Mark 10:23-27

Finding True Wealth

Mark 10:23-27 – Wealth and the Hundredfold

The rich man went away sadly. Jesus, too, who loved the man and took the risk of calling him to follow, would also have felt quite saddened, whatever about the other disciples. The incident gave Jesus the occasion for a profound reflection on the experience of discipleship.

23 Looking around, Jesus said to his disciples,
“How difficult it is for those with a lot of possessions
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
24 His disciples were startled at what he said, 

The perplexity of the disciples was probably due to the ambivalent message, so often encountered in the Psalms and elsewhere in the Scriptures, that God rewarded the virtuous. The conclusion was generally reached that wealth was a reward of virtue – although the Psalms also painted the picture of the wicked enjoying wealth and power, at least in the short term. It was easy to see how poverty provided problems: the poor had to cut corners and to ignore the precisions of the Torah and tradition even to survive. Certainly, in the eyes of the Pharisees, and probably of everyone else, they were classed as sinners, possibly even by themselves. At least, wealth was not seen as providing a potential problem to virtue. 

Jesus made the point that precisely wealth was a setback. In the face of such a plain claim, the disciples possibly began to wonder about the point of being virtuous, even of following Jesus. It seemed to be part of the human condition that people hoped, at least unconsciously, for some reward for their virtue.

so Jesus repeated,
“Children, how difficult it is for those with possessions
to enter the Kingdom of God.
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Without losing sight of the problem facing the rich, Jesus simply stated how hard it was (for anyone) to enter the Kingdom of God. It was particularly hard for the rich. Jesus’ wonderful metaphor was a colourful example of “Semitic hyperbole” – a leaning towards exaggerated expression. Nothing more need be read into it.

26 They were more astounded, and said among themselves,
“Who then can be saved?”
27 Looking straight at them, Jesus said,
“Humanly it is impossible,
but it is not for God.  
Everything is possible for God.” 

The disciples raised the question of salvation, which lifted the stakes considerably. Jesus had already clearly made the point that people could not save themselves. Those who seek to save their lives will lose them. It was by losing their lives for his sake and for the sake of the Gospel that people opened themselves to the possibility of their being saved by God (8:15). As he was being crucified, Jesus himself would be challenged to save his own life by coming down from the cross. He would ignore the challenge (15:29-32). Salvation was essentially gift of God. The point obviously needed reaffirming at this juncture; and Jesus did so quite unequivocally. The emphasis, however, may not have been on the impossibility of auto-salvation, but on the power and the intention of God to save – if people let God do so.

The problem with wealth and the power that went with it was that they could lead to a sense of self-reliance. An unquestioned sense of virtue had the same blocking effect. It was precisely this sense of independence that got in the way of the saving action of God. 

Next >> Mark 10:28-31