Luke 18:26

Study note

Setting — Following Jesus’ declaration that a rich man cannot enter God’s kingdom, the surrounding listeners respond to his teaching. They pose a direct question to themselves about the possibility of salvation under such a standard.

The words — The Greek σωθῆναι (sōthēnai) literally means “to be saved,” paired with δύναται (dunatai) for “is able.” These terms capture the crowd’s realization of human inability to meet divine requirements.

The thread — This question parallels the inquiry in Luke 13:23 about whether only a few will be saved. It directly precedes Jesus’ statement in Luke 18:27 that what is impossible with man is possible with God.

Why it lands — The text records the listeners’ conclusion that salvation is unattainable by human effort before Jesus introduces divine intervention. It requires the reader to acknowledge human impossibility as the necessary premise for receiving God’s action.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.