Warning About Wealth | Mark 10:23–27

And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”  The disciples were amazed at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, “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 a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

            They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”

Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

We sometimes assume that Jesus is only there for our comfort and happiness.  However, as we saw with the rich young ruler, Jesus gave him the law (vv. 19, 21) and then allowed the man to walk away sad (v. 22).  It’s not that Jesus didn’t feel compassion for him (cf. v. 21a), but this man needed to know the harsh truth.  As Jesus now turns to address His disciples, let’s consider the same lesson they received.

Wealth makes it impossible to get saved.  This would run counter to what they understood—sometimes, people would be rich because God blessed them or poor because God cursed them (cf. Dt. 28).  Even so, wealth (or lack thereof) is no indication of internal righteousness.  In fact, because of self-sufficiency, the wealthy will have difficulty trusting in another (Christ) for their salvation.

Jesus ratchets up the rhetoric, saying it is “hard” here and in v. 24, then giving an impossible image in v. 25, and finally and plainly expressing its impossibility in v. 27.  The fact is that no one can serve God and wealth (Lk 16:13), and “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Tm 6:9–10).

Only God makes it possible to get saved.  Jesus’s words amaze the disciples (vv. 24, 26), with them finally asking, “Then who can be saved?”  In other words, if someone as externally righteous and blessed as the rich young ruler can’t be saved, then how could these poor fishermen (or anyone else)?  Jesus’s words make the matter abundantly clear: “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

It’s not that Jesus wasn’t willing to give comfort, but the rich young ruler sought it in himself.  Only God can grant eternal life.  Man cannot earn it or merit it.  The good news of the gospel—for those who look outside themselves to find it—is that God can save anyone.  We need only to repent (turn from our own works of righteousness) and believe in what He provides apart from works.