And in those times I go to God with all the things that are totally out of my control. I often tell him in those moments, “what is impossible for me is possible for you.” And I ask him to do the impossible in the lives of the people that I love. I pray for their welfare, their futures, their health, their safety, their hopes and dreams, their decisions, and their opportunities. I want God to do for them all the things I can’t manage or manipulate or manifest. I want him to bless and keep them and give them every good thing. And while these are good prayers…
They are far too small.
They are far too possible. In truth, they fall infinitely short of THE most impossible impossibility that only God can accomplish. They are woefully lacking in the one main ingredient, the very thing that Jesus is talking about in this verse. Surely there are a million impossible things that only God can do. But without this one impossibility, made possible, all those other things are worthless. There is only one thing that is essential, only one thing that truly matters. And in this verse, Jesus is talking about that one thing.
Salvation.
It is the only thing we actually and most desperately need. And yet so often we get it wrong. We think blessings are the thing, and blessings prove God’s favor. But Jesus won’t let us sit in our false assumptions. In our verse, and its surrounding story, Jesus is helping us see that the only thing we need is the very thing we cannot do for ourselves. And it is the very thing he came to do on our behalf. Let’s take a brief look.
In Luke 18, a wealthy, prominent, squeaky-clean, religious guy comes to see Jesus. He’s got the world on a string, and everyone in the crowd around Jesus would agree that this guy is blessed. It’s a pretty normal way of thinking, even today. I guarantee if a guy like this walked into any church, people would get excited because they’d know he’s the kind of guy who funds things and leads things and exemplifies an upstanding life. Anyone would jump at the chance to scoop this guy up.
But not Jesus.
Jesus does the opposite. Jesus refuses to let him or the crowd (or us) get it wrong. Jesus asks him to give up the very thing everyone else is oogling at: his wealth—the symbol of his distinction, the evidence of his blessing, the status that keeps him floating above the fray. I can hear the crowd gasp in astonishment as this important young leader turns and walks away with a heavy heart. But not before Jesus tells him (and everyone listening), “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 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” (Luke 28:24-25).
Befuddled, they ask, “Who then can be saved!?”
“Truly, who? If not this guy—who keeps the rules and has all the blessings—then who? Moreover, who can do the impossible? Who can push a camel through a needle…let alone push ordinary sinners like the rest of us through the pearly gates?” And here’s what Jesus says:
“What is impossible with man, is possible with God.”
This is the gist of what Jesus is saying, “You’re all camels. Even the best of you. What you want, what you most desperately need, salvation, it’s impossible for you. You could never be good enough or pure enough or patient or loving or faithful or sacrificial enough to make your soul right with God. You cannot by any means accumulate the amount required to pay for your sins and rebellion. Every single person, even the most blessed and best, is destitute before a perfectly holy God.” But here’s the good news:
“What is impossible with man, is possible with God.”
And God has made this infinite impossibility…possible. Jesus, the very person who spoke this truth made it so. Jesus was perfectly good and pure and patient and loving and faithful—all the things we cannot be. And Jesus sacrificed his infinitely worthy self (the only thing costly enough to pay the penalty for humanity's wrongs). Unlike the rich ruler, Jesus did not hold onto what was his own. Rather, Jesus is the truly rich ruler, who “for [our] sake became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). We cannot save ourselves. It is impossible for us, but Jesus has made it possible for all who would trust in him.
I want to leave you with the question I keep asking myself, “What am I trusting in for my salvation?” As simple as that answer may be, do sit with it until you feel uncomfortable. Just like in our passage, Jesus isn’t content to let you get it wrong. I know you know the right answer, but are you fully living it? Are there other things you’re still holding up before God, saying, “Look at me. Is this enough?” Probably there’s something. There’s always something. At least for me. Confess it. And lean into the God who did everything to save you. It is truly the most wondrous impossibility, made possible.
Ok. Before you go, let me say one more thing: do go and listen to the first podcast in July (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). I always do a teaching episode on the first of the month. And there were so many things I learned and loved about this passage that I don’t have space to communicate here. I’d love to share them with you!
