NOTES for Luk 14:16-24

Everyone who comes to Jesus is essentially asking Him the same question, expressed most clearly by the unnamed “ruler” in today's passage: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The very wording of this question presupposes a single particular deed. In the original it reads, “What having done shall I inherit eternal life?” This is exactly how the Slavonic translation conveys these words: “What having done shall I inherit eternal life?” When we ask Christ such a question, we usually do not sense how dangerous it is to the habitual course of our life. The ruler evidently expects to be told to donate a certain sum or perform some ritual act. Later, the hajj would become a striking example of such an act: make a pilgrimage to a certain place and earn the mercy of the Almighty. But to inherit eternal life, which belongs to God, one must surrender one's entire life. This is what Christ's answer implies when He proposes that this ruler give away everything he has. It is difficult not only because it truly requires giving one's whole life to God, but also because it is fearful to fall into the hands of the living God. The feat of trust is one of the hardest and most significant.