In Luke 18:22 (also see Matt 19:21 and Mark 10:21), Jesus tells a rich ruler to “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” This has led some Christians to question whether or not they should sell all of their belongings and give all their money to the poor in order to be a faithful disciple of Jesus.
Some people will need to give all their money to the poor, but not all. To enter the Kingdom of God, a person must follow Jesus. Following Jesus means loving Jesus more than one’s wealth and possessions, and conforming one’s life to his instructions.
In order to understand Jesus’ saying about selling all and giving it to the poor, we must look at Luke 18:18–30 as a whole.
The Context of Luke 18:18–30
In Luke 18:18, a ruler, whom we discover in the passage is a Jew, approaches Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. Note that in the narrative no time has gone by since Jesus received the infants (18:15–17), which suggests that Jesus has not moved locations. This suggests that verses 18–30 are meant to be understood along with the preceding passage, verses 15–17.
So, while Jesus is holding and blessing babies and teaching about the Kingdom of God (KOG), a Jewish ruler approaches and wants to know how to obtain eternal life. Although it may seem like there is a change of topic from the KOG to eternal life, the narrative shows us that there really isn’t a change. The rich ruler is asking about eternal life, but Jesus turns the topic back to the KOG as seen in verses 24, 25, and 29. Further, verse 30 teaches us that eternal life is something one obtains when a person enters the KOG. Thus, the way one obtains eternal life is by entering the KOG. With that now understood, let’s see how Jesus responds to the ruler.
How to Enter the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:18–22)
Jesus’ response to the Jewish ruler is to obey the Ten Commandments (Luke 18:20). The ruler responds that he has kept all of these commandments since his youth (v 21). But in verse 22 comes the crux of the passage and the issue about eternal life and entrance into the KOG. Jesus says,
“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 18:21, emphasis added
Jesus gives the Jewish ruler two commands: (1) give all your money and possessions to the poor and (2) follow me. As we will discover, the way one obtains eternal life and enters the KOG is by following Jesus; this is Jesus’ main point—follow me if you want to enter the KOG and have eternal life.
Hindrances to Following Jesus (Luke 18:23–27)
Why does Jesus tell the ruler to sell all he has and give it to the poor? The ruler’s response to Jesus’ command gives us the answer: “But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). Matthew and Mark’s version say that “he went away very sad” (Matt 19:22; Mk 10:22). Thus, the Jewish ruler, who was invited to follow Jesus, did not follow Jesus because he would have to give up all his possessions! The ruler’s wealth and possessions hindered him from following Jesus and thus entering the KOG and obtaining eternal life.
The way to eternal life and the way to enter the KOG is by following Jesus. But, just like there were things hindering Jesus from receiving the infants in Luke 18:15–17 (see my article on Luke 18:15–17 here), so there were things hindering the ruler from following Jesus, and so there are things that may hinder us from following Jesus.
Wealth, according to Jesus, is something that will hinder many people from following Jesus and entering the Kingdom of God because it is not something that people want to give up. Note what Jesus says in Luke 18:24–27:
“Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ‘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.’ Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But he said, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God’” (Luke 18:24–27).
There are a few important details about what Jesus says in the above passage (Luke 18:24–27). First, the command to sell everything and give to the poor is not a command for all would-be followers of Jesus; it was a command only for this particular ruler. However, second, there is a general principle at work, which Jesus reveals in verses 24–25; it is extremely difficult for wealthy people to enter the KOG! This is true for all wealthy people. Third, notice the change in Jesus’ vocabulary: “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.” The ruler did not follow Jesus, which means he could not enter the KOG, which means he will not obtain eternal life.
What, then, is Jesus’ point? To enter the Kingdom of God and to receive eternal life, one must follow Jesus unhindered by things such as wealth. Put another way, to enter the KOG and to receive eternal life one must be “all-in” for Jesus, meaning one must love Jesus more than wealth or possessions. To love Jesus, means to believe in him and to follow his way of life, which may entail giving up all your wealth and possessions.
Positive Examples of Removing Hindrances and Following Jesus (Luke 18:28–30; 19:1–10)
We see the truth in Jesus’ statement that God is able to save the wealthy and overcome their love for wealth with a love for Jesus (Luke 18:26–27) in the apostles and in a man named Zacchaeus. Let’s briefly look at both examples.
The Apostles
Peter notes that he and the eleven other apostles left their homes to follow Jesus (Luke 18:28). Jesus gives a positive response to this act of being ‘all in’:
“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, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.’”
LUKE 18:29–30
Notice here that the point isn’t giving up one’s wealth and possessions. Jesus lists much more: houses, family, etc. The point is that a person should not allow anything to hinder him/her from following Jesus.
Also note again the language used. Peter says he gave up his home to follow Jesus (Luke 18:28) and Jesus says anyone who gives up his home for the Kingdom of God will receive much in this life and eternal life (vv 29–30). So, we have come full circle from the question of the ruler about how to obtain eternal life. One must follow Jesus, which means being ready to give up everything for Jesus, including wealth and possessions, to enter the KOG and obtain eternal life.
Zacchaeus
The final positive example of following Jesus unhindered is the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1–10. The story of Zacchaeus stands in stark contrast to the story of the rich ruler. Both were certainly rich, but the ruler is presented as righteous (18:20–21), whereas Zacchaeus is presented as a sinner (19:7–8). Most tax collectors of Jesus’ day were known for taking a cut of the taxes for themselves (this is on top of their wages, see Luke 3:12–13). They overcharged to get some extra cash. Luke 19:7 shows the crowd as thinking this of Zacchaeus and finally verse 8 has Zacchaeus admitting that he had defrauded others.
Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus is in stark contrast to the wealthy ruler’s response to Jesus. Whereas the wealthy ruler refused to give up his wealth and possessions to follow Jesus, enter the KOG, and obtain eternal life, Zacchaeus “received him joyfully” and gave up over half his wealth and possessions (Luke 19:6, 8). Zacchaeus gave half his possessions to the poor, whereas it was considered generous to give 20% in the Judaism of his day. On top of giving away half his possessions, Zacchaeus repays those whom he defrauded 40% on top of what he took from them. This is well beyond the law, which stated the legal restoration for extortion was 20%. For Zacchaeus, wealth was not a barrier or a hindrance to following Jesus. He was prepared and willing to give up everything for Jesus. He was all-in for Jesus. And what does Jesus say to Zacchaeus? “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
Note that Zacchaeus didn’t give away all his possessions. Jesus in Luke 18:18–30 is not asking everyone to sell all they have. The main point that Jesus makes is that to enter the Kingdom of God, you must follow Jesus unhindered. Wealth and possessions are two such things that will stop many from following Jesus because many are not willing to give them up for Jesus.
Summary and Concluding Remarks
Should Christians sell all their possessions and give all their money to the poor? Possibly. To enter the Kingdom of God and obtain eternal life, a person must follow Jesus, which means loving Jesus more than your wealth and your possessions, and conforming your life to his instructions, such as believing in him and living as he tells you to live.
Many people will not be willing to give up their wealth, possessions, and lifestyle for Jesus and his kingdom. Some may have to give them up to remove the hindrance that may stop them from following Jesus. And for some, wealth and possessions is not a hindrance to following Jesus; it may be something else. For those who do give up something to follow Jesus, there is the promise of receiving many times more in this time and in the age to come eternal life (Luke 18:30).