“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.’ ” Mark 10:21
After Jesus taught that childlike faith was necessary to enter the kingdom of God (10:15), He encountered a rich religious man who lacked this childlike faith because he trusted his riches instead of Jesus for his kingdom entrance (10:17-24). This man thought he was good enough to enter heaven. What he failed to understand was that only God was that good. If Jesus truly is “good,” (10:17), then He must be God because “no one is good but One, that is, God” (10:18).
Christ sought to show this rich man his need to trust in God (Jesus) who alone is good by using the Law (10:19; cf. Rom. 3:20), but the man proudly said he kept “all these” commandments “from” his “youth” (10:20). He thought he was good enough to earn his way to heaven. Even though this man arrogantly thought his own righteousness was great enough to get him into heaven, we are told that “Jesus…loved him” (10:21a). Christ’s love is not turned away by stubborn arrogance!
Jesus then sought to show this rich man the “one thing” he truly lacked – childlike faith in Christ (10:15) – by confronting him with the call to discipleship – “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” (10:21). But because the rich man trusted his riches (10:24), “he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (10:22). This wealthy man loved himself and his possessions more than his neighbor.
Jesus explained to His disciples that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a [sowing] needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (10:25). From a human perspective, this rich man was too big of a camel, too proud to ever become “small” enough to pass through the needle’s eye with a childlike act of faith. Instead of being ready to put child-like faith in Christ alone to save him from his sins (10:15), this rich man was confident of his own morality and goodness.
But Christ assures His disciples (and us), that “with God all things are possible” (10:27). Just as no man could ever push a big gamely camel through the eye of a sewing needle, so no amount of human persuasion could ever bring a self-reliant, rich man to trust in Christ alone for the gift of salvation. But God could do it. Salvation is a miracle. It’s not only a miracle that rich people get saved, but that anyone can get saved. Jesus had skillfully used the call to discipleship to reveal to the rich man that he was not as good as he once thought. Perhaps the rich man would come to grips with his own inability to save himself and see his need to trust in Jesus alone for His gift of everlasting life (10:15; cf. John 3:15-16, 36).
Maybe you know someone who is very wealthy and self-reliant and has no interest in spiritual things. Don’t give up. Trust God to prepare that person’s heart to place his childlike faith in Jesus alone to save him from his sins.
And if you are a person who is wealthy and self-reliant, I believe Jesus would look you in the eye and say to you, “Don’t you understand? I have done the tough part. I did the suffering. I died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead. Now all you have to do is open up your arms and receive this free gift of eternal life with childlike faith in Me.” And I think He might also say, “I know that is hard for proud people to do. I know it’s hard for successful people to do, people who have relied on themselves their whole life. I know it is difficult. But take courage and do the right thing and open up your arms and receive this free gift.” And when you do, Christ will give you His free gift of everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:16; 10:28-29).