And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!
- BSB Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
- NKJV And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
- NASB And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!
- NLT When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus observes how hard it is for the rich to enter God's Kingdom. Wealth easily becomes a rival to God.
Overview
Seeing the ruler's sorrow, Jesus comments on the spiritual danger of riches, which tempt people to trust possessions rather than God. The difficulty is not that wealth is inherently evil but that it readily captures the heart. This warns all hearers, not only the wealthy, against misplaced security.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Prov 30:9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
- Jas 2:5–7Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
- Mark 10:23–27And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
- Prov 11:28He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
- Ps 10:3For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
- Matt 19:23–25Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
- 2 Cor 7:9–10Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
- Deut 8:11–17Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
- Ps 73:5–12They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
- Jer 5:5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
- Deut 6:10–12And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
- Jer 2:31O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
- 1 Tim 6:9–10But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
- Mark 6:26And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
- Prov 18:11The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
- 1 Cor 1:26–27For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
- Jas 5:1–6Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 18:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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