Luke 18:26
Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
BSB
ASV
And they that heard it said, Then who can be saved?
KJV
And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
With men therefore whose thoughts creep earthward, salvation is impossible, but with God it is possible. For when man shall have God for his counsellor, and shall have received the righteousness of God and His teaching concerning poverty, as well as have invoked His aid, this shall be possible to him.
But they know how closely the hearts of most men cleave to this world, and are ready to despair of their being ever brought to this. There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation: as could never be got over but by pure omnipotence, by that grace of God which is almighty, and to which that is possible which exceeds all created power and wisdom.
1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
The story we have now read is three times reported in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke were all moved by the Holy Spirit to record the history of the rich young ruler. This fact should be noticed. It shows us that there are lessons before us which demand special attention. When God would impress on Peter his duty towards the Gentiles, He sent him a vision which was repeated "three times." (Acts 10:16.) We learn, firstly, from these verses — to what lengths men may go in self-ignorance.
The walk5
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Luke 13:23“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
leads to
But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”