Luke 18:18-43
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “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.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “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, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Reflection
The wealthy ruler thinks that he has obeyed God’s rules (Luke 18:19–20), but he has not really heard or understood what Jesus has just said: “No one is good except God alone” (v. 19). It would seem that he is depending on his own obedience to manipulate God and receive what he values most: more wealth. His response indicates that he loves money more than God (v. 23). Jesus calls him to sell everything he has because Christ knew that this was the best way to address the man’s heart condition.
To be a disciple of Jesus means to follow him, leaving behind whatever might hinder us (9:57–62). The specific call of the gospel in our lives will look different for each of us, but it always requires us to turn from sin to God in complete humility and honesty. This is costly and painful, but Jesus demands that our transformation begin with the heart. Anything less is merely external religion.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
5: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Reflection
Whether we live in Christ or die in Christ, we who are in Christ will live forever with him as children of light (1 Thess. 5:5, 10). So, Paul admonishes us to “be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (5:8). All this is established in God’s all-powerful love, in which he has “not destined us for wrath” but instead has chosen us “to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:9). This is the glorious hope that becomes ours through Jesus Christ, who died in our place. The promise of the gospel is that Christ died as the certain guarantee of our inheritance and will return that we might live with him forever.
Psalm 23:6
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Christ has ensured our inheritance, giving us certainty for the future. Allow that hope to give you boldness as you pray. Ask God to use your life powerfully for his kingdom, knowing that your eternal reward has already been purchased and is guaranteed by your Savior.