What does Luke 18:25 mean?
Jesus puts a finer point on His previous comment: "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:24). This was stated in response to a wealthy young man who asked how to inherit eternal life. He is a good man: good to other people and obedient to God's commands. Or so it seems: to show that earthly goodness is not enough, Jesus challenges the man to sell all his possessions and give everything to the poor and come follow Him (Luke 18:18–22). "Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:22).The kingdom of God is any place and situation where God's authority, sovereignty, and majesty is manifest. It's the repentant tax collector (Luke 18:13–14) and the powerless children (Luke 18:16–17) and the bold, blind beggar (Luke 18:35–38). In general, those who are rich rely on the power of their wealth, not God. There are exceptions, of course, but the powerless who cannot depend on money are more likely to realize they have to trust God.
This young man has another hurdle. In the culture, it is assumed that if someone is rich, it is because he pleases God. So, this man is being asked to do more than lay down his wealth. He's also being told to give up his public reputation as a good man blessed by God. The fear of losing his wealth overrides the man's desire to follow Christ.
The crowd is incredulous; they ask, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus gives them the answer: "What is impossible with man is possible with God" (Luke 18:26–27). It is always God's mercy that saves, never our works. We are not redeemed by being good, or making sacrifices, but by God's grace, through our faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1–10).
There is much debate about whether the "eye" the camel must fit through is a small gate next to a larger city gate or whether it's really the hole on one end of the needle. Both have applications. A smaller gate affirms that some rich people do enter God's kingdom. The eye of a literal needle shows it is only through God's grace. Either way, the point is that a person cannot cling to earthly things—such as money—and still be invested in the kingdom of God.
