Mark 10:17–30

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

10:17–31pp—Mt 19:16–30; Lk 18:18–30

¹⁷As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees^u before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^v

¹⁸“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹You 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”^w

²⁰“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,^x and you will have treasure in heaven.^y Then come, follow me.”^z

²²At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich^a to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is^e to enter the kingdom of God!^{b 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.”^c

²⁶The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”^d

²⁸Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”^e

²⁹“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 ³⁰will fail to receive a hundred times as much^f in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come^g eternal life.^h