Mark 10:13-27 "Entering the Kingdom of God"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Merry Christmas family! How about those beautiful children singing today!

What’s also amazing is today we are going to look at the passage where Jesus says, “Let the little children come to Me...”

And, we’re just teaching chapter by chapter and verse by verse… we didn’t plan that! Amazing.

I hope to see many of you here tonight for the simple telling of the account of our Lord’s birth.

Well… let’s turn in our Bibles to Mark 10. Mark 10:13-27 today.

We left off where Jesus had left the Galilee and crossed to the other side of the Jordan and began his Perean Ministry…

Which is largely covered in the Gospel of Luke…

Mark just covers a few highlights…

Last week… we looked at one such highlight… when Jesus was asked a question about divorce.

The Pharisees asked this question… testing Jesus… and He responded by taking them to school about God’s original design for marriage.

A great lesson for us all.

Today, we look at the remaining lessons and highlights at the end of Jesus’ Perean ministry…

Where Jesus will teach about “Entering the Kingdom of God”… our sermon title for today.

In this teaching today, we will encounter little children… and the Rich Young Ruler… and see how our Master Teacher… incorporates them as object lessons… to teach on the Kingdom of God.

Well Let’s Pray and then see what God has for us today!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.

Mark 10:13-27 “Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” 20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.” 26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

Well in VSS 13-16… little children were brought to Jesus. In Luk 18:15 they are called “infants”…

Small enough that Jesus could take ‘them up in His arms’ in V16… so these are young children… even babies…

And, it would seem they are brought by… most likely their family for child dedication.

The word “brought” in Gk is prospherō and by def. it can mean “to bring to” or “to offer”, thus some scholars see this moment as a request for Jesus to dedicate these children to God.

Which is a biblical practice… even Jesus in Lk 2:22 was brought to Jerusalem as an infant where His parents presented Him to the Lord.

And, as parents… we have the responsibility to bring our children to Jesus…

In Eph 6:4 specifically to the Dads we read, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

“Training and admonition” or “discipline and instruction”… Fathers- the Bible assigns that task to you.

And, if a Father is not present… Mom, you take on that role.

Now… this is not done by sitting them in front of the TV to watch ‘The Chosen’… or watching YouTube video of your favorite Pastor.

This should be done by modeling… there a saying ‘more is caught than taught’ or ‘actions speak louder than words’…

Our kids will reflect what they see in their parents. Do they observe us praying? Us in the word?

Deut 6:6-7 puts it this way… “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

What is the thing on your mind that you are most devoted to in life?

The parent who is living our Deut 6… has the words of the Lord on their mind from AM to PM… in the home and out of the home… they are the same dedicated follower of the Lord wherever they go and throughout the day.

And, their kids observe and know that they are consistent in their devotion… and their devotion is to the Lord… not something else.

If your words preach the Lord, but your heart is devoted to something else… that’s hypocrisy… and our kids are not dumb.

The goal is avoiding hypocrisy… and being full of integrity or sincerity.

And, these parents in Mark were doing well to demonstrate the importance of God in their lives… as they took their children to Jesus…

This was truly a beautiful moment… that is until the disciples ruined it… rebuking those who brought them.

True… culturally… children were not valued as much as they are today, but still… this was a jerk-move by the disciples.

They must be thinking the kids are a bother to Jesus… and He has more important things to do then bless a bunch of kids.

I encourage you to examine yourself… if a child, their family, or anyone wants to get close to Jesus and you try to stop them.

Check your heart on this… because we should be encouraging people to come to Jesus… not hindering them.

And, we see in V14… “… when Jesus saw it [the disciples rebuking the people and stopping their kids], He was greatly displeased...”

Greatly displeased means “to be indignant”… Jesus is furious… so much so that He publically rebukes His disciples… a detail unique to Mark’s Gospel…

This is the only time we read of Jesus being “greatly displeased” with His disciples… and it’s because they prohibit families from bringing their kids to Jesus…

We can assume if we did the same… He would not be pleased with us either.

