The question before us today is without a doubt, the most important question in the world. We find it articulated by the rich, young ruler in vs 17. The question asked by the young man is this: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a question that should be of the upmost concern to everyone here, to everyone in every age. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that comes the judgement.”
The certainty and the inevitability of death should be apparent to any thinking person. We consider it prudent to plan and save and prepare for our retirement, and yet we do not seem to prepare for death. You may not make it to retirement. You don’t know what the stock market or real estate market will be like 10 years from now, or if you will be around to find out. But reality should tell you that one day every man and woman in this audience today will die. Science would like us to believe that we simply cease to exist when we die. But the Bible tells us that upon death we will face God’s judgment and the verdict of that judgment will be eternity in either heaven or hell.
Mark is presenting for us the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is not writing a biography of Jesus Christ per se, but he’s writing the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of the Kingdom of God, who took on human form and became our substitute and our Savior, paying the penalty for our sin by His death, that we might receive eternal life in the kingdom of God.
And as Mark writes this chapter of his gospel, he uses two events to illustrate how one may enter into that life in the kingdom of God. Last week, we looked at the passage beginning in chapter 10 vs 13, in which Jesus essentially says that the way to enter into eternal life is by becoming like a child. Jesus says in vs15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it [at all.]”. I said last week that means that you must be born again. There must be new birth, spiritual new birth. Jesus said in Matthew’s account of that event that you must be converted and become like a child to enter into eternal life. Jesus said in John 3 to Nicodemus, “you must be born again.” And you are born again spiritually when by faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior you are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given new life in the Spirit.
Now in the passage we are looking at this week, the same question is presented, but in this situation, the person finds out he is not able to enter into eternal life because he was trusting in his accomplishments. He was trusting in his own righteousness, and in his wealth. The baby that Jesus used previously as an illustration had no accomplishments, had nothing by which to gain merit with before God, had no wealth, and had to trust completely in Jesus Christ for his salvation. The rich young ruler has everything that wealth and position and good works have to offer, and yet finds it is not enough to gain entrance into eternal life.
So the incident that Mark records for us in the meeting of the rich, young ruler, provides a sharp contrast to that of the children. The children came to Jesus in their helplessness and trust and they are accepted into the kingdom. The rich young ruler comes to Jesus in his wealth and self sufficiency and he goes away crestfallen that he cannot enter the kingdom.
Let’s look more closely at why the rich, young ruler was not able to enter the kingdom of God. I keep referring to this man as the rich, young ruler, but Mark doesn’t call him that. Mark just calls him a man, and so we have to get the rest of the description from the other synoptic gospel accounts. But all the gospel writers say that he was rich, that he owned much property. The fact that he was young may not have a lot of bearing, but the fact that he was a ruler probably indicates that he was a religious ruler of a synagogue.
Notice that he comes running up to Jesus. That may be an indication of his youth. He is excited to meet Jesus. He is eager to find out the answer to a question that is obviously important to him. Those are all good qualities. We should all be eager to know the truth concerning the kingdom of God, and recognizing that Christ is the source of truth is an important first step. Jesus Himself declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except by Me.” So it is a good first step for this young man to come to the Lord with a sense of eagerness, and it is prudent to come with a sense of urgency.
Then Mark says that this young man knelt before Jesus and addressed Him as “Good Teacher.” As a ruler of a synagogue, this would indicate an uncharacteristic willingness to humble himself, and a reverence for Jesus. This also is a good beginning, but Jesus is going to seize upon that reference to Him as “good” in order to get this man to see who He really is. To believe in Jesus Christ, in who He is, and what He has done, is the basis for our faith which is required for salvation. Does this man believe that Jesus is the Son of God? I would suggest from his address of Jesus as “Good Teacher” that he doesn’t really understand who Jesus is.
So while his sincerity and urgency and reverence are commendable, it still falls short of what is necessary to gain eternal life. That raises an important point that needs to be stressed. Many people are impressed to come to the Lord for a variety of reasons. And according to popular opinion, you just need to come as you are and be sincere, and if you have some degree of belief that God is real, then God will accept you. But Jesus makes it clear that sincerity alone is not enough. Only the truth can make you free. So Jesus questions him in vs18, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”
And that is the crux of the issue. Yes, we are saved by faith in Christ. In John 3:15 we read that “Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” But believes what about Jesus? That is the essential question. What Jesus is pointing out is not that He isn’t good, and only the Father is good. But rather He’s making the point that if He is truly good, then He must be God. A lot of people are willing to say that Jesus is good, He is a good teacher. That He was a mystic, a shaman, a spiritual guide. But Jesus never claimed to be just a teacher or just a prophet. He claimed to be the Son of God. He told Philip, “if you have seen Me you have seen the Father. I and the Father are One.” He told the Pharisees, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Therefore, either Jesus is God, and is good, or He is a megalomaniac, He is an evil imposter. But He cannot be good unless He is God, because He claimed to be God.
