Luke 18:26 Meaning and Explanation
“And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The astonished hearers ask: if the rich cannot enter, who then can be saved?
What Does Luke 18:26 Mean?
The question is honest bewilderment. If those with every visible advantage — means for offerings, leisure for study, the apparent smile of heaven — cannot enter, what chance remains for fishermen, widows, and beggars? The saying seems to leave no one inside. Jesus has knocked away the ladder everyone assumed reached highest.
And that bewilderment is precisely where Jesus wants the question to land, because at last it is the right question. As long as salvation looks achievable for somebody — the richer, the holier, the more disciplined — its true nature stays hidden. 'Who then can be saved?' has one true answer, and it comes in the next verse: no one, alone; anyone, with God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 18:26
What does Luke 18:26 mean?
The astonished hearers ask: if the rich cannot enter, who then can be saved?