Luke 18:18-30, Camels, Needles, and Rich Men

Luke 18 contains a series of stories and events placed together to drive home the point that the self-reliance of Jesus’ opponents was misguided. Only those who come to Jesus with a sense of their own helplessness and need can enter the kingdom. The sermon text (Luke 18:18-30) records Jesus’ encounter with a man who seemed to have everything. But, in the end, he walked away without the thing that he truly needed: a Savior-King.