Before you can gain entrance into eternal life, or the kingdom of God, you must recognize that Jesus is God. Salvation is from the Lord. And Jesus the Lord is the only way to salvation. Jesus said “no man comes to the Father except by Me.” It is only through the grace of God that we might come to know God and be accepted by God and receive eternal life. A good man, even the best of men, could not by his death atone for even his own sins, much less anyone else’s. Only God can atone for the sins of the world.
The problem though really wasn’t whether or not Jesus was good, but that the young man thought he himself was good. If you had met him, he was what you might call a good person. He was religious, he had his head on straight, he was moral, he was sincere, he performed good works, he was all the things that we think constitute goodness. In his mind, I’m sure he didn’t think that he needed to be saved, he just wanted the assurance that he was going to have eternal life. He wanted Jesus to confirm that he was good enough to enter into eternal life. It’s like when you were in college, and you had worked hard to get good grades in class, but you come to the teacher near the end of the course and ask him if you’re going to get an A in that class. I’m sure that if you compared him to practically everyone else around, you would consider him the upper crust of society. He had no obvious shortcomings. If anyone could go to heaven, it would be someone like him. And it’s evident that he thought of himself that way.
So Jesus turns the conversation to the standard of goodness. The standard of righteousness. God’s standard of righteousness is not by comparing you to your neighbor, or your husband, for that matter. According to our standards, we are righteous, or at least we think, we’re really not a bad person. Certainly not deserving of spending eternity in hell. But Jesus turned him to the standard of God’s righteousness, which is the law, or commandments.
Jesus said in vs.19 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” And notice how quick the young ruler answered, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Now I’m sure he was sincere. But I am also certain that Jesus, knowing all things and able to know his heart, was more than aware of the ways in which this man had fallen short of those commandments. But the Lord would allow this rich young ruler’s answer to stand, and move him from the second table of the law to the first table. The second table, or the second half of the law, deals with mans’ actions towards man. The first table of the law deals with man’s actions towards God. Had the young man been in attendance at the Sermon on the Mount, he would have known that Jesus equated hate with murder, and lust with adultery and so forth. But rather than address those internal shortcomings, Jesus brings his attention to his relationship with God.
Vs. 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Notice in bringing his attention to his relationship to God, Jesus first demonstrates God’s love for us. We would have no chance of eternal life were it not for the love of God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should have eternal life.” God’s love comes first in our relationship with God. We love, because He first loved us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In any relationship we might have with God, it must be predicated by the fact that God first loved us.
Secondly, if God loved us, then we are to love God. Jesus said in another place that the foremost commandment was this; (Mark 12:30) “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” So the question Jesus posed to the young man was this; if you think you keep the commandments, then here is the foremost commandment. And if I am good, then I am God. And if I am God and you love Me with all your heart and soul, then you will do what I command you. And this is my command, “Go and sell all you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.”
Now no matter how you look at this statement, this is a tough thing to do. Imagine if that were it. Imagine if the only way to enter into heaven was to sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and then follow Christ. If that were truly the only way to have eternal life, then I dare say that none of us here today would really be willing to make that sacrifice. Would you be willing to sell your stocks, your cars, your houses, your jewelry, etc, etc, and give it all away to poor people? I think not. I think all of us would be like the rich young ruler and walk away from this church crestfallen, knowing that we were not willing to give it all up to God.
So then, according to this standard of righteousness, none of us can be saved. This young man’s refusal to sell everything exposed three sins against the commandments. First, He did not love the Lord with all his heart, mind and strength. Secondly, he sinned by holding onto idols in his life. You cannot serve God and wealth. His wealth was his idol. And thirdly, he sinned against the second foremost commandment, which is that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. If he truly loved his neighbor as himself he would have acquiesced to the Lord’s request and given the poor all that he had. In one simple statement, Jesus exposed the young man’s hypocritical adherence to the law. And He has also exposed our hypocrisy as well. Though we would like to think that we are really not a bad person, Jesus has shown us that there is none righteous, no not one. We’re all guilty of breaking God’s law, of falling short of God’s standard of righteousness.
Then who can be saved? That is my cry, and the cry of the disciples. And Jesus does not make it any easier for us. He turned to the disciples when the young man went away crestfallen and said, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” I would have half expected Jesus to stop the young man as he was walking away and say to him, “Hey Richie, come back here! I was just kidding! It’s not really that tough. I would never ask you to sell everything and give it all away. I was just using hyperbole! I was exaggerating! Lighten up, salvation is free for the asking!”
But no, Jesus states that it is hard for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples are amazed, so Jesus repeats it again in vs24. Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” But notice this time He does not add the phrase “for those who are wealthy.” In this verse, He seems to include everyone.
But then for the third time, Jesus declares this principle by analogy, saying in vs25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” If there is any doubt, we should have none after three such statements. Jesus has just emphatically said three times that it is practically impossible for a rich man to be saved.
So the disciples are amazed at this statement, and understandably so. I am amazed by this statement. I am terrified by this statement and you should be too. Because we are all rich in this world’s goods. I’m sure that though many of us may wish we were richer, none of us would wish that he were poorer. And I can guarantee even if you are considered low income by the standards of the United States, you are extremely wealthy compared to the majority of other people on the planet.
