Church Fathers Commentary Luke 18:24-30

"And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle`s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Then who can be saved? But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. And Peter said, Lo, we have left our own, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the kingdom of God`s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come eternal life." — Luke 18:24-30 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord, seeing that the rich man was sorrowful when told to give up his riches, was amazed, saying, How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God! He does not say it is impossible for them to enter, but that it is difficult. For through their riches they might reap a heavenly reward, but it is a hard thing, seeing that riches are more tenacious than birdlime; it is very difficult for the soul, once seized by them, to be plucked away. But next, He speaks of it as impossible: It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye. The word in Greek can mean either the animal called the camel or a ship's cable. However we understand it, impossibility is implied. What must we say then? First of all, that the thing is positively true, for we must remember that the rich man differs from the steward, or dispenser of riches. The rich man is he who reserves his riches for himself; the steward or dispenser is one who holds them in his care for the benefit of others.

St. John Chrysostom: Abraham, indeed, possessed wealth for the poor. And all those who righteously possess it spend it as something received from God, according to the divine command. Those who have acquired wealth in an ungodly way, however, are ungodly in their use of it, whether in squandering it on prostitutes or parasites, or in hiding it in the ground while sparing nothing for the poor. He does not, then, forbid people to be rich, but to be slaves to their riches. He wants us to use them for what is necessary, not to guard them. It is a servant's role to guard, but a master's to distribute. If God had wished to preserve riches, He would never have given them to humanity, but would have left them to remain in the earth.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Again, observe that He says a rich man cannot possibly be saved, but one who possesses riches can be saved only with difficulty. It is as if He said: The rich man who has been taken captive by his riches, and is a slave to them, will not be saved; but he who possesses them, or is their master, will be saved with difficulty because of human weakness. For the devil is always trying to make us stumble as long as we possess riches, and it is a difficult matter to escape his schemes. Poverty, therefore, is a blessing and, as it were, free from temptation.

St. John Chrysostom: There is no profit in riches while the soul suffers poverty, and no harm in poverty while the soul abounds in wealth. But if the sign of growing rich is to need nothing, and the sign of becoming poor is to be in want, then it is clear that the poorer a person is, the richer he becomes. For it is far easier for one in poverty to despise wealth than for the rich. Nor is avarice ever satisfied by having more, for by this, people are only inflamed all the more, just as a fire spreads the more it has to feed upon. The apparent evils of poverty are also shared by riches, but the evils of riches are unique to them.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He here gives the name "rich" to one who covets temporal things and boasts in them. Opposed to such rich men are the poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs. Now, mystically, it is easier for Christ to suffer for the lovers of this world than for the lovers of this world to be converted to Christ. For by the name of a camel, He intended to represent Himself, because He voluntarily humbled Himself to bear the burdens of our weakness. By the needle He signifies sharp piercings, and by this, the pangs received in His Passion; but by the shape of the needle He describes the constriction of the Passion.

St. John Chrysostom: These weighty words so far exceeded the capacity of the disciples that when they heard them, they asked, Who then can be saved?—not because they feared for themselves, but for the whole world.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Seeing that there is an incomparably greater number of poor people who might be saved by giving up their riches, they understood that all who love riches, even if they cannot obtain them, were to be counted among the rich. It follows, And he said to them, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. This must not be taken to mean that a rich man, full of covetousness and pride, might enter the kingdom of God, but rather that it is possible with God for a person to be converted from covetousness and pride to charity and humility.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For people, therefore, whose thoughts cling to the earth, salvation is impossible, but with God it is possible. For when a person has God for his counselor, and has received the righteousness of God and His teaching about poverty, as well as having invoked His aid, this will become possible for him.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The rich man who has given up many things will naturally expect a reward, but he who possesses little and gives up what he has may fairly ask what is in store for him; as it follows, Then Peter said, lo, we have left all. Matthew adds, What shall we have therefore?

The Venerable Bede: It is as if he is saying, "We have done what you commanded us; what reward, then, will you give us?" And because it is not enough to have left all things, he adds that which made it perfect, saying, And have followed you.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It was necessary to say this, because those who give up a few things, with respect to their motives and obedience, are weighed in the same balance as the rich who have given up everything, inasmuch as they act from similar motivations in voluntarily surrendering all that they possess. And therefore it follows, Verily I say to you, there is no man that has left house... who shall not receive manifold more... He inspires all who hear Him with the most joyful hopes, confirming His promises to them with an oath, beginning His declaration with "Verily." For when the divine teaching invites the world to faith in Christ, some, out of consideration for their unbelieving parents, are unwilling to distress them by converting, and have similar regard for other relatives. Others, in contrast, give up their father and mother, and hold the love of their entire family as insignificant in comparison to the love of Christ.

The Venerable Bede: The meaning, then, is this: He who, in seeking the kingdom of God, has despised all earthly attachments and has trampled underfoot all the riches, pleasures, and allurements of the world, will receive far greater things in the present time. On the basis of this declaration, some of the Jews build up the fable of a millennium after the resurrection of the just, when all things we have given up for God’s sake will be restored with abundant interest, and eternal life will be granted. Nor, in their ignorance, do they seem to be aware that even if a fitting promise of restoration might apply to other things, in the matter of wives—which, according to some Evangelists, would be restored a hundredfold—it would be obviously shocking, especially since our Lord declares that in the resurrection there will be no marrying. And according to Mark, He declares that those things which have been given up will be received in this present time with persecutions, which these Jews assert will be absent for a thousand years.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This, then, is what we say: he who gives up all worldly and carnal things will gain for himself far greater things. Inasmuch as the Apostles, after leaving a few things, obtained the abundant gifts of grace and were considered great everywhere, we then will be like them. If a person has left his home, he will receive an abiding place above. If he has left his father, he will have a Father in heaven. If he has given up his family, Christ will take him as a brother. If he has given up a wife, he will find divine wisdom, from which he will beget spiritual offspring. If he has left a mother, he will find the heavenly Jerusalem, who is our mother. From brothers and sisters also, united with him by the spiritual bond of his will, he will receive in this life far more tender affections.