How should modern Christians interpret Luke 18:22?
I agree with what Chris has said, and I'll just append some of my own thoughts here.Context is important. So when looking at a verse such as Luke 18:22, we have to understand that Jesus was using this point regarding giving to the poor as a way to convict the "certain ruler" (Luke 18:18). Although this man kept all the commandments from his youth, Jesus wanted to show him that what he needed the most was to love God more than all his material possessions. Jesus knew that to enter into the kingdom of God (Luke 18:24), loving God above all things was the indispensable requirement.So the point here wasn't about giving the poor for the sake of benefiting the poor. Certainly, giving to the poor is mentioned many other times in the Bible, and as Christians we should express the love of God to everyone through our giving.But in this particular passage, the practice of giving is an exercise on our part, to not love our material possessions more than we love the Lord. If we would give our heart to the Lord, then we would have no problem giving away our possessions (and would not go away sorrowing, as this rich man did). The lesson is to forsake our possessions (in order that our heart would not be kept by them) that we might love the Lord to the uttermost to enter into the kingdom.