And, we could assume the reverse is true as well… if we bring kids to Jesus this is pleasing in His sight… and one such example that comes to my mind is serving in children’s ministry…

Can I just take a moment to say blessed are you who serve the little children. I’m sure the Lord is pleased with you.

And, I imagine Jesus is not only “greatly displeased” with the disciples for what they did in this scene…

But also for their hard-heartedness… roughly about six months prior… before the Perean ministry… when Jesus was in Capernaum last in Mark 9… just one chapter prior…

The disciples were disputing about who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And, do you remember what Jesus said?

Mark 9:35-37 records Jesus saying, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

The parallel account in Matt 18:2-4 tells the same scene this way, “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

In response to the disciples bickering about who would be the greatest in the kingdom… Jesus uses a child as an object lesson… to teach them some valuable lessons about…

Losing selfish ambition…

Service…

Kindness even to the least esteemed people…

Humility…

We just talked about these things a few weeks ago in the message titled “Lessons From the Road”… remember that?

Well, apparently the Disciples forgot the object less of receiving the little children…

For they forbid the families from bringing their kids to Jesus here in Mark 10.

Good thing God is described as “longsuffering” meaning patient…

Good thing He is a gracious God… and doesn't’ just zap us every time we mis-step… or probably many of us wouldn’t be here today…

Well… Jesus doesn’t zap His disciples, but in response to the disciples rebuking the people… Jesus, in turn, rebukes His disciples… and let’s read the words in red again… starting in V14…

Jesus says, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

So, what is Jesus saying here?

First, it is God’s heart not to hinder anyone who desires to come to Him. The context here is little children, but truly young/old, men/women, rich/poor, upstanding citizens/ and even a thief on a cross…

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” All ethnos… all people…

The Gospel is for ‘every nation, tribe, tongue, and people...’

And, little children in that culture were of the least esteemed… and the disciples clearly treated them this way…

But even little children… Jesus wanted them to come to Him.

Second, little children are used as an example of those who make up the kingdom of God…

Not in stature or in age necessarily… but in quality… in traits… in heart…

We see this in their child-like faith that is receptive to Jesus… you might want to circle the word “receive” in V15… it’s the central point.

By def. “receive” means ‘to take into one’s hands; to accept; to welcome.’

Children are very good about accepting gifts… they are excited about gifts…

So often as people get older in life… they get jaded… suspicious… questioning… but, children receive very well.

And, the Gospel indeed is a gift… that one needs to receive…

Rom 6:23 declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The wage we earn from sin is death. But, God freely gives eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:8 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

And, just as it is true for little children and their quality to receive gifts well.

Absolutely… NO ONE… who CANNOT receive the free gift of God… will enter the kingdom of God.

This is a NON-NEGOTIABLE…

You cannot earn it… you cannot work for it… and it’s not about how good you are…

It’s all about Jesus and what He did on the cross and can you believe? Can you receive the free gift that He died for your sins and through faith in Him you will be saved.

Little children receive gifts well… just like anyone who is of the kingdom of God… and has accepted the free gift of salvation.

One other quality of little children is total dependence.

Little children… especially infants are totally dependent upon their parents for everything.

Food, clothing, shelter, nurture… They cannot survive without a parent caring for them…

And, they have great faith in their parents to meet their needs… they rest in their parents.

And anyone who is of the kingdom of God has dependence and trust in the Father.

I think of Jesus teaching about worry at the Sermon on the Mount… and He illustrated how Gentiles worry about food… and drink.... and clothing…

And, He instructed, “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Total dependence and faith in God… like a child.

And, then after rebuking His disciples, in V16, Jesus to the children up in His arms… and honored the requests of the parents…

He laid His hands on the kids and blessed them.

Next… we observe the rich young ruler… who will stand in contrast to the little children…

He was not culturally insignificant, but of great prestige.

And yet He lacked the simple qualities of child-like faith…

How he struggled being utterly dependent upon God…

And, how difficult was it for him to just receive the free gift instead of trying to earn it?

