21 And he said, All these things I have done from the time when I was a boy. 22 And Jesus, hearing it, said to him, One thing you still have need of; get money for your goods, and give it away to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven; and come after me. 23 But at these words he became very sad, for he had great wealth. 24 And Jesus, looking at him, said, How hard it is for those who have wealth to get into the kingdom of God! 25 It is simpler for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a man who has much money to come into the kingdom of God. 26 And those who were present said, Then who may have salvation? 27 But he said, Things which are not possible with man are possible with God. 28 And Peter said, See, we have given up what is ours to come after you. 29 And he said to them, Truly I say to you, There is no man who has given up house or wife or brothers or father or mother or children, because of the kingdom of God, 30 Who will not get much more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.
31 And he took with him the twelve and said to them, Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things which were said by the prophets will be done to the Son of man. 32 For he will be given up to the Gentiles, and will be made sport of and put to shame: 33 And he will be given cruel blows and put to death, and on the third day he will come back to life. 34 But they did not take in the sense of any of these words, and what he said was not clear to them, and their minds were not able to see it.
35 And it came about that when he got near Jericho, a certain blind man was seated by the side of the road, making requests for money from those who went by.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 18:21-35
Commentary on Luke 18:18-30
(Read Luke 18:18-30)
Many have a great deal in them very commendable, yet perish for lack of some one thing; so this ruler could not bear Christ's terms, which would part between him and his estate. Many who are loth to leave Christ, yet do leave him. After a long struggle between their convictions and their corruptions, their corruptions carry the day. They are very sorry that they cannot serve both; but if one must be quitted, it shall be their God, not their wordly gain. Their boasted obedience will be found mere outside show; the love of the world in some form or other lies at the root. Men are apt to speak too much of what they have left and lost, of what they have done and suffered for Christ, as Peter did. But we should rather be ashamed that there has been any regret or difficulty in doing it.
Commentary on Luke 18:31-34
(Read Luke 18:31-34)
The Spirit of Christ, in the Old Testament prophets, testified beforehand his sufferings, and the glory that should follow, 1 Peter 1:11. The disciples' prejudices were so strong, that they would not understand these things literally. They were so intent upon the prophecies which spake of Christ's glory, that they overlooked those which spake of his sufferings. People run into mistakes, because they read their Bibles by halves, and are only for the smooth things. We are as backward to learn the proper lessons from the sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, as the disciples were to what he told them as to those events; and for the same reason; self-love, and a desire of worldly objects, close our understandings.
Commentary on Luke 18:35-43
(Read Luke 18:35-43)
This poor blind man sat by the wayside, begging. He was not only blind, but poor, the fitter emblem of the world of mankind which Christ came to heal and save. The prayer of faith, guided by Christ's encouraging promises, and grounded on them, shall not be in vain. The grace of Christ ought to be thankfully acknowledged, to the glory of God. It is for the glory of God if we follow Jesus, as those will do whose eyes are opened. We must praise God for his mercies to others, as well as for mercies to ourselves. Would we rightly understand these things, we must come to Christ, like the blind man, earnestly beseeching him to open our eyes, and to show us clearly the excellence of his precepts, and the value of his salvation.