![]() It is hard to miss the similarity between what the Pharisee said about himself being a lawkeeper (18:11), and the rich young ruler claiming to be a lawkeeper (18:21). But either way, the proximity in which Luke places them in his gospel tells us something about Luke’s intent and the point Luke wants to make.Īnd so, with the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector coming just before this (with the instance of the children coming to Jesus right in between - which makes the same point as the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector ), it is hard to escape the conclusion that Luke is indeed seeking to drive home the same lesson. I know someone might say “well, these things might not have occurred so close together in Jesus’ actual ministry.” That might be true. ![]() This stands out starkly in the text, simply due to the proximity of the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, and the story of the rich young ruler. He, like the Pharisee, thinks he is a law keeper. When Jesus says “you know the commandments,” and the rich young ruler responds “all these I have kept from my youth,” he is echoing the Pharisee from the passage just a few verses earlier. It is after this that the rich young ruler comes up to Jesus and says “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He then told us how we do become justified - namely, by acknowledging that we are sinners, like the tax collector, rather than law-keepers. Jesus had just pointed out how the guy who claimed to have kept all the commandments was not justified. Here’s the point: The rich young ruler failed to learn the lesson of the Pharisee and tax collector. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other” (v. The tax collector, on the other hand, wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven, and said “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (v. I fast twice a week I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11-12). ![]() We all know that parable as well: The Pharisee came to the temple and said “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. For, in Luke, right before this Jesus had just told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This becomes clear when you consider the account in Luke. That it seems too complex of a treatment of the passage.īut I don’t think it is. Some people say that this interpretation is importing a theological system onto the text. Jesus’ point was not that he would be saved by keeping the commandments his point was: “you haven’t kept the commandments, so you must be saved by another way - namely, by faith in me.” Why didn’t Jesus say “believe in me?” Why did he seem to tell this person that he would be saved by obeying the law?Ī common interpretation is that Jesus was showing this guy his sin. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me” (v. ![]() To which Jesus responds: “One thing you still lack. The rich young ruler then responds: “All these I have kept from my youth” (v. We would expect Jesus to say: “Believe in me.” But instead he seems to say: “Keep the commandments.” They are not to be used in any context where the accompanying message is undermining of the Christian faith and gospel.We all know the story: A ruler comes to Jesus and says “what must I do to inherit the eternal life?” Jesus, instead of saying, “believe in me,” says “You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother” (Luke 18:18-19).Īlready, this seems strange. Downloaded pictures can be used in the retelling of Bible stories and narrative that are faithful to the Biblical account.You cannot redistribute this set of images online but you can create a link to the relevant page on to allow others to download these images under the same Terms of Download.These images cannot be sold under any circumstances or used in any format for commercial gain.Individual images can be used in educational or ministry web articles, blogs and social media with attribution to Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing.These images are covered using a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. These images are the property of Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing who have granted FreeBibleimages permission to distribute them for educational and ministry use only.
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