Take a look at V17…

In V17, Jesus begins to depart Perea… He is going out on the road… and “one came running”…

We know this one as the “Rich Young Ruler.”

Matthew and Mark tells us he had “great possessions”… and Luke tells us he was “very rich.”

Matthew tells us he is a “young man”…

And, Luke tells us he was a “ruler”… some sort of magistrate… one who would serve on a council.

Thus, Rich, Young Ruler.

By the world’s standards, he has it all going on… young, wealthy, and powerful.

According to society… money, power, and youth is the prescription to success and satisfaction in life… and yet… this rich young ruler is keenly aware… that something is lacking.

You’ve probably heard the expression that everyone has a “God-shaped hole in their heart...”

That quote originated from Blase Pascal… the famous French Mathematician, Physicist, and Inventor during the 1600’s… He said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

The Rich Young Ruler was feeling this vacuum.

King Solomon… another rich, young ruler… it’s safe to say… he was not content either.

In Ecclesiastes Solomon often wrote of emptiness…vanity he called it.

The word vanity appears in the bible 38x, 36x in Ecclesiastes…

For all his wealth, power… even his 700 wives and 300 concubines… the things of the world did not fill the God-shaped vacuum in Solomon’s heart either.

Back in Mark… there are a few other things we can observe about the rich young ruler… in V17…

He came running to Jesus… there was a degree of urgency or desperation in his life and he ran to Jesus for council.

He is respectful… honoring Jesus with the title “Good Teacher” and he knelt before Jesus.

Knelt by def. is “the act of one imploring aid, and of one expressing reverence and honor.”

He is thoughtful and spiritually-minded…i that he asks how to inherit eternal life…

Impressive because many young, wealthy and powerful people … do not consider eternal matters, but this man does.

This young man is also wise in that he asks his question to Jesus… the absolute authority on eternity.

And, he has eternal questions in his mind during his youth… he is wise beyond his years.

Finally, he is moral. Jesus presents several commandments about loving others and, in V20, he professes he kept all of these from his youth.

He’s quite the likable guy.

He’s just the kind of guy… that if you were to survey the people of the world and ask if he was going to heaven… many would say, “YES!”

I mean, if a good person like this is not going to heaven… then the bar is just too high, right?

I bet if you surveyed 100 people in the community about what kind of person goes to heaven… some would describe a guy just like this.

A rich, young, a ruler… with many great character traits.

He’s got it all going on in the world’s mind’s eye… and yet there is still lack in his life. A God-shaped hole.

He asks, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

Note the essence of his question. You might want to underline “what shall I do” because this is the heart of his question…

And, this is his understanding of eternal life… he thinks of it as earning… doing…

His focus is on his personal doing… we called this ‘works based righteousness’ and this is NOT how anyone… no matter how good they are earns eternal life.

We read Eph 2:8-9 earlier “… you have been saved through faith… not of yourselves… not of works...”

That verse is crystal clear that salvation comes… NOT by works, but by faith…

It comes by a relationship with Jesus Christ… accepting Him… believing in Him…

And, we grow spiritually by abiding in Him… by remaining in Him… investing in our relationship with Him…

That’s were works comes in. Works is part of mature Christian life… not in the beginning for salvation… but as an outflow of our faith.

Works is an evidence of true faith.

If Jesus is the Lord of your life… how can you not have works? How can you not serve?

James said it this way… James 2:14 “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”

Now… that’s a rhetorical question to which a negative answer is anticipated because merely claiming faith without the evidence of works is dead faith.

James wrote, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Go back and read that whole passage in James 2… read about Abraham and how “faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect...”

One scholar wrote, “Works serve as the barometer of justification, while faith is the basis for justification.”

But the Rich Young Ruler had this mixed up and comes to Jesus essentially asking what works would serve as a basis for justification.

In VSS 18, Jesus responds… “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

This title… “Good Teacher” was quite a rare title…

In the entirety of the Bible this phrase “Good Teacher” only appears 3x… once in Matthew, once in Mark, and once in Luke… and ALL pertaining to their telling of the Rich Young Ruler account.