So the disciples ask the second most important question in the world, in vs.26, “Then who can be saved?” If none of us are willing to give away everything and follow Him, then who can be saved? If the disciples question makes you cry out in despair then the Lord’s answer should make you cry out “Hallelujah!”
The Lord’s answer is found in vs27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Notice, Jesus broadens it to all people, not just rich people. For people it is impossible to keep the commandments. For people it is impossible to enter the kingdom of God. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.” It’s impossible for anyone to enter the kingdom of God on their on merits, regardless of what they might do, because none of us can measure up to the standard of God’s righteousness.
But the good news is that Jesus Christ has measured up to God’s standard of righteousness. He is good, and He is righteous. And because He loves us, He has offered up Himself to be our substitute, and God has put the penalty for our iniquity on Him, and transferred His righteousness to us. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, “God made Him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” With God it is possible to enter the kingdom, because Jesus has paid for our sins and transferred His righteousness to our account, so that by His grace we who believe in Him might be given eternal life. That is the gospel of the kingdom of God. The good news of the kingdom. God has made our citizenship in heaven possible through Jesus Christ. Salvation is from the Lord.
Peter though is not thinking so much about what Christ has done for them, but rather what they have done for the Lord. He’s still thinking of the rich young ruler who couldn’t give up his wealth to follow Jesus. And so he says to Jesus, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” That’s a rather bold statement. They had left much. They had left their fishing nets. They had left their homes. But there were times that it would seem they returned temporarily to their fishing, and to their homes. So I can’t help but wonder if there is not a hint of the same hypocrisy in Peter that the rich young ruler expressed when he said that he had kept all the commandments since his youth.
But notice that Jesus does not rebuke Peter for overstating their commitment. But rather Jesus would seem to commend whatever sacrifices they had made, even if it was only temporary. In vs29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Now this statement must be understood figuratively to be understood correctly. The point Jesus is making is that there will be a reward for what we give up here on earth for the sake of the kingdom of God. Paul said, “all the things which were gain to me here on earth, I gladly count as rubbish for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus as Lord.” There is great reward in following Jesus. But here in this earth it may be spiritual blessings in exchange for physical benefits. In the physical, there will also be persecutions. You may well suffer physically in this world for following Jesus, but there will be incalculable spiritual blessings. Jesus said elsewhere, “In this world you will have tribulations, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” And when we overcome this world, we will grasp hold of eternal life, and all that eternal life promises; an abundant, fulfilled life, eternally living in the presence of the source of all life and blessedness. So all of the benefits and wealth that this world offers will one day pale in comparison to the blessings we shall enjoy in eternity.
However, Jesus adds one caveat to that future promise of rewards, which will be looked at more thoroughly later, and that is He says “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” This was the qualifying remark regarding the apostle’s reward. All who sacrifice for the Lord will be rewarded, but God’s way and timing of rewarding may not match up with man’s way and timing of being rewarded. When God rewards, He judges with righteous judgment. He sees the heart, the motive, and the sacrifices that were made that may have not been noticed by man. Man judges according to outward appearances. But God judges according to the heart. Thus many who have seemingly achieved great things for the kingdom according to man’s perspective, may find themselves on the end of the line in the judgement to come.
But that should be an encouragement to all of us. Because not all of us have great wealth, or great talents to use for the Lord. But we will be judged by what we do have, and as we are faithful in little things, He will be faithful to reward us with better things.
Back when I was just trying to start this church, I used to work two or three days a week in construction to help meet my bills. I wasn’t very talented when it came to construction, so I was at the bottom of the totem pole at work. Everyone else it seemed was my boss. But there was a man who lived in Potomac that was the big boss. And I would see him almost every weekend when he would travel to the beach and check in on the development. This man and I were just about the same age. And though I didn’t see the resemblance, one of my coworkers said that he thought we could be brothers because we looked so much alike. But if we did, that’s where the similarity ended. This man, that I’ll call Dave, was at the top of the company ladder, while I was at the bottom. I remember working in his beach house, and being a little envious of a lifestyle like he had, with a million dollar beach home fully furnished whenever he chose to come to the beach. He seemed to have everything, and I seemed to have very little in earthly wealth. I was literally sweeping floors and taking out trash in this company, while trying to start this church. And I will confess I sometimes I felt sorry for myself, and perhaps felt like Peter must have felt. “Lord, I’ve given up so much to follow you. What’s my reward?”
Well, a couple of years after I had been working there, one day I heard the news that Dave passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack. I don’t know his eternal destiny. From my perspective, there was nothing about him that led me to believe that he was a follower of Christ. But one thing I do know, the beach house, and the cars and the bank accounts and profit sharing were still there, but Dave doesn’t live there anymore. He is in eternity. And in light of this passage we looked at today, I wonder what his reward was? Did he receive eternal life through faith and trust in Jesus Christ, or did he enter into eternal damnation and separation from God for refusing to let go of the idols of this world?
What about you? What are you worshipping today? What do you consider more valuable than love for the Lord? As you examine your life today in light of the word, I urge you to remember the question Jesus asked back in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Jesus gave His life in exchange for your soul. If you will just trust Him and believe in Him, then He will forgive your sins, and give you His righteousness, so that you might inherit eternal life.