Matthew 19:16-30

The Rich Young Man

19:16 Now ¹  someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 19:17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother, ²  and love your neighbor as yourself.” ³  19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed ⁴  all these laws. ⁵  What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money ⁶  to the poor, and you will have treasure ⁷  in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. ⁸ 

19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, ⁹  it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 19:24 Again I say, ¹⁰  it is easier for a camel ¹¹  to go through the eye of a needle ¹²  than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 19:25 The ¹³  disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” ¹⁴  19:26 Jesus ¹⁵  looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, ¹⁶  but for God all things are possible.” 19:27 Then Peter said ¹⁷  to him, “Look, ¹⁸  we have left everything to follow you! ¹⁹  What then will there be for us?” 19:28 Jesus ²⁰  said to them, “I tell you the truth: ²¹  In the age when all things are renewed, ²²  when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging ²³  the twelve tribes of Israel. 19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much ²⁴  and will inherit eternal life. 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Luke 18:18-30

The Wealthy Ruler

18:18 Now ²⁵  a certain ruler ²⁶  asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁷  18:19 Jesus ²⁸  said to him, “Why do you call me good? ²⁹  No one is good except God alone. 18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” ³⁰  18:21 The man ³¹  replied, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed ³²  all these laws ³³  since my youth.” ³⁴  18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have ³⁵  and give the money ³⁶  to the poor, ³⁷  and you will have treasure ³⁸  in heaven. Then ³⁹  come, follow me.” 18:23 But when the man ⁴⁰  heard this he became very sad, ⁴¹  for he was extremely wealthy. 18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ⁴²  he said, “How hard ⁴³  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ⁴⁴  18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle ⁴⁵  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then ⁴⁶  who can be saved?” ⁴⁷  18:27 He replied, “What is impossible ⁴⁸  for mere humans ⁴⁹  is possible for God.” 18:28 And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own ⁵⁰  to follow you!” ⁵¹  18:29 Then ⁵²  Jesus ⁵³  said to them, “I tell you the truth, ⁵⁴  there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers ⁵⁵  or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom 18:30 who will not receive many times more ⁵⁶  in this age ⁵⁷  – and in the age to come, eternal life.” ⁵⁸ 

[19:16]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold one came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[19:19]  ² sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.

[19:19]  ³ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[19:20]  ⁴ tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.

[19:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:21]  ⁶ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:21]  ⁷ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

[19:22]  ⁸ tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.

[19:23]  ⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[19:24]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “I say to you.”

[19:24]  ¹¹ tc A few late witnesses (579 1424 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.

[19:24]  ¹² sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes.

[19:25]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[19:25]  ¹⁴ sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?

[19:26]  ¹⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[19:26]  ¹⁶ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men, but for God all things are possible”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” in v. 28.

[19:27]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Then answering, Peter said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[19:27]  ¹⁸ sn Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice have been noticed.

[19:27]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “We have left everything and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.

[19:28]  ²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[19:28]  ²¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[19:28]  ²² sn The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed (παλιγγενεσία, palingenesia) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5).

[19:28]  ²³ sn The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.

[19:29]  ²⁴ sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (a hundred times as much) and (2) eternal life will be given.

[18:18]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[18:18]  ²⁶ sn Only Luke states this man is a ruler (cf. the parallels in Matt 19:16-22 and Mark 10:17-22, where the questioner is described only as “someone”). He is probably a civic leader of some kind, a leader in the society.

[18:18]  ²⁷ sn The rich man wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, but Jesus had just finished teaching that eternal life was not earned but simply received (18:17). See the similar question about inheriting eternal life in Luke 10:25.

[18:19]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:19]  ²⁹ sn Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good?, was designed to cause the ruler to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.

[18:20]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 and Deut 5:16-20. Jesus cited the parts of the ten commandments that relate to how others should be treated.

[18:21]  ³¹ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:21]  ³² tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail throughout his life, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.

[18:21]  ³³ tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:21]  ³⁴ sn Since my youth. Judaism regarded the age of thirteen as the age when a man would have become responsible to live by God’s commands.

[18:22]  ³⁵ sn See Luke 14:33.

[18:22]  ³⁶ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:22]  ³⁷ sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.

[18:22]  ³⁸ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

[18:22]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.

[18:23]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:23]  ⁴¹ tn Or “very distressed” (L&N 25.277).

[18:24]  ⁴² tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:24]  ⁴³ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

[18:24]  ⁴⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[18:25]  ⁴⁵ sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.

[18:26]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.

[18:26]  ⁴⁷ sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?

[18:27]  ⁴⁸ sn The term impossible is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. God makes the impossible possible.

[18:27]  ⁴⁹ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men…possible for God”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation.

[18:28]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “left our homes,” “left our possessions”; Grk “left our own things.” The word ἴδιος (idios) can refer to one’s home (including the people and possessions in it) or to one’s property or possessions. Both options are mentioned in BDAG 467 s.v. 4.b. See also I. H. Marshall, Luke (NIGTC), 688; D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1488.

[18:28]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “We have left everything we own and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.

[18:29]  ⁵² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:29]  ⁵³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:29]  ⁵⁵ tn The term “brothers” could be understood as generic here, referring to either male or female siblings. However, it is noteworthy that in the parallel passages in both Matt 19:29 and Mark 10:29, “sisters” are explicitly mentioned in the Greek text.

[18:30]  ⁵⁶ sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (many times more) and (2) eternal life in the age to come will be given.

[18:30]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “this time” (καιρός, kairos), but for stylistic reasons this has been translated “this age” here.

[18:30]  ⁵⁸ sn Note that Luke (see also Matt 19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 10:25) portrays eternal life as something one receives in the age to come, unlike John, who emphasizes the possibility of receiving eternal life in the present (John 5:24).