Step 31

Mark 10:13-31 Too Grown-up for his own Good

About Mark: After another lesson about children and child-like faith, Mark reports a story found in all three synoptic Gospels about a character usually known as the "rich young ruler".

This title pieces together information from each source. Mark says he was rich - "he had many possessions" (Mark 10:22). Matthew tells us he was a young man (Matthew 19:20, 22). And Luke describes him as a ruler (Luke 18:18). This shows the nature and advantage of having multiple accounts of Jesus. There are minor differences that fill out details of the story, showing how the New Testament contains multiple, consistent, and complementary evidence of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.
 
So while on the one hand we require factual and dependable evidence of Jesus on which to base our faith, the kind of faith required in God is simple, sincere, and trusting like a child. In the practice of things like consumerism, scepticism, and self-sufficiency, we can be altogether too grown up for our own good.  

Bible: Mark 10:13-31, Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
 
The Rich Man 
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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." 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." 

28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
 
Comment: TOO GROWN-UP FOR HIS OWN GOOD
JESUS had previously placed a child in the disciples' midst to teach them the attitudes he expected Christian disciples to adopt within themselves (9:36-37). Later, with other children ("little ones" 9:42) he taught them the attitudes he expected them to have towards other
people as well. 

 Yet the disciples were struggling to get the point. They still seemed reluctant to allow little children to approach Jesus, and spoke sternly to those who brought them (10:13). The reply of Jesus should be central to all Christian theology. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall never enter it." Both parts of this saying are the words of the Lord! How easily we accept the part about admitting children but not the part about childlike faith.  

Aspects of homelife have featured in this section. There has been discussion of marriage, and now children, and next a youth. But the youth seems to have grown beyond the capacity to receive the kingdom of God as a little child, and is unable to enter it. He had already become so attached to the adult toys of pride, position, power, and possessions, that he simply could not trust as would a child, and follow Jesus. 

This is also an occasion of self-discovery for the disciples, for they had left all to follow him. Compared to the possessive young man, they were children - which is what Jesus calls them in verse 24. And as a bonus, they would receive the eternal life that the young man had sought, and all the rewards that the young man just couldn't give up. It seems to be a case of giving them up to get them back. God could do the impossible, as the disciples were "greatly astounded" (26) to discover.

Discipleship today: All around us society breeds attitudes opposed to the kind of faith in God that works. We mourn that "our children grow up too fast", too quickly exposed to the sophistications of deceit, depravity, exploitation, and the commercialisation of modern
society. 

With such corruptions all around, personal survival depends upon the sophisticationslike suspicion, scepticism, individualism, and a "don't trust anybody" attitude. Regrettably, we must use these just as rigorously against religious commercialism. Indeed we become so practised in the art, we project such attitudes against God himself.  

Many people have no one at all they can trust. Not a family member, not a club member, not a colleague, not a person at all. Others are more fortunate. They know people they can totally trust; their spouse, kinfolk, club members, a friend or advisor, and can even trust their life into such hands. That's the kind of trust you need to put in God, as did the disciples in this story.