TEXT [Commentary]

11. Jesus encounters a rich man (10:17-31; cf. Matt 19:16-30; Luke 18:18-30)

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[*]”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[*] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, 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 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[*]”

NOTES

10:17 on his way to Jerusalem. The NLT rendering is more specific than the Gr., which has only “setting out on the way.” The destination of the journey is made explicit in 10:32, so by adding “to Jerusalem,” the NLT anticipates that later clarification.

what must I do to inherit eternal life? This question is really about how the man can be sure to participate in the resurrection of the righteous (Dan 12:1-2), as 10:23-30 makes clear. Mark 9:42-48 equates this to entering the Kingdom. The question presupposes that salvation is the product of human effort (Lane 1974:365). This is the only place that Mark uses the verb “inherit.”

10:18 Why do you call me good? Jesus rejected the “good teacher” greeting of the questioner, probably to avoid condescension by the rich man. The man’s remark was not insincere, just misdirected. Jesus would answer as required, and not because he was complimented. Jesus’ saying that “only God is truly good” puts the man on notice that he would get a direct reply and that his only concern was with God’s honor (Evans 2001:96). It is too subtle to see Jesus as affirming his own deity or as making any statement concerning himself and sin (France 2002:402).

10:19 you know the commandments. Jesus responded by noting the second part of the Ten Commandments, which deals with human relationships (Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20), thus showing his commitment to the relational aspect of spiritual life. God desires a response that pursues righteousness. The reference to defrauding replaces the idea of coveting, and possibly concretizes that commandment. The fifth commandment comes last in this list, the only commandment listed that isn’t expressed negatively.

10:20 I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young. The rich man had no sense of lack, for he said that his record of obedience was unblemished. He had kept (lit., “guarded”) the commandments from his youth. He possibly anticipated affirmation, but Jesus had not finished with him yet.

10:21 Jesus felt genuine love for him. The text makes it clear that Jesus’ demand was rooted in his love for the man and in his awareness that he needed to redirect his life priorities.

sell all . . . follow me. The call to go and sell is expressed as an aorist imperative, which calls for a single decisive act.

10:22 he went away sad, for he had many possessions. The man’s departure answers the questions. This is the first place in Mark’s narrative that we are told that the man was wealthy. He left because he could not respond positively to Jesus’ instruction. There is some question as to whether the man departed with sadness or anger, as the term stugnazō [TG4768, ZG5145] speaks of a face that falls and can refer to anger (Ezek 26:16; Dan 2:12; Wis 17:5), to being gloomy (BDAG 949), or to being appalled (Ezek 27:35; 32:10), which may fit best here. His possessions meant more to him than serving others with what he owned and more than following Jesus to gain eternal life. The passage echoes 4:19 and 8:35-37. Affluence can be a real barrier to knowing God (France 2002:400-401).

10:23 How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! Jesus used the rich man’s reaction to typify the problem the rich have in responding to Jesus and his teaching on the Kingdom. The illustration that follows argues that such entry is impossible without God’s help. The idea is repeated in 10:24 to emphasize the point. The word used for “hard” (duskolōs [TG1423, ZG1552]) usually pictures someone who is hard to please (France 2002:404), but here it pertains to something that is difficult to accomplish (BDAG 265).

10:24 This amazed them. The remarks amazed (ethambounto [TG2284, ZG2501]) the disciples; the term used suggests that they were surprised and could not entirely process what Jesus was saying (1:27; 10:32; Acts 3:11; BDAG 442).

10:25 it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Despite efforts to argue otherwise by differently interpreting the eye of the needle, Jesus’ point is that in human terms, entry into the Kingdom by the rich is impossible, as 10:27 makes clear (Cranfield 1959:332; France 2002:405). The rhetorical point is that it is harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom on his or her own than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Rabbis used the illustration of an elephant going through the eye of a needle (b. Bava Metzi’a 38b).

10:26 Then who in the world can be saved? The disciples’ reaction came from their understanding that the rich were blessed by God (Job 1:10; 42:10; Isa 3:10; Lane 1974:369). If the rich could not enter into the Kingdom, who could? In this verse, the disciples have moved from the amazement of 10:24 to exceeding astonishment. The verb exeplēssonto [TG1605, ZG1742] means being amazed to the extent of being overwhelmed (1:22; 6:2; 7:37; 11:18; BDAG 308).

