The Shock

The Shock

Mark 10:23-26, NLT

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25In 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!” 26The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

Setting the Scene

Jesus loved the young man enough to tell him the truth: He had to remove the wealth idol. Mark reports, “At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (10:22, NLT). Jesus turned to the Twelve and explained that for a rich person, getting into heaven was virtually impossible. And to make sure they understood, he used the extreme example of a camel trying to navigate a needle’s eye.

The disciples were “amazed” and “astounded.” Like most Jews, they regarded wealth as a sign of God’s blessing. This rich young man may have seemed like perfect Kingdom material, so they must have wondered, What kind of Kingdom is this if those most blessed have difficulty entering? If the rich have a hard time, we will never make it. So they exclaimed, “Then who in the world can be saved?”

The answer is no one—and everyone. That is, no person can be forgiven, made right with God, and have eternal life on his or her own. Good works cannot earn God’s approval. Status and achievement cannot claim the Kingdom. Riches cannot buy salvation. It’s all God’s grace. The first point of the gospel message is that all people are totally, absolutely lost in their sins and without hope . . . but for God’s mercy. Jesus was teaching the disciples this lesson. But the Kingdom is open to all who put their trust in Christ.

Getting Personal

When are you most susceptible to the allure of wealth?

When have money and possessions, or the lack of them, hindered your relationship with God?

What does Jesus’ statement to the rich young man to give up all his money and possessions mean to you?

Money is an insidious idol. We don’t have to be rich to be pulled in. Because money allows us a degree of comfort and pleasure, we can be trapped into thinking, If I had just a little bit more . . . But money can never fill the emptiness in our lives, bring joy, or buy eternal life. “A little bit more” is never enough.

Talking to God

Before the Lord, admit the tension between contentment and desire for more, and the difficulty of coping with present financial needs or pressures even while you try to trust God with this area of your life. Affirm the truth that everything you have comes from God and belongs to him.