Mark 10:17-31 The rich young ruler

There are several sections in this passage that we will be looking at. On first reading they seem to be a random set of situations that are not connected. However, the thought progression is definite and focused on one thing: salvation.  The first of these is the rich young ruler. He is a catalyst that sparks the progression of thought. Read the passage!

First, look at his body posture. He kneels before Yeshua to ask a question. The kneeling posture is one of worship or subservience. Yeshua builds upon this posture with the answer to the question. Look at the statement:

¹⁸ Yeshua said to him, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good except God! (Mark 10:18 CJB)

Jesus is not saying “I am not good, only God is good”. He is demanding that the young man connect the dots. He is kneeling in worship before Jesus. The statement answers its own question. If Jesus is good, then He is God. The concept is left to be built upon.

Yeshua narrows the requirements for eternal life to the ruler. There are two separate sets of commands in the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with a relationship with God: 1. I am your God, 2. You will have no gods before me, 3. You will not take My name lightly or in vain. 4. You are to keep my Sabbath day holy. Yeshua does not even approach these requirements since the implied answer is that Yeshua is God. He is considered to be God and taking the stand that He is God. The rich young ruler is considering Him to be worthy. In this the first three commandments are satisfied.

The next six commandments are all quoted. These commandments deal with interpersonal relationships between people. If you were to set up the commandments on a vertical and horizontal scale, you would have four commandments pointing to God and six commandments pointing horizontally to other men. Yeshua builds on the six commandments by putting them in context.

The nature of the instructions of God (Torah) is built upon creating a safe environment for God’s people to live and to thrive in. One of the simple applications of Torah is to take care of the widows, orphans and the unfortunate. Look for example at the actual sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sin that they were judged for was not for homosexuality! The sin that they were judged for was for failing to take care of the poor:

Ezekiel 16:48–50 (NASB95)

⁴⁸ “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ “Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.

If you springboard off of taking care of the poor and needy, it is one of the key concepts that is found in Torah. It comes up often as a checkmark to qualify if Torah is being followed. It comes up in many scriptures, here are a few:

Ezk 18:12; 34:4; Dt 24:14; Jb 24:4; Ps 12:5; 62:10; 109:16; Pr 21:13; 22:16; 30:14; Ec 5:8; Is 3:14, 15; 32:7; Am 2:6; 5:11, 12; 8:4-6; Mi 3:2-4; Hab 3:14; Zc 7:10; 11:16; Mt 5:7; 25:43; Lk 16:20, 21; Ja 4:17.^[1]

Each of these scriptures can be a springboard to deeper study regarding the poor and needy. Yeshua then brings the argument full circle. If the rich young ruler is going to have eternal life, then he must follow the instructions of God. This includes taking care of the poor and needy.

One final qualification is given to the rich young ruler. After selling everything, he is to follow Yeshua. This points back to the omission of the first four commandments. Yeshua is stating that He is God, therefore if the rich young ruler wants eternal life, he must follow Jesus.

Then Jesus ties two concepts together in his statement about the young ruler. The original question was how to gain eternal life. Yeshua’s answer pointed to being a member of the “kingdom of God” (Mark 10:17, 24). We equate eternal life with living in heaven forever. Jesus is turning the idea back to earth. The kingdom of God that Jesus often refers to is the one on one relationship between people on earth during their earthly lives. Heavenly treasure is gained by putting Torah into action. Eternal life then is following the instructions of God, which includes interpersonal relationships. This is augmented by following God in this life.

Jesus stated in the original answer that the only “good” is God. Then teaches accordingly. If He is not stating that He is God, then the argument from the text is very humanistic. Any good man who follows six of the commandments can get to heaven. The qualifier of “come, follow Me”, brings the answer full circle. The relationship with God found in the first four commandments is equated to a relationship with Jesus. If Jesus were not implying that He is God, then the answer that was given to the rich man was incorrect scripturally. Jesus finishes the equation for following the instructions of the Ten Commandments. He is declaring that He is God, thus fulfilling the first four. Remember, he received worship from the rich young ruler when he bowed before Jesus.