10:27 Everything is possible with God. Jesus’ reply makes it clear that God is able to do what man cannot do (on this idea, see Gen 18:14; Job 10:13, LXX; 42:2; Zech 8:6, LXX). A heart changed by God can embrace Jesus and his call.

10:28 We’ve given up everything to follow you. Now Peter wanted reassurance that the disciples had responded to Jesus’ call. He asked with some uncertainty and anxiety (Lane 1974:37), hoping that Jesus would affirm the disciples’ commitment, which he did. The verb for “leaving” is in the aorist tense, denoting a renunciation that took place in the past, while the perfect tense of “following” looks to the ongoing effects of choosing to follow Jesus (Cranfield 1959:333).

10:30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many . . . along with persecution. Jesus promised that a new family and home—those of the church—would await the follower who made this sacrifice, but they would also experience persecution. The term for persecution (diōgmos [TG1375, ZG1501]) always refers to religious persecution in the NT (Acts 8:1; 13:50; 2 Cor 12:10; 2 Thess 1:4; BDAG 253).

And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. Now the passage comes full circle back to the rich man’s question in 10:17. People who align themselves with Jesus and the Gospel will gain eternal life in the world to come. A person is not saved by something he or she does, but by the one with whom they establish a relationship. In other parts of the NT, this means exercising faith in God and in the one he sent, Jesus Christ.

10:31 many who are the greatest now will be the least important then . . . least important now will be the greatest. There is some discussion as to whether the remark affirms the disciples’ choice or is a rebuke in light of Peter’s outburst in 10:28, but the reaffirmation of their commitment in 10:29-30 favors an affirmation here. When Jesus issues a rebuke, especially in Mark, he usually does not confront so subtly (but see France 2002:409, who sees a subtle rebuke of any sense of superiority as Peter’s outburst might imply).

COMMENTARY [Text]

Jesus’ request of the rich man is the keynote of this passage: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (10:21). Jesus challenged the man to exchange the blessings of this life for those of the life to come (see Matt 6:19-21; Psalms of Solomon 9:5; 2 Baruch 24:1; Sir 29:10-12; cf. Evans 2001:99). The instruction to sell all, give to the poor, and follow Jesus exposed the man’s priorities. Jesus explicitly answered the man’s question about attaining eternal life by calling him to leave his earthly attachments behind and follow. This is not a universal reply to every situation, as others who are said to be part of the Kingdom were not asked to sell all (Cranfield 1959:330; cf. Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10). Jesus tested whether the man’s possessions on earth were of more value to him than what the “Good Teacher” valued and taught. The entire passage is very important, for in it Jesus clarified what commitment to him entailed and what it would take to receive eternal life—namely, an alliance with him and with the gospel. This seems to run counter to the idea that salvation is by grace, but this impression reflects a superficial understanding of Jesus’ point. Alliance to Jesus means being rejected by those who reject him. It also means that preferring acceptance by the world and what it offers will prevent one from embracing Jesus and his call. The rich man refused Jesus because the treasure of earth meant more to him than the treasure of heaven.

It was different for the disciples. Jesus affirmed what the disciples had done and what they would receive for choosing to follow him. He noted that their sacrifice was for Jesus’ sake and for the gospel, as the two are closely intertwined in God’s plan. God acknowledges the gifts of family, material benefits, and property when they are relinquished for the sake of the gospel.

Jesus affirmed that Peter and the disciples would receive rich blessings in this life—a new family and new types of possessions—and eternal life in the world to come. The rich man missed the eternal life he requested and wished to earn his own salvation; the disciples received it by coming to Jesus in the gracious way that he asked, allowing the things of earth to matter less to them than Jesus and the gospel.

To conclude this section, Jesus touched on the theme of eschatological reversal that would be part of the judgment. Many who were presently in power would not be in power then. Many of the neglected and persecuted would then be exalted. God’s standards are not those of the world. To sacrifice now will bring later abundance. The remark probably reminded the disciples that those who chose riches in this life would be lacking later.