lk. 21:6; Lk. 23:34; Jn. 4:3; Jn. 4:28; Acts 5:38; Acts 8:22; Acts 14:17 Followed You - Peter is picking up on Jesus' "invitation" to the rich young ruler to sell everything and follow Him, which is in fact what Peter and the other 11 had done. The young ruler refused, but they did not, so what is in it for us is the idea. Followed (190)(akoloutheo from a = expresses union with, likeness + keleuthos = a road, way; gives us our English acolyte) means literally to go along behind and so to walk the same road (Ponder that simple definition dear believer - Am I willing to walk the same road as Jesus?) Literally to follow (like the crowds followed Jesus) and in a figurative sense to follow Jesus as a disciple. To follow (closely) and was used of soldiers, servants and pupils. John MacArthur paraphrases Peter writing "We came on Your terms, didn't we?" he said in effect. "Do we thereby qualify for eternal life? The rich young ruler refused to surrender his possessions and his life to You, and he forfeited the kingdom. But we forsook our jobs, our families, our friends, and everything else we had in order to be Your disciples. We have repented of our sins and surrendered to Your lordship. Just as You commanded, we have denied ourselves and taken up our crosses for your sake. Doesn't that qualify us for a place in Your kingdom?"...what then will there be for us? "What are the benefits of Your kingdom for us?" they wanted to know "What do we have to look forward to as Your disciples?" (See Matthew Commentary)
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Phillips - Salvation is impossible with men, rich or poor, be they as rich as the disappointed young ruler or as poor as the beggar Lazarus. Salvation is beyond purchase; beyond money; beyond price; and beyond all human standards of religion, morality, good works, and self-effort. The disciples should have known from the Old Testament Scriptures themselves that the basic principle of salvation rests on something other than money (Isa. 55:1; Mic. 6:5-8+). But what is impossible with men is possible with God. Salvation is God's idea, planned by Him before even time began, provided by Him at infinite cost and offered to one and all as the gift of His grace. (Exploring the Gospel of Luke) The things that are impossible with people (Mt 19:26, Mk 10:27) - A camel passing through the eye of a needle (see picture of camel and eye of needle) is easier than a rich man entering the kingdom of God (Mt 19:24), but since the first is impossible, so is the last. A man cannot save himself because absolutely (Greek negative particle "ou" signifies absolutely) no man even seeks for God (Ro 3:11b+) No man in and of himself qualifies for eternal life. Impossible (102) (adunatos from a = without + dunatos = possible, able, or powerful from dunamaii = to be able or have power by virtue of inherent ability and resources. Note the stem duna- or dyna- conveying the basic sense of ability or capability, power, strength, might) means impossible, incapable of being or of occurring, incapable of being done. Are possible with God - Salvation is possible for the rich but it takes a miracle! Thank God He is still a miracle working God! We too often look for miracles in all the wrong places and forget the greatest miracle we can see is by looking at the mirror each morning! Have you lost that sense of grateful wonder awe of the great miracle when God's Spirit took your hard, godless heart and gave you a new heart, a heart of flesh, a heart that is now God's dwelling place? (See Robert Munger's "My Heart Christ's Home") God's grace is sufficient to save poor men and save rich men and we see an example of the latter in Zaccheus in the next chapter, Luke 19:1-10+. Possible (able) (1415) (dunatos from dunamai = referring to power one has by virtue of inherent ability and resources; see study of dunamis) means powerful, able, strong. Able describes that which has sufficient or necessary power, means, skill, or resources to accomplish an objective. Mary extols God as the "the Mighty One (dunatos) has done great things for me." (Lk 1:49+) Luke's uses of dunatos - Lk. 1:49; Lk. 14:31; Lk. 18:27; Lk. 24:19; Acts 2:24; Acts 7:22; Acts 11:17; Acts 18:24; Acts 20:16; Acts 25:5; Rom. 4:21; Rom. 9:22; Rom. 11:23; Rom. 12:18; Rom. 15:1; 1 Co. 1:26; 2 Co. 10:4; 2 Co. 12:10; 2 Co. 13:9; Gal. 4:15; 2 Tim. 1:12; Tit. 1:9; Heb. 11:19; Jas. 3:2 See topic - GOD IS ABLE Jesus' point is clear that from beginning to end, salvation is from God and is based on Christ's finished work and not on human work. The great, the good, and the rich won't gain entrance into the Kingdom because they are great and good and rich, but only because of the sovereign supernatural work of our Great God! This is humbling, beloved. And yet at the same time it is comforting to know that God is Able, because otherwise I would not be writing this note (See my personal testimony of God's grace because I was a successful, well-off physician when God stoop down to lift me up!) D A Carson adds that "Jesus is not saying that all poor people and none of the wealthy enter the kingdom of heaven. That would exclude Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to say nothing of David, Solomon, and Joseph of Arimathea.” 1 Cor 1:26 does not say NOT ANY but NOT MANY For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; Bob Utley sums it up - God loves rich people. Abraham (and all the Patriarchs), David (and all the godly Jewish kings), Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea are good biblical examples. The key is where their faith and trust are put, in possessions or in God? See Special Topic - Wealth As Jonathan Edwards once wrote, “To take on yourself to work out redemption, is a greater thing than if you had taken it upon you to create a world.” Indeed, salvation is a miracle not of creation, but an even greater miracle of a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17+). This is how one "gets a big fat humpy camel through the tiny eye of a needle!" And this is why Paul calls the Gospel, "the (supernatural) power (dunamis) of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Ro 1:16+) Man's part? Receive and believe the Gospel, then give it out! Mark 10:27 says (Jesus' eyes looking into their eyes see note above) “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God is the God of the impossible and that "nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37+)... Yahweh Himself testified to Abraham "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Ge 18:14). The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” (Nu 11:23) Job