It Can't Be Done! Or Can It?

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18)
Jesus had a way of astounding his hearers - even those who heard Him day after day.  If a rich man, supposedly blessed by God for being so good, and having every possible advantage in this world, could not be assured of entering the Kingdom of God, how  could anyone hope to get in? It would seem... impossible.  This question is found in context in a discussion with a man who had come to talk with the Lord, and one the heels of a teaching session Jesus had just had with His followers about prayer. This man did not need to "pray" as we think of prayer; he was talking with the Lord directly. He asked Him what he needed to do to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not say it was impossible; the man made it so by his response. The bigger point is this: God is the God of the impossible; He can do what seems like it cannot be done. We simply need to trust in the One Who is able to do what we cannot do for the what, when and how.