Mark 10:13 -31, Do You Have Dependency Issues?
Introduction:
Earlier in Mark 10, Jesus has been confronted by Pharisees about His teaching on divorce. In Jesus’ answer, He corrects the Pharisees’ interpretation of Moses’ law that one is not to divorce and remarry, for such is adultery. The law of God was that “what God has joined together, let not man separate.” The only exception Jesus gave is found in Matthew 19 that divorce and remarriage is only allowed when sexual immorality has been committed. The scene in Mark quickly moves on. In verses 13-31 we are going to see three movements from which Jesus will teach His disciples. But I believe what we are going to see develop from Jesus’ teachings is a discussion about dependency. There is a saying that “no man is an island.” All of us depend upon someone or something as we live out our lives. The question that is presented before us is what do we depend upon? The answer matters to Jesus as we will see in this text.
The Little Children ( 10:13 -16)
The scene
Back in Mark 10:10, Jesus and His disciples have gone into the house. Recall back in verse 1 of this very chapter we see the crowds have been following Jesus and He has taken the opportunity to teach them when they come to Him. We see that the crowds are still following Jesus, even though He has gone into a house. In verse 13 we read “they were bringing the children to Him that He might touch them.” We must assume that the “they” in this passage is referring to the crowds that have been following Jesus. Therefore, the little children were being brought to Jesus. But the disciples were interfering with the children coming to Him. In fact, the disciples were rebuking the crowd for bringing the little children to be touched by Jesus. We are not told the nature of the rebuke, but it does not seem too hard to imagine the possible words being said in this scene. One can imagine the disciples saying, “Do you not know who this is? He is the Messiah and has no time for children. He is the King and He is very busy with Israel .” Imagine if the president of the United States all day long on every day allowed crowds to come into the Oval Office and let children sit on His lap! The president has important things to do, pressing issues, things more important than holding children. All of us would argue that the president has bigger things to concern himself with than children. How easy this argument would be for the disciples of Jesus!
Does Jesus allow this to take place? Does Jesus say within Himself that He is a very important person and does not have time to be fooling with these trivial things? In verse 14, however, we see the reaction of Jesus. He was indignant and he was furious. To realize the depth of His anger, consider that this same Greek word, here translated indignant, is found in Luke 13:14 where the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. We must recognize that we are not speaking about Jesus being mildly angry. He was furious. One translation may be useful where it says that Jesus was “sore displeased.” We must see how upset Jesus is concerning the disciples rebuking of the crowd about bringing the little children. Jesus tells them to let the little children come to Him and do not hinder them. Why should the children not be hindered? Because to such belongs the kingdom of God . Children have just as much right in the kingdom of God as adults. Children are not second-class citizens to God, but important and cherished in His sight.
Dependency
But Jesus has even more to say. Notice the teaching in verse 15, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” These are important words, for Jesus has just said that if we do not receive the kingdom like they, then we will not enter into it. What did Jesus mean by this? First, we must see that Jesus has already taught something similar in Mark 9:33-37. Remember in that scene that the disciples were disputing about who was greatest in the kingdom of God . Jesus illustrated the humility of a child to show greatness in God’s kingdom. I believe this is still the attribute that Jesus is focusing on. Humility is needed to enter the kingdom. But I think there is something in particular about this humility that Jesus may be striking at in this passage. The attribute that we see in Mark 10 is the children’s willingness to come to Him. We are seeing that humility leads on to a dependency upon Jesus. The children depended upon Jesus and the crowds were bringing the little children to Him. Therefore Jesus takes the children into His arms, blesses them and lays His hands upon them.
Before we move on and pass this by, I think we need to consider the dependency that Jesus is asking His disciples to have to enter the kingdom of God . I see that type of dependency with Paige. She is very dependent upon us. If she thinks that we are going somewhere, she comes up and starts dancing in front of us with arms raised so that she will be picked up and go too. That is the dependency that the disciples are rejecting by turning these little children away from Jesus. Our Father wants us to stand in front of Him with our arms raised, showing our reliance and dependence on Him. Anywhere He goes, I want to go. In fact, we sing a song that we hopefully mean, which says, “anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.” Humility leads us to dependency in Jesus.
