21 And he said, 'All these I did keep from my youth;' 22 and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, 'Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things—as many as thou hast—sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;' 23 and he, having heard these things, became very sorrowful, for he was exceeding rich. 24 And Jesus having seen him become very sorrowful, said, 'How hardly shall those having riches enter into the reign of God! 25 for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.' 26 And those who heard, said, 'And who is able to be saved?' 27 and he said, 'The things impossible with men are possible with God.' 28 And Peter said, 'Lo, we left all, and did follow thee;' 29 and he said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that there is not one who left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the reign of God, 30 who may not receive back manifold more in this time, and in the coming age, life age-during.'
31 And having taken the twelve aside, he said unto them, 'Lo, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be completed—that have been written through the prophets—to the Son of Man, 32 for he shall be delivered up to the nations, and shall be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon, 33 and having scourged they shall put him to death, and on the third day he shall rise again.' 34 And they none of these things understood, and this saying was hid from them, and they were not knowing the things said.
35 And it came to pass, in his coming nigh to Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting beside the way begging,
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.