Is there a one thing or things you would refuse to give up if asked to by Jesus? The rich young man in this account by Mark was asked that very question.

The video link is here:

Mark 10:17-31… The Rich Young Ruler

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Here is the transcript used in the production of this Podcast:

Mark

10:17-31 The Rich and the Kingdom of God

In contrast to the completely dependent “little children” who have nothing and no standing in the eyes of the world, Mark reports an incident involving a very wealthy and commandment-keeping man whom many Jews of Jesus’ day would consider having “great” standing with God and thus a sure claim to salvation.

Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan

 

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[d]”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

God’s gift of the law, which included provision for dealing with sin, promised life through keeping its commandments (e.g., Lev 18:5). The Pharisees took this to mean eternal life, which led to many debates over what the law required (cf. 2:15–3:6; 7:1–23). The man, also assuming that obedience to the law can merit eternal life, asks Jesus for his opinion.

Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan

 

The Pharisees would have assured the man that eternal life was his. But still this man somehow sensed he wasn’t being told the whole story. It is obvious that he was in some kind of crisis – at least I think so. Why? Because this man “ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before Him”. This is not a casual conversation.

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

There is something interesting… Jesus did not list ALL of the 10 commandments… only the ones dealing with man’s interactions with man.

Could Jesus be saying

 “Well and good… but how about the FIRST four commandments? Get rid of all your possessions and follow me. Show me that nothing stands between you and God.”

By doing this, this man would be demonstrating that even his wealth was not more important than God ( commandment #1). 

By doing this, he would be demonstrating that his wealth had not become an idol(commandment #2).

 I will be honest, I don’t understand how commandments 3 and 4 fit into this man’s dilemma, but the fact that this man was breaking #1 and #2 is enough to disqualify him.

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

At least the first two commandments were  being broken by this man, disqualifying him from the Kingdom of Heaven. The man’s wealth was his greatest love. If you can’t keep ALL the commandments then all is lost.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

It is precisely because salvation is “impossible” for humans that all must accept the kingdom as powerless children (v. 15), trusting only in God’s merciful kindness by following Jesus.

Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan

 

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

This is a VERY important concept. Jesus is NOT saying that if you are poor – or at least not wealthy – that you are automatically “in”. The question becomes “WHY are you poor?”  

Are you poor because you consciously are giving up the world’s wealth to follow Jesus? Is God more important than wealth? That is what Jesus is saying here, I believe.

One other thought occurs… Jesus is NOT saying that wealth automatically disqualifies you from  the Kingdom of Heaven. Money doesn’t keep you out of Heaven. The LOVE of money does. Anything that takes the place of God in your life is idolatry, an immediate disqualifier.

God has wealthy people in the Body of Christ, and God has poor people in the Body of Christ. It is not about the dollar sign. What Jesus asked this rich young man to do was to put God first. He would not, and that is the sad thing here.

I will say from personal experience that there was a time in my life where the big paycheck was everything to me. The more I pursued status and a bigger paycheck, the further from God I drifted. I TOTALLY understand the allure of money. I lost everything, and had to start completely over in 2002. Since then I have NOT accumulated the wealth I had before, and am now living on Social Security and what I make from guitar lessons. It’s not poverty level, but it isn’t wealthy by any means. The difference between then and now is that God is first. And THAT is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Eternal life can NOT be attained through ANYTHING this world offers.

This rich young ruler was, by all accounts, a good man. But there was something in his life that he would not give up under any circumstances. Even to be numbered among the Christ-followers was not enough incentive to give up his status and wealth. THIS is truly sad. The fact that he walked away sad after speaking with Jesus tells me that at SOME level he understood what Jesus said. We don’t know the end of his story, but I am hoping  that at some point in the future he reconsidered. We don’t know.

In His Grip,

Paige