The Rich Young Ruler ( 10:17 -22)
The scene
Jesus now sets out on a journey. As He is leaving, here comes a man running up to Jesus and kneels before Him. The man asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This man is typically called the rich young ruler. The reason why is that the Matthew account tells us he was young and the Luke account tells us he was a ruler, likely of a synagogue. All three accounts tell us that he was rich. Therefore, this man is stuck with the name as the rich young ruler. Immediately we begin to see the character of this rich young ruler. He is not like the other Pharisees or Sadducees who have tried to test and trip up Jesus. This ruler comes running to be sure to catch Jesus before He leaves. Further, the ruler falls on his knees before Him and asks His question. The question seems to have come from pure motives and an honest heart, though misguided as we will see.
Jesus responds by asking the rich young ruler, “why do you call Me good?” Jesus is asking this man if he understands what he is saying by calling Jesus “good.” To call Jesus “good” is an acceptance of who He is, that is God. Jesus is questioning the man’s understanding of what he has said by calling Jesus “good.” Essentially, Jesus is saying that the man is calling Him God by calling Him good. I believe this is an important point to consider. There are many who will not accept Jesus as Lord, but admit that He was a good man or a good teacher who lived in the first century. But we must see that if Jesus is good, then He is God. Otherwise, Jesus is a terrible, wicked man. Jesus cannot be a good man and not be God for many reasons. Jesus claimed to be God and if He is not God, then He is a liar and not a good man. Further, why would any call a man good who tells the world that if they do not listen to Him and obey Him that they are going to an everlasting hell? We must see that if Jesus is a good man, He is God. If He was not God, then He is a terrible person who was full of wickedness.
Jesus’ instructions
Jesus goes on to tell the rich young ruler what he must do to inherit eternal life. Consider with me that Jesus does not say to simply believe in Him to receive eternal life. Jesus refers the ruler to obedience to the laws of God. Jesus says, “You know the commandments” and then gives a listing of a few of the laws of Moses. I think it is important to note here the same thing that we saw in Mark 10:1-12, which is that Jesus is not establishing His own laws. He refers the rich young ruler, as He did the Pharisees, to the law of Moses. Jesus is not overthrowing the law, but is fulfilling it.
The rich young ruler responds that He has been keeping the law of Moses from his youth. Now, some suggest that the rich young ruler is lying at this point. It is arguing that no one does these things even from their youth. But I do not think that the rich young ruler is stating that he has done these things perfectly. The Jews did not believe that one must perfectly keep the law. But, to the best of his ability, he has been obeying the laws of God. I think we can accept the truth of the rich young ruler’s statement for two reasons. First, Jesus does not look into his heart and argue that he has not been keeping these things. Jesus readily accepts his statement. Second, in verse 21 we read that Jesus loved him. I have a hard time believing that Jesus would have the feeling of love toward someone who had just lied to Him. The rich young ruler was a man who was diligently seeking after God. That is why he chased Jesus by running to Him before he left and knelt down before Him. Jesus then looks at the ruler, loved him, and said that there was something he lacked. He had not given everything up to follow the Lord. The possessions that this man had needed to be sold and the proceeds given to the poor for him to have eternal life, or treasure in heaven. Once this was done, the ruler could follow after Jesus. The ruler is stunned by this statement. Literally, his face dropped at hearing these words. Jesus found what this man was dependent upon, and though he had obeyed the commands of the Lord from his youth, he had not put his full dependency in Jesus. The ruler goes away grieving because he had many possessions. The ruler did not have the heart of the child that Jesus had claimed was necessary to enter the kingdom of God . The possessions that this rich young ruler had were too important and near to his heart for him to be able to make such a sacrifice for Jesus.
