Things that we have to let go of Luke 18:18-34
Mari Ikeda
1. Things that we have to let go of
a. Things we assume that “they are mine” (18-23)
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good―except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
b. Property (24-25)
24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
c. Even those whom we love (26-30)
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
2. The most important thing (26-27, 31-34)
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” 34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Summary
Having met Jesus, who even gave up His own life for us, we got to know what is the most important. It is to live to love God and people. For that purpose, each of us is expected to let go of what we thought belong to ourselves for the sake of fulfilling each part given by God. It’s hard, and perhaps sometimes we even feel impossible, to let go of what is dear to us, whether it’s a thing or a person. But God is able to change our stubborn mind.
For Discussion
1) Do you have anything/anyone that you can’t let go, or something/someone that you may curse God if it’s taken away?
2) What does it mean to leave even those whom we love?