Yeshua acted out of “agape” love when he answered the young ruler (Mark 10:21). This note is very important. The statement regarding the “eye of the needle” is evidence for this. There are two views on the eye of the needle. The first one is that Yeshua is using hyperbole by giving a ridiculous scenario that is impossible to fulfill. In this case it would be impossible for a rich man to be saved. The second view is that the eye of the needle was a small gate that went in through the city wall. It was large enough for a man to go through. However, very small for a camel to go through. The camel would have to be unloaded of its burdens, then be dragged through the gate with extreme effort. It probably could have been done, but with extreme effort and a lot of help. It would have been impossible for the camel to do this without a lot of help from a group of people. With help, it may have been accomplished (Mark 10:27).

Of these two views, I think the second is correct. This is evidenced by Jesus giving the man an option to sell his possessions and give to the poor. This would have been an unburdening. Then the man was required to follow Jesus. Yet, he was not willing to sell everything and unload his burden of wealth.

There is an unknown involved in this story. We know that the rich man was very wealthy. Wealth in itself is not a sin and does not violate the instructions of God. If it were a violation, then King Solomon would have been an abomination before the Lord along with many of the other kings of the Jews. It causes one to wonder the source of the wealth and the reason that Jesus said he must unload his wealth. Was the wealth legitimate and drawn from wholesome gains? Or was the wealth drawn from illicit gains that hurt God’s people in the process? We simply do not know the rest of this story.

If we continue the view that the “kingdom of God” is the kingdom of believers on the earth, then Jesus is marking a qualification for becoming part of a fellowship. The rich man was required to leave his former life and join the community of believers.

Mark 10:28-31 Remember, the requirement for a camel to pass through the small gate meant that he had to be unburdened. Then he would have to follow Jesus afterwards. Context is interesting here since the disciples responded exactly according to this scenario. Peter stated that they had left everything to follow Jesus.

The discussion comes full circle. The original question was regarding “eternal life” (Mark 10:17). Yeshua states that if people will unburden and follow Him in this age, then they will receive eternal life in the next age. His statement was to follow the instructions found in Torah (Mark 10:18-19). Unburden, and then follow the instructions of Jesus (Mark 10:21).

Joining the community of true believers comes with a high cost though. Yeshua warns that if one follows Him for the Gospel’s sake, they will suffer persecutions in the present age. During that time, it was literally true. It is true in today’s age as well. If you follow Jesus, you will be a threat to those around you. Family and friends will turn their backs on you. The cost is high. Probably the highest cost is when your own children and acquaintances become hostile toward you.

After looking at this section in context, we see that it is not a set of disconnected thoughts but rather a section of extreme importance to each believer. If we are to obtain eternal life, then it is not a magic prayer that we pray at the salvation altar. It is a life change that demands we unburden our lives of all the junk. It is a life change that demands that we follow God’s instructions and determine to make Jesus the guiding force in our lives. In modern churches it is taught that if we make Jesus “Lord” of our lives and surrender to Him, we will be saved. This is the truth. The mechanics of this truth is that making Jesus “Lord” entails unburdening and turning to the instructions of God for our lives. It is not a prayer where we give mental assent to God as a higher power. It is a life commitment to follow Jesus as the boss and ruler of our lives. This does not mean that we join a country club where we rub shoulders with other believers on the day of worship. It means that we are working in the trenches every day to build up God’s kingdom on earth.

Each of us is in the shoes of the rich young ruler, especially in America. We stand very rich and are blessed with extreme wealth. Our wealth has become our god. Are we willing to unburden and refocus to make Jesus ruler of our lives and the sole focus of our lives? The cost is high, how many are willing?

^[1] Jerome H. Smith, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word (Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992), 902.