Through this series of lessons in Luke 18, Jesus is trying to rectify our faulty thinking on one very important issue: too often people think that they can be good enough to earn eternal life with God, but that is a flawed assessment! I can only imagine what must have been going on in the minds of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus has just turned away the most promising prospect that any of them had seen to this point—a man with great power, wealth and influence—and yet He welcomed “an unrighteous tax collector, an unimpressive child, and a helpless widow” as recipients of the kingdom of God. They have been gifted with God’s forgiveness and grace. It just didn’t make sense to them!

Sensing their confusion, Jesus pulls them aside and reminds them (yet again) just what His purpose in life is. In fact, this was the third time He shared this with them! We will look at what Jesus had to say to the Twelve on this particular day (Luke 18:31-34), and we will pay close attention to how the disciples respond to this profound message.