One scholar wrote, “There is no instance in the whole Talmud of a rabbi being addressed as ‘Good Master.’ “ Only God was called good by ancient rabbis.”

Ps 118:1 declares, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Absolute goodness exists only in God.

Regarding man in the Psalms, we read, “There is none who does good.” (Ps 14:1, Ps 53:1)

Isa 64:6 states, “...all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags...”

God alone holds the standard for goodness… and is the source of goodness… all of mankind falls short…

So, Jesus call this man to think about what he is saying…

Jesus says… perhaps quoting a common saying of the time… “No one is good but One, that is, God.”

‘So young man… what are you saying about Me? “Why do you call Me good?”

‘If you’re going to use that title… consider the implications of the statement you are making.’

But, notice… Jesus doesn’t deny or reject the title… because He was the Good Teacher… because He is God.

There are many statements in the Bible that Jesus is God.

We saw one last week… V6 “…from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’”

And, Heb 1:2 states ‘… the Son… was appointed her of all things… and made the worlds.’

In Heb 1:8 the Father declares to the Son “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...”

Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

Paul exhorted Titus to look for the “… glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...” (Titus 2:13)

Peter began his Second Epistle, “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ...” (2 Pet 1:1)

At His trial, the the High Priest pressed Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 Jesus said, “I am."

“I AM”… the same declaration God made to Moses… Exo 3:14

The Rich Young Ruler… was unintentionally accurate…

Jesus is Good… because He is God.

And, for each person… personally… individually…

Like this young man we must consider who Jesus is to us.

He asked in Mark 8 “But who do you say that I am?”

That’s the big question in life.

Now Jesus presses into this statement, and uses this opportunity to see where the man was in his faith…

And, note in V20… the next time this young man calls Jesus “teacher”… he omits the word “good.”

Because he’s not looking to Jesus to be his Savior… he just wants to know how he can save himself.

Like many, he wants to be his own savior… “....what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

And, if you want to be your own savior, then let’s see how you stack up against the law…

In Matt 19:17 Jesus says, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And, then He brings the law front and center in V19 “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

So, Jesus is obviously quoting from the Ten Commandments listed in Exo 20 and Deut 5.

But, not in order… here in Mark the order is Commandment 7, 6, 8, 9, “Do not defraud,” then 5.

“Do not defraud” meaning ‘to defame or rob’… is either a complement to the 8th or 9th commandments “not stealing” or “bearing false witness” or represents the 10th Commandment “You shall not covet”... since defrauding is typically a bi-product of coveting.... perhaps applicable to the wealthy person… perhaps to the Rich Young Ruler.

Matthew also adds Jesus saying, “… and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (quoting Lev 19:18)

Jesus doesn’t list ALL the commandments, but the commandments that address our relationship on the horizontal… person to person…

During the Tuesday of Jesus’ passion week a lawyer tested Jesus asking Him what we read in Matt 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus summarized the entirety of the Ten Commandments… truly the entirety of the Old Testament… into Two Commands… Love God… and Love Others…

And, to the Rich Young Ruler… Jesus focuses initially on the so-called “second table” of the law…

With the the first four Commands relating to the vertical: man’s relationship to God…

And the last six commands relating to the horizontal: man’s relationship to man.

The Rich Young Ruler hears this and thinks Jesus just threw him a soft ball.

He thinks, “That’s easy!”

He replies in V19, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

For Jewish boys… the ceremony of age ceremony is the Bar Mitzvah…

This is when they transition from youth to adult.

Bar-Mitzvah literally translates “Son of Commandment” meaning “One who is subject to the law.”

And, the Rich Young Ruler implies, “Since my Bar-Mitzvah Jesus… since I was twelve… I’ve checked all those boxes. I keep all the Commandments.”

And, perhaps person to person… he did amazing job at loving his neighbor as himself.

Some Jews… like Paul… held they were blameless when it came to upholding law… of course Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount refined the meaning of the law…

To NOT just outward observables…

But INWARD intentions…

And, Jesus loves this young man enough… that He’s not going to let him go on in life without knowing the truth…

He may be delusional to think he has perfectly upheld the law, but what if he is pressed further?

