SERMON
How Jesus Makes the Impossible Possible – March 15, 2026
Pastor Paul Georgulis
Last fall, our washing machine started making a terrible grinding noise and eventually stopped working. With five people in our family, laundry quickly piled up. My first instinct was to fix it myself. For a week and a half, I studied the machine, replaced parts, and took it apart multiple times—but nothing worked. Eventually the solution was simple: a new washing machine.
Sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re not trying hard enough. Sometimes the problem is simply beyond our ability to fix.
And that’s exactly the issue we encounter in Luke 18 when the disciples ask Jesus a question that has puzzled people for centuries: “Who then can be saved?”
Prior to this question, Jesus had an encounter with a man identified as a rich young ruler. This man asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
As a rich ruler, he already had success, wealth, and reputation. Yet his question suggests he felt something was still missing—that there must be more to life.
Jesus responded by telling him to obey the commandments. The man replied that he had done so since childhood. Jesus then told him: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The man became very sad and walked away. His wealth had become a kind of security blanket—a place of safety and control. Jesus was asking him to let go of that security and trust Him instead.
And if we’re honest, most of us have our own security blankets. They may not be wealth. They may be our careers, our reputation, our sense of control, or the identity we have built for ourselves. The problem with the rich young ruler was not that he was evil. In many ways he was admirable. The problem was that he was relying on something other than Jesus.
And in that sense, he represents all of us trying to secure life on our own terms. That’s why the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?”
In their culture, wealth was often viewed as a sign of God’s blessing. If someone as successful and respected as this rich ruler could not experience the life of God’s kingdom, what hope was there for anyone else?
Jesus responded with a statement that changes everything: “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” The life God intends for us is not something we can achieve by ourselves. It’s not something we can achieve by trying harder. What is impossible for us becomes possible only because of what Jesus came to do.
Peter then said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
In one sense, Peter was right. The disciples had already left their homes, work, and old lives behind to follow Jesus. But they still did not fully understand what Jesus was about to do.
Jesus reassured them:
“29 “Truly I tell you…no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”” – Luke 18:29-30
Trusting and following Jesus is never a loss. What is surrendered for His sake is not ultimately taken away—it is transformed in ways we cannot yet see. But Jesus then said something the disciples were not expecting: ‘We are going up to Jerusalem”
At first this seemed unrelated to their question. But Luke includes it to show that the answer to the disciples’ question is found in what Jesus is about to do in Jerusalem.
Earlier in His ministry Jesus had already explained this:
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected…that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” – Mark 8:31
The word “must” shows that this was not an accident. It was God’s plan.
Luke records Jesus explaining further:
“Everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled…they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” – Luke 18:31–33
Through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, God makes the impossible possible.
The rich young ruler asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ ultimate answer is that the life God offers is not something we achieve through our own effort. It is something Jesus made possible through His death and resurrection. Yet Luke tells us that the disciples still did not understand what Jesus meant.
Why? Because both the rich ruler and the disciples were still holding on to something. The rich ruler held on to his wealth. The disciples held on to their expectations about God’s kingdom. Both were still depending on something other than Jesus.
This raises an important question for us: What are we holding on to instead of trusting Jesus completely?
Following Jesus is not simply about leaving things behind. It is about entering into a new kind of life with God. Scripture describes this life as being “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” (Ephesians 1:3)
These blessings are not merely material or circumstantial. They are the ways God allows us to experience Him more deeply.
Through Jesus we are welcomed into God’s family. We are forgiven and made new. God opens our eyes to understand His Word. He gives us His Spirit and strengthens us to live the life He calls us to live. He fills us with a hope that reaches far beyond anything this world can offer.
That’s the life with God we were created for. And these blessings are not only future promises. They are realities we begin to experience even now as we walk with Jesus—a life shaped by God’s presence and made possible through what Jesus did in Jerusalem.
Jesus summarized it simply by saying: “What is impossible with people is possible with God.”
The impossible is not merely escaping judgment. The impossible is experiencing the life of God—living in relationship with Him and being transformed by His presence.
Luke highlights this by placing the stories of two rich men side by side.
One walks away. The other welcomes Jesus. The first rich man, the rich young ruler, clung to his wealth and walked away sad. The second rich man was Zacchaeus. Instead of holding tightly to his wealth, Zacchaeus let it go with joy. Instead of asking what he must do, Zacchaeus simply welcomed Jesus. And Jesus said:
“Today salvation has come to this house.” – Luke 19:9
That is what the impossible looks like when someone lets go and trusts Jesus.
Humanity has spent thousands of years trying to fix the deepest problem of life: we were created to live in relationship with God, but we cannot restore that relationship ourselves. So we try to fix it—with morality, success, religion, achievement, or control. But none of those things can give us the life with God we were created for.
