Mark 10:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!

NIV: The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

NASB: And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and *said to them, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

CSB: The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

NLT: This amazed them. But Jesus said again, 'Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God.

KJV: And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

NKJV: And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

Jesus and the disciples have just met a rich young man who desires eternal life, but ultimately loves his possessions more than God. The disciples assume anyone with that much money is so blessed by God that they ought to be guaranteed of heaven.

The disciples' amazement reflects their cultural understanding. The Old Testament standard is that God rewards the spiritually faithful with earthly blessings (Job 1:10; 42:10; Psalm 128:1–2; Isaiah 3:10). Part of the Mosaic law is that if Israel—overall, as a nation—obeys God's commandments, He will bless the nation, cities, fields, agriculture, and even the fertility of the people (Deuteronomy 28:1–6).

Over time, however, the people grew to judge whether an individual person was good or evil by comparing their riches. They assume that God universally grants prosperity and health to those who obey Him. This led to two conclusions. First, that everyone rich and healthy must be righteous. Second, that everyone poor or ill must be sinful. God soundly disproves this latter assumption in the account of Job: a righteous man who suffers greatly and loses everything.

Here, Jesus refutes the first assumption: that wealth and health are a sign of God's personal favor. Or, at least, He puts that claim in a proper perspective. Obeying God's law in a society that values God's law will help you be successful in that society. But, ironically, you can obey God for selfish reasons. The rich young man loves God enough to obey, but not enough to value God above whatever material wealth God could give.

This selfish perspective, and the disciples' reaction, are the opposite of the unknown man they met in Capernaum (Mark 9:38–41). That man was expelling demons in Jesus' name, but because the disciples don't know him, they tried to make him stop. They have yet to learn that faithfulness is a greater indicator of someone following Jesus than worldly honor.

This is the only time Mark records Jesus calling the disciples "children." Sometime before, when the disciples try to keep the children away from Jesus, Jesus tells them, "whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" (Mark 10:15). Here, Jesus may be identifying the disciples as those who follow and submit to their teacher, emphasizing that they need to heed His words. He may also be reminding them that when it comes to inheriting eternal life, they are powerless and completely without merit.

Mark 10:17–31 begins as Jesus is trying to teach the disciples that God's kingdom values the powerless (Mark 9:36–37), the faithful (Mark 9:38–41), women (Mark 10:1–12), and children (Mark 10:13–16). The disciples, perhaps, are distracted by the many people who want to arrest or kill Jesus (John 7:32–52; 8:58–59; 10:22–39; 11:45–54; Luke 13:31). A wealthy young man asks Jesus about eternal life—and gets an unexpected answer in return. His response to Jesus' answer shows that his interest in God is limited by one thing: his money. Through all of history, wealth has been assumed to suggest the favor of God. But Jesus reveals that those whom God blesses often value the gifts more than the Giver. This story is also in Matthew 19:16–30 and Luke 18:18–30.

In this passage, Jesus again confronts the Pharisees by clarifying God's views on marriage and divorce. He reminds the disciples not to dismiss the spiritual perspective of children. This chapter also records Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who becomes an object lesson in why wealth makes it hard for people to rely on God. After this, Jesus deftly sets aside an arrogant request from James and John, and again predicts His impending death. Just prior to the triumphal entry of chapter 11, Jesus is sought out by Bartimaeus, whom He heals of blindness.

In between chapters 9 and 10, Jesus resumes His public teaching as He travels to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Luke 9:57—18:14; John 7—10). We meet Him here across the Jordan in Perea and follow as He makes His way west again to Jericho. This chapter surrounds a third prophecy of Jesus' death (Mark 10:32–34) with lessons on His value for those others often dismiss: women (Mark 10:1–12), the powerless (Mark 10:13–16), those who value God more than the world (Mark 10:17–31), servant-hearted leaders (Mark 10:35–45), and those with bold faith (Mark 10:46–52). Next is the triumphal entry and the beginning of Passion Week.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.