Many ask the question: If this is a universal command, then to be Christians today must we also sell all that we have, give it to the poor, and follow Him? I would like to say that the answer is yes and no. The answer is no in the fact that this is not a prerequisite for being a follower of Christ. We do not need to add to the list of conditions to receive God’s grace that one must repent, confess, sell all their possessions, and be baptized. However, we need to see that in many ways the answer is yes. Whatever we depend upon in this life must be sacrificed to follow Jesus. God asks us to surrender anything in our lives that we place an importance upon and depend upon. We must be truly ready to give all that we have, whatever it is that is important to us, to follow Him. Let us not discount this passage as inapplicable to today.
Further, we need to see that Jesus has turned away someone who appeared to be honestly seeking after Jesus. The man had chased after Him, knelt down before Jesus, asked the right question wanting to know how to gain eternal life, and Jesus even loved him. The man was even a follower of God from his very youth. However, Jesus looked into the heart and found something that he would not sacrifice and that is what prevented him from entering the kingdom. The same is true for us. We can be honestly seeking after Jesus, ask all the right questions, desire eternal life, and be obedient to the commands God has given. But if we have not sacrificed all things and placed our dependence completely on the Lord, we are not in the kingdom and do not have eternal life.
The Lesson On Dependency and Riches ( 10:23 -31)
Jesus’ Further Teachings
Jesus then exclaims to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God .” If the rich young ruler was surprised and grieved by Jesus’ command, the disciples are just as astonished at the teaching of Jesus. But Jesus, to prove His point, says it again in verse 24. To drive the point home even stronger, Jesus makes an illustration in verse 25. There He states that 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 . We need to see the powerful reality of this statement.
I am not sure who came up with this, but I have heard it and you have likely heard it as well. Some have said that the needle was actually a hole in the wall in Jerusalem in which a camel would have to remove the burdens of the back and kneel down to enter in through the hole in the wall to the city. I have researched high and low and I have found no supporting evidence, historical or otherwise, to substantiate this proposition. That gate, called the needle, was not built until medieval times. I believe this is a lightening of the statement to make it possible for the rich to enter in. But Jesus is teaching how difficult and impossible it really is. That is why Jesus speaks about the things that are impossible with men that are possible with God.
We need to accept the illustration as Jesus made it, and I believe to understand it as the hyperbole that He intended. He was calling to their minds a needle and trying to get a camel through it. It is impossible for such to happen. This is why in verse 26 the disciples are absolutely astonished at Jesus’ words. Jesus was clearly making a powerful point to the rich to show how hard it is for the rich to enter. We read of some rich men in the Bible who were righteous like Job and Abraham, but they are to be considered exceptions to the general rule.
The disciples’ astonishment
The disciples, in their astonishment, say to the Lord, “who then can be saved?” The answer is not those who are not rich. The disciples were asking a question based upon a common view among the Jews. The common view among the Jews was if you had riches, then you were in God’s favor, and thus you were saved. This point can be seen by some of the statements made by Job’s three friends. The friends said to Job, “If you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful habitation. Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly” (Job 8:6-7). In speaking about the wicked, Eliphaz says, “He will not be rich, nor will his wealth continue, nor will his possessions overspread the earth” (Job 15:29 ). The common understanding was that the wicked will not prosper but the righteous will be rich. This is why the disciples of Jesus begin saying to each other, “Who can be saved?” If the rich young ruler, a man who followed God’s law, was a ruler, likely in the synagogue, and was rich, could not be saved, then who can? This is why verse 26 tells us that the disciples were “astonished beyond measure.” They were simply blown away by this teaching. Thus, Jesus says that the things men believe are impossible can be possible with God. Riches are not the finger of God showing others who will be saved and who will be lost. Unfortunately, this is lost upon many in the religious world who believe that if they will simply obey the Lord, they will be rich on the earth. God becomes a pyramid scheme that the more I tell others, the more riches I will have. But that is not the way of salvation. Salvation is about depending upon Jesus and not about money in the bank.