What is impossible for us becomes possible because of what Jesus did.
He went to Jerusalem. He suffered. He was rejected. He died. And He rose again.
Not to ask us to try harder, but to give us the life with God that we could never create on our own.
Sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re not trying hard enough. Sometimes the problem is simply beyond our ability to fix.
And that’s exactly the issue we encounter in Luke 18 when the disciples ask Jesus a question that has puzzled people for centuries: “Who then can be saved?”
Prior to this question, Jesus had an encounter with a man identified as a rich young ruler. This man asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
As a rich ruler, he already had success, wealth, and reputation. Yet his question suggests he felt something was still missing—that there must be more to life.
Jesus responded by telling him to obey the commandments. The man replied that he had done so since childhood. Jesus then told him: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The man became very sad and walked away. His wealth had become a kind of security blanket—a place of safety and control. Jesus was asking him to let go of that security and trust Him instead.
And if we’re honest, most of us have our own security blankets. They may not be wealth. They may be our careers, our reputation, our sense of control, or the identity we have built for ourselves. The problem with the rich young ruler was not that he was evil. In many ways he was admirable. The problem was that he was relying on something other than Jesus.
And in that sense, he represents all of us trying to secure life on our own terms. That’s why the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?”
In their culture, wealth was often viewed as a sign of God’s blessing. If someone as successful and respected as this rich ruler could not experience the life of God’s kingdom, what hope was there for anyone else?
Jesus responded with a statement that changes everything: “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” The life God intends for us is not something we can achieve by ourselves. It’s not something we can achieve by trying harder. What is impossible for us becomes possible only because of what Jesus came to do.
Peter then said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
In one sense, Peter was right. The disciples had already left their homes, work, and old lives behind to follow Jesus. But they still did not fully understand what Jesus was about to do.
Jesus reassured them:
“29 “Truly I tell you…no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”” – Luke 18:29-30
Trusting and following Jesus is never a loss. What is surrendered for His sake is not ultimately taken away—it is transformed in ways we cannot yet see. But Jesus then said something the disciples were not expecting: ‘We are going up to Jerusalem”
At first this seemed unrelated to their question. But Luke includes it to show that the answer to the disciples’ question is found in what Jesus is about to do in Jerusalem.
Earlier in His ministry Jesus had already explained this:
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected…that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” – Mark 8:31
The word “must” shows that this was not an accident. It was God’s plan.
Luke records Jesus explaining further:
“Everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled…they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” – Luke 18:31–33
Through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, God makes the impossible possible.
The rich young ruler asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ ultimate answer is that the life God offers is not something we achieve through our own effort. It is something Jesus made possible through His death and resurrection. Yet Luke tells us that the disciples still did not understand what Jesus meant.
Why? Because both the rich ruler and the disciples were still holding on to something. The rich ruler held on to his wealth. The disciples held on to their expectations about God’s kingdom. Both were still depending on something other than Jesus.
This raises an important question for us: What are we holding on to instead of trusting Jesus completely?
Following Jesus is not simply about leaving things behind. It is about entering into a new kind of life with God. Scripture describes this life as being “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” (Ephesians 1:3)
These blessings are not merely material or circumstantial. They are the ways God allows us to experience Him more deeply.
Through Jesus we are welcomed into God’s family. We are forgiven and made new. God opens our eyes to understand His Word. He gives us His Spirit and strengthens us to live the life He calls us to live. He fills us with a hope that reaches far beyond anything this world can offer.
That’s the life with God we were created for. And these blessings are not only future promises. They are realities we begin to experience even now as we walk with Jesus—a life shaped by God’s presence and made possible through what Jesus did in Jerusalem.
Jesus summarized it simply by saying: “What is impossible with people is possible with God.”
The impossible is not merely escaping judgment. The impossible is experiencing the life of God—living in relationship with Him and being transformed by His presence.
Luke highlights this by placing the stories of two rich men side by side.
One walks away. The other welcomes Jesus. The first rich man, the rich young ruler, clung to his wealth and walked away sad. The second rich man was Zacchaeus. Instead of holding tightly to his wealth, Zacchaeus let it go with joy. Instead of asking what he must do, Zacchaeus simply welcomed Jesus. And Jesus said:
“Today salvation has come to this house.” – Luke 19:9
That is what the impossible looks like when someone lets go and trusts Jesus.
Humanity has spent thousands of years trying to fix the deepest problem of life: we were created to live in relationship with God, but we cannot restore that relationship ourselves. So we try to fix it—with morality, success, religion, achievement, or control. But none of those things can give us the life with God we were created for.
What is impossible for us becomes possible because of what Jesus did.
He went to Jerusalem. He suffered. He was rejected. He died. And He rose again.
Not to ask us to try harder, but to give us the life with God that we could never create on our own.