Luke 18:18–34: When Money Becomes Your God

September 15, 2026

The Ten Signposts of the Bible

CAMDE—400—CALY

Creation. Abraham. Moses. David. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

Why does Jesus teach so much about money? That’s an interesting question. God certainly is not opposed to wealth. Israel’s patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were wealthy, as were David and Solomon. So why do possessions get so much attention?

Let’s see what we learn from today’s passage. 

A wealthy and powerful man came to Jesus with a question. He is described as a “ruler” in the Jewish community, possibly a Pharisee in charge of the local synagogue. He had a question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). 

Before answering the question, Jesus makes a point. He said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). Since only God was good, Jesus may have been implying his deity. If he, Jesus, is good, then he is God. But that is not the main focus of this passage. 

Jesus told the man, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother’” (Luke 18:20). The Ten Commandments are divided into two sections. Commands 1–4 focus on our relationship with God, while commands 5–10 focus on our relationship with one another. Jesus emphasizes the commands about human relationships, and the ruler replied confidently: “All these I have kept from my youth” (Luke 18:21). 

Evidently, the man had not been present for—or heard about—the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus explained that it wasn't enough to avoid physical adultery if there was lust in your heart. And you shouldn’t pat yourself on the back for not killing someone when anger and hatred rule your heart. But let’s give the ruler some credit: he was a very moral man, an upstanding citizen. 

So Jesus probes a little deeper. In response to the man’s claim of morality, Jesus said, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). 

What would you have done? 

The rich ruler was sure he had kept all the commandments. Jesus pointed out one he had missed — commandment #1: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). Did the ruler view wealth as a blessing from God, or had money become his idol? It seems to be the latter, because “when [the ruler] heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). 

When Jesus saw the man’s sadness, he replied, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24–25). 

Some have concluded that the “eye of a needle” refers to a narrow gate in Jerusalem that camels found difficult to pass through. I would argue that this does not seem to be the case here. The Greek word Luke used for "needle" is the instrument doctors use to sew up a wound. It would be more than difficult for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle; it would be absolutely impossible. That was the point: It is impossible for man to get to God!

And wealth provides unique obstacles. R. C. Sproul explains it this way:

Many times Scripture warns those who are blessed with prosperity, that they face a peculiar temptation. So often wealth is accompanied by a certain measure of power, and power is often accompanied by a sense of self-sufficiency; people begin to put their confidence and trust in their power and wealth, making them poverty-stricken with respect to the things of God.^[1]

The teaching on wealth and the image of a camel going through the eye of a needle left the disciples confused. They asked, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Here, Jesus was speaking about the gift of salvation, but Peter, at least, had something else in mind. He reminded Jesus that the disciples had left their homes and families to follow him. 

Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:29–30). Jesus assures Peter and us that the abundant life now and eternal life later will surpass any challenges and difficulties this life offers.

It seems that Jesus took the twelve apostles aside to emphasize once again that the kingdom’s great blessings will come at a tremendous cost.

Luke 18:31–34

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

 All along the way to Jerusalem, Jesus reminded the disciples of what would happen there.^[2] Jesus' suffering and death had already been written about in the Old Testament.^[3] But at this point, the disciples couldn’t understand. Soon enough, they would experience what Jesus was telling them. 

Read and reflect on Luke 18:18–34: Where might your money, possessions, success, security, or self-sufficiency be competing with God for first place in your life?

Talking to God: What do you tend to trust more than you trust God? Talk to him about that.

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