After Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler—a man who couldn’t bear to consider the cost of discipleship—he made a profound exclamation: “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” This prompted his disciples to ask who then could be saved, to which Jesus responded: “What is impossible with […]

“And a ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'” (Luke 18:18). This rich, young man could not have asked Jesus a more important question.  However, he was unprepared to hear the answer, for when he heard it, “he became very sad” (Luke 18:23), and ” went away sorrowful” (Mark […]

In Luke 16, Jesus addresses material wealth and kingdom priorities, subtly illustrating for us the true heart condition of the unrepentant. After telling the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees—”who were lovers of money” (Luke 16:14)—in order to tell them another parable. While this story, the parable of the rich man […]

One of the major themes of Jesus’ teaching, as well as the rest of Scripture, is the sharp distinction between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. You either belong to the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. Your values are informed either by the world or by the truths of […]