learned and testified “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2) Jeremiah declared "Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, (Jer 32:17+) God affirmed Jeremiah's declaration “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jer 32:27+) Sean O'Donnell describes how God's Spirit used Jesus' teaching about the rich young ruler to push him through the eye of the needle! -- It was nearly twenty years ago that God, in his infinite and irresistible grace, used this very story in this very Gospel as one of the means of converting me to Christ. For the first half of my life I was told and believed the most common religious lie-that I was basically a good person who occasionally sinned, but did nothing that would ultimately disqualify me from one day entering the joys of eternal life. But then the Holy Spirit taught me what should have been obvious-I was a sinner. Not a good person who occasionally sinned, but a sinner (at heart a very bad person) who was in a continual state of rebellion against a good God and his good Law. I didn’t love God. I didn’t love others. And I certainly loved myself. But it wasn’t just the first half of this passage but also the second half that the Lord used to change my mind and heart and will. I knew that God alone was perfectly good. I believed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But at that time in my life he was never my Savior. He was never my Lord, the supreme Lord of my life. And as I prayed to Christ those many years ago and asked him to forgive me and to clean me up on the inside, I also (with this passage in mind) told him (in so many words) that I would “sell everything,” that I would put him first in my life-first above self, first above family, first above career, first above education, first above sports, first above every aspect and every love of my life. I told him I would be last, and he would be first! (See Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth - Page 554). Ray
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Phillips - Each item in the first list is repeated in the second list, except for fathers and wives. A disciple of the Lord, cut off from home and hearth, can have any number of sisters and brothers and so on; he is promised ten thousand such. He does not need multiplied fathers because he already has a Father in heaven. It would have been inappropriate to promise him ten thousand wives! Having listed the marvelous return on one's investment in the cause and work of Christ, the Lord adds "with persecutions"-just in case someone should simply want to get in on only the benefits. But there is more! There is all this and heaven too! (Exploring the Gospel of Mark) Kent Hughes on Mark's passage - I like Jesus’ math. He does not say 100 percent more, but a hundredfold more! “One house gone; but a hundred doors are open! One brother in the flesh lost; but a thousand brothers in the spirit, whose love is deeper and whose kinship is profounder.” (Quoting G Campbell Morgan) This has been the testimony of many missionaries who have joyfully quoted this verse and described their experience with it. Notice the promise that many saints would rather pass over - along with persecutions. Persecutions (which is plural in the Greek) is diogmos (used in Acts 8:1, 2 Ti 3:11+, 2 Cor 12:10+) which literally means pursuit or chase and BDAG says is actually "a program or process designed to harass and oppress someone!" Sounds life the "gift" in Php 1:29+ "For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake!" (cf 2 Ti 3:12+, Acts 14:22, Acts 5:40, 41, 42) Identification with Jesus guarantees persecution, so we need not be surprised when it comes (cf Peter's words in 1 Pe 4:14, 16+). Beloved, like Christ, we too will suffer, but suffering gives birth to glory, and in the age to come we will share with Jesus the full joy of eternal life. Phillips on first will be last - The Lord now looks ahead to "the crowning day that's coming by and by," when some startling revelations will occur. People we have seen reigning as kings down here will find themselves set aside up there. Many people whom we regard as nobility down here are not known as great aristocrats in heaven....In other words, we cannot trust human estimates about who is first or last, greatest or least. At the judgment seat of Christ there will be many surprises. It is likely that the Lord had Judas in mind when He gave this warning. Judas was counted as one of the foremost of the disciples. He was in charge of the finances of the apostolic company-and he fell through covetousness. The Lord also intimated that Peter should beware of a spirit of pride as he smugly compared himself with the rich young ruler. (Exploring the Gospel of Mark and Matthew) God does not order things the way we would or for the reasons we would. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.” Beware of thinking you are "first!"
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Phillips - Jesus had been studying these Scriptures since His childhood. He knew them by heart. There was to be the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9); the betrayal by Judas (Ps. 41:9); the cross with all of its terrors (Ps. 22; 69; Isa. 53); His death and burial (Ps. 16:10); His resurrection (Jonah 2; Matt. 12:40); His ascension back home to heaven (Ps. 24); and His enthronement in glory (Ps. 45:6-7), to be followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29) and His Melchizedeken priesthood (Gen. 14; Ps. 110:4). He knew every detail. He knew "all things that are written by the prophets." To Jerusalem - Lk 9:53 And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. Mt 20:18-19 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.” Joshua with some of his last words (last words of a godly man are always worth listening to) ""Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. (Joshua 23:14) Acts 13:29 speaks of the accomplishment of the prophecies regarding His passion "When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb." In Luke's first record (see table below) of Jesus' prophetic prediction of His passion (Luke 9:22+) Luke says "the Son of Man MUST (dei) suffer many things." The use of must speaks of divine necessity and reflects God's sovereign control over all these events, even the murder of His Own Son! The apostles failed to understand the "divine necessity" of the Passion (see Lk 9:44-45 and of course Lk 18:32) We see Luke's use of "must" emphasizing the divine necessity of His death in Lk 13:33 ("I must journey on today..." and Lk 17:25 ("first He [Son of Man] must suffer many things").