Which Jesus does by putting His finger on the one thing that is holding this young man back from eternal life…

And the prescription for this Rich Young Ruler… is to go from the second table of the law… to the first table of the law…

Because the issue in his life was there was something in his life he loved more than God… and the first commandment states “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

V21, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him,

[Loved in this verse is agapaō- which Mounce defines as “God’s undeserved love for the unlovely.” Jesus had His eyes on him… His heart on him… and gives His words to him saying…]

“One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

To address the one thing the Rich Young Ruler still had not done… Jesus shared three imperatives… three commands in V21… Go… Sell… and Give…

Which was specific for this man. To free oneself of all riches and possessions is NOT what Jesus prescribes to every person, but it was appropriate for this young man.

So Jesus shares with him truth and He does it in love…

You asked what is holding you back… here it is…

And then in grace He invites the young man to follow Him.

And, by letting go of that temporal thing… Jesus promises eternal reward… treasure in heaven.

This issue in this man’s life… is the same struggle of so many Westerners…

The love of money…

In 1 Tim 6:9-10, Paul teaches, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Such strong language in those verses about the folly of falling into this temptation…

Now… describing “Money as the root of all of evil” is a misnomer. There are plenty of Godly people today… and Godly people in the Bible who had great wealth.

Abraham… Joseph… David… Abigail… Lydia… the list is long.

But, these were people who had wealth… wealth didn’t have them… and there’s a difference.

Money can be a great tool… but when one’s desire and love for money surpasses their love for God… all kinds of evil… and straying from faith… and many sorrows… is the result.

There is a tendency and a temptation to trust in wealth, instead of trusting in God…

With great wealth, one does not recognize their poverty…

They can distract their soul with many pleasures, new toy after new toy, positions and power…

And, they can care for their body… with many doctors… and many therapists… with a little nip and tuck…

But, like this young man… there comes a day when all the wealth, and power, and fame fails the person.

The Spirit longs for eternal truth and eternal connection…

And, any idol in one’s life… be it wealth… power… pleasure… security… even things that are not overtly sinful, but occupy the throne of one’s heart over God… they must go.

What is God’s solution for idols in our life?

Does He say to talk to a therapist about them? NO.

Does He say to allow them in moderation? NO.

Lev 26 begins with ‘You shall not make idols for yourselves’ and in that chapter is the first mention of “high places” in the Bible…

Elevated places of idolatrous pagan worship.

And, God promises, “I will destroy your high places…”

Over and again in Chronicles… when a good King began his rule in Judah… a first order of business was to remove… to tear down the high places.

And so must it be for idols in our lives. There’s no room for an idol and a relationship with God.

In the passage in 2 Cor where Paul wrote, “And what communion has light with darkness?”

A verse later 2 Cor 6:16 he wrote, “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.”

The answer to those rhetorical questions is ‘None.’ There no fellowship… no agreement…

We are to be separate.

And, when the rich young ruler heard Jesus’ words to “Go… sell… and give… his possessions”…

And, to “take up the cross”… to die by the most humiliating and excruciating death known to man…

No works… no doing it yourself… eternal life comes by following Him…

In V22 we read, “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

This news from Jesus made the young man sad… by def. a “to become dark; to be shocked; a gloomy appearance” …

And, he was sorrowful… by def. “grieved or distressed.”

The initial response to hearing you need to let go of something in your life that you love, but is holding you back from being who you need to be is difficult news.

I remember Senior Week 1996… I got arrested with possession of marijuana charges… and my lawyer… who was not a spiritual figure at all (and nor was I at the time)… said, “You know you’re gonna to have to give that up.”

Until then I had not considered stopping. Hearing those words were shocking… they were foreign to me… and indeed they made me sorrowful as well.

Idols… things we love more than God… find their place into our lives and into our hearts because they meet some sort of need… because they fulfill and bring joy…

At least temporarily… sin is pleasurable for a season…

But, they hold no eternal value and so often creep up and ensnare and make us their slave.

