People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[d]”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
In the first of the two events in Jesus' life today, he is indignant. That's not a word we usually associate with Jesus. It's a word which, in the Greek, can be translated as "much grief".
Jesus is indignant because they are keeping young children from him. The disciples don’t think Jesus should waste his time with them. But Jesus sees the children’s trusting welcome of him into their lives. And so Jesus welcomes them.
Mark, quickly shifts gears and tells the story of a man who, running up to him, kneels down, and asks Jesus an urgent question. This is not a test. It's a genuine question, about eternal life.
Mark makes a point to say, “Jesus looking at him, loved him…”
Jesus has gone from being indignant to lovingly looking at a person who is genuinely seeking eternal life — life with God.
Jesus knows what this man’s barrier is - we all have barriers - and tells him to stop making wealth his god. The man departs discouraged, because he was wealthy.
I think Mark, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, puts his gospel together in such a way as to emphasize some things.
It is not accident that the account of Jesus and children is right before Jesus and the wealthy man.
In Jesus' day, it was a common understanding or thinking to suppose that “if you are wealthy, then that means God is blessing you.” Yes, everything good is from God. Yet in Jesus’ day (and sadly this is still true today) many, look at poor people and conclude God was cursing them — and also think that wealthy people were blessed by God (independent of how they got their wealth).
Jesus turns this all upside down, or better, he turns it right side up, and says it is perhaps hardest for the rich to enter the kingdom!
In verse 24 the disciples were amazed at this teaching.
Then, notice this, Jesus calls them “children” (you know like the little ones they tried to keep away from him earlier). He says.
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They go from being "amazed" to being even more amazed".
Who do you identify with?
- Are you like the rich man, trying to find your way to eternal life, but not willing to put anything aside?
- Are you like the disciples, scratching your head trying to figure out Jesus and his teaching?
- Or, are you like one of those children? Can you picture him looking at you with a loving gaze?
I pray that you will see Jesus looking at you, smiling, and loving you.
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