Peter’s statement and Jesus’ response
Peter understands what Jesus is saying, and therefore makes the statement that he and the other disciples have left all and followed Christ. Peter says that they have been able to do what the rich young ruler was not able to do. They have given up their jobs that they had, they have given up their families and their homes and have followed after Christ. The implication is, “What will happen to us?” Jesus says that everyone who has given everything up for the cause of Christ and the good news of Jesus will receive one hundredfold. I want us to carefully notice where the hundredfold is given to His followers. Verse 30 says “now in this time” and “in the age to come.” Most writers and commentators completely skip over this passage because it is very difficult to explain. I will agree with the difficulty, but it seems that the answer is straightforward.
It is clear that Jesus is not saying that you will become rich on earth, because that is not what happened to the disciples at all. But Jesus does promise that we will receive now and in the age to come. In the age to come, those who have forsaken all things will receive eternal life. I believe this is straightforward and has no further need for comment. But Jesus says now they will have houses, families, lands, and persecutions. It does not seem that these things can be spiritualized because lands and persecutions are stated. It seems best to understand that God will take care of us when we forsake all. When we give all to the Lord, He has promised to get us through. We may have difficult times and be in financial crunches, but God will give us the things that we need to survive. Thus, when we make ourselves last for the sake of Christ, we will be first in the kingdom of God . Those who would seem to be first in God’s kingdom, the rich, will actually be last. Those who would seem to man to be last with God, the poor, will be first in the kingdom.
Final Applications
We are rich
Jesus said “how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God .” We need to realize that we are rich and we have a great hardship to enter the kingdom of God . Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:8 that with food and clothing we will be content. Everything else is extra, and brethren, we have a lot of extras. We need to see the challenges that we face as the rich to enter the kingdom. It is important for us to not define the rich as everyone else or those on Palm Beach or the celebrities. We are far richer than those in New Testament times and need to thank God for all He has given us. But we need to see the dangers that surround us because of our riches. Jesus taught in Mark 4:19 that riches choke out the word. This is why it is hard to teach the lost in this day and time. Riches are choking out the word of God from people’s hearts and lives. We can enter in as rich people, just as Abraham and Job were able to do. But that means we must be diligent to not be ensnared by the trap and love of riches. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil that plunges us into many problems that we would not face if we did not have these things. Therefore, we need to receive the kingdom of God as a child.
We must receive the kingdom as a child
I believe Jesus would offer us the same challenge today as He did the rich young ruler. Is our dependency on riches and possessions or is it on Jesus? We may say that we are obeying the commands and we love God. But so did the rich young ruler. The challenge is the honest answering of this question: Would we sell all that we have to be a follower? Or would we walk away because we have so many possessions? Many would walk away. Many of us would be unwilling to let go of the many things that we have. It is time for an honest heart evaluation. We must work hard to develop faith that will let go of anything that God demands of us. We may need to lose our families one day. Will we still depend on God? We may lose our possessions. Will we still depend on God? We may lose our friends and important relationships. Will we still depend on God? We must be willing and ready to forgo all things for the Lord.
We will receive the rewards promised for the sacrifice
The sacrifices that are made are not without benefits. God has promised that we no longer have a need for worry. God will get us through this life and provide what we need to make it. We may not have riches and may not have all our physical desires fulfilled. But He will give us enough to live and serve Him. But even greater is the eternal life that is promised. Anything in this life fades away and has no lasting value. Physical things grow old, wear out, become outdated, and lose their value. But eternal life is what we are longing for. The promise is that we will be with the Lord with a quality of life that is matchless. No more dealing with the wicked, no suffering, no anguish, no physical bodies that give us problems. Only Paradise . Let us serve the Lord and depend upon Him with all our heart and we can have these promises.