The Rich Young Ruler’s great possessions had become this in his life… he was ensnared by them… and letting them go made him sorrowful…

He does not agree with Jesus… He does not surrender his life… his all to follow Jesus…

He exits the scene with a heart posture of sadness…

And, we don’t know his stories end and whether or not he turned from his idol and to Jesus.

Scripture is silent to those details.

But, this is the point where some walk away from God. A casual relationship with God is fine, but don’t ask them to sacrifice.

Now… in V23… Jesus looks around and says to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”

“… the disciples were astonished at His words”

Because in that day… they believed God prospered the righteous. Wealth and power was thought an indication that one was saved.

I mean did God not say in Deut 11:26-28, “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God...”

Which He expounded upon in Chapters 27-28 of Deuteronomy?

The Rich Young Ruler was obviously blessed, so he must have obeyed the Lord’s commands…

But did he really keep the commands? Did he have other gods before Yahweh? Did he truly love his neighbor as himself?

Or did he simply keep the commands that gave him an external appearance of righteousness… and disobey other commands?

Jesus continued in VSS 24-25, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.”

It’s not impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, but it’s difficult.

Paul said in 1 Cor, “… not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called...”

“Not many,” but not “None.” Some of the wise, mighty and noble are called… but it’s difficult.

But, don’t get confused… wealthy, mighty, and noble people who are saved get there… NOT by trusting in riches, but ONLY through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus related this great difficulty through a humorous proverb of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle.

And, some think Jesus speaks literally about…

The camel, which was the largest animal in Israel at the time…

Trying to fit through a literal needle in Gk. rhaphis by def. “to sew; a needle”… thus a sewing needle…

The eye of the needle is where the string passes through…

And, with this interpretation the conclusion is Jesus is speaking about an impossibility.

Trying to enter the kingdom of God, by trusting in wealth and works will NOT save.

Some teach Jesus was not speaking about an impossibility, but a great difficulty.

The eye of the needle may have been the little gate inside the big gate.

For ex, the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem has a large double gate opened during the day where many can pass through,

But at night, only a small door is opened where one at a time can pass through…

And, some think a gate like this… or even the low, narrow entrance to houses… is what Jesus is referring to.

And, the picture is… it was very difficult for a camel to pass through. Only if you in removed his load and he knelt down… would he be able to pass through.

And, the illustration is the rich must do the same… only by unloading their burden and humbling themselves before the LORD… may they enter.

Some state this interpretation was invented to support ‘works-based righteousness.’ And, that these gates never truly existed.

I like what Gayle Erwin said… He said “I do not know if you have ever tried to push a camel through the eye of a needle. It can be done, but you have to grind him up real fine first.”

Gayle always had a way of saying things.

Worship team come.

I do like the picture of lightening the load and getting on one’s knees, but… I believe Jesus is speaking about the impossibility of man coming to God IF they trust in their works and their wealth.

Especially considering Jesus’ response to the greatly astonished disciples… who in V25… asked, “Who then can be saved?”

And, Jesus responded, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

And, that’s the point. It’s impossible for mankind to save themselves.

The best we can do is good works… which only leads a person to the Great White Throne judgment in Rev 20… where unbelievers are judged by their works and are then cast into the lake of fire.

But with God… by trusting in God’s plan for salvation… faith in Jesus Christ… our names are scribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life… and we enter eternal life.

Let’s Pray!

If you’re here today and you know there’s something occupying your heart more than God…

In love, Jesus put his finger precisely on the very thing this man needed to address.

The thing He need to put to death to follow Jesus. And, maybe He revealed that to you today.

At the core of our greatest problems… is we get pulled away from God… because at times we love things over God.

And many of the problems we see in our country is because we have strayed from God in idolatry.

To fix our nation… and our families… and our hearts… it begins by tearing down our high places and returning to Him.

This week ahead… let those things go… and Love God preeminently above all other things… and Love your neighbor as yourself.

God bless your journey ahead.