SELL IT AND COME
Mark 10:21-31 NET.
21 As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”22 But at this statement, the man looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” 28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you!” 29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much — homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
You might have noticed that I preached on part of this passage for Father’s Day in 2021. My message was entitled “The Almost Perfect Son.” I spoke about this rich young man who would have been the pride of any father or pastor. He was almost perfect, but it was not enough. It was not something he lacked that kept this young man out of the kingdom of God. It was his strength: all his possessions. His temporary possessions kept him from God’s promise of permanent blessing.
Today, I’m picking up the passage where I left off and focusing on Jesus’ command to the young man. Jesus told him to go, sell whatever he had, give the money to the poor, and promised that he would have treasure in heaven. Then he said this man to come, follow him.
Jesus promised treasure in heaven (21, 23, 25, 30).
I want to unpack this treasure in heaven that Jesus spoke of. It’s essential to do this because the gospel invitation Jesus gave this rich young man is somewhat unique. As we have been following Jesus in the Gospels, we have noticed that he does not always give the same invitation to people. He told Nicodemus he could be born of the Spirit. He told the woman at the well that she could have some living water and never thirst again. He told the hungry crowds that he was the bread of life – they should come to him and would never go hungry. Jesus always invites people to receive the same promise, but he tailors his invitations to each heart.
He told this rich young man that he could have treasure in heaven. He already had plenty of treasure on earth. He was rich in houses and lands and had many goods loaded on his back. He was a big, fat camel. He was not worried about paying his bills. He knew where his next meal was coming from. If he wanted to marry and raise a family, he certainly had enough loaded on his back to take care of every contingency.
Not only was this young man rich in the things of earth, but he had also been very fortunate to avoid doing the things that spoiled rich men. He had his anger under control – he hadn’t murdered anyone. He didn’t prey on other men’s wives. He gained his wealth, honestly. He didn’t lie, defraud others, or disrespect his parents.
But there was one thing this rich young man did not have. He had treasure in every bank except the Bank of Heaven. He had his life under control but hadn’t invested in the next life. That was the man’s question. He had asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (vs. 17).
What did Jesus mean when he promised this young man that he could have treasure in heaven? He was answering that question. Having eternal life is having treasure in heaven. It is having what it takes to make it to God’s permanent life. This young man was not stupid. He knew that what he had now was not going to be enough to get him the eternal life in the future that he wanted.
Jesus had talked about that future. He called it the kingdom of God. He had challenged his listeners to believe that a future kingdom of God was coming. He called it receiving the kingdom. Our present life is lived in this age, but the future kingdom begins in the age to come (vs. 30). To enlist in that future kingdom, you had to receive it today. If you don’t receive the kingdom today, you will not be able to enter it when it comes to Earth.
Jesus is teaching this rich young man that what he presently has is an obstacle to what he wants. He is a big, fat, fully loaded camel, and he can squint his eyes and see through the needle’s eye, but he cannot pass through it. This man didn’t get the invitation he thought he would get. He thought Jesus would be standing there with a clipboard, ticking off the blocks in the list, and would automatically get to the end of his list and tell the man to come and follow him. But that is not what happened.
Jesus commanded divestment before investment (21-25).
Jesus did invite the young man to come and follow him, but first he would have to do three other things. These three other things were prerequisites. If this young man would not do these three things, he would not be able to come to Jesus and follow him. If he did not come and follow, he would never get his treasure in heaven. That would mean that all he had gained in this life would be lost forever when he died. That’s like having an undefeated season, getting all the way to the Super Bowl, and then losing. Nobody wants that.
So, let’s carefully examine what Jesus commands this young man. First, instead of inviting him to come, Jesus commands him to go. Jesus had told him that he lacked one thing. He probably said, “Okay, if I just lack one thing, I’m sure I can use my resources to buy that one thing, and then I’ll be all set. So, Jesus tells him to go, which is not a significant problem. It’s just a minor setback. He’ll go and get what Jesus wants and then come back and finish the list on the clipboard.
But he needs to go because Jesus commands him to sell whatever he has. This doesn’t make sense to the young man. He’s sure he must have misunderstood Jesus. After all, the man had spent his life amassing a fortune, and he looked at his portfolio as the key to his subsequent acquisition. He would be worthless if he divested himself of everything he had gained. He would be back at square one. It was hard to imagine being of any use to the kingdom of God if you could not afford a cup of coffee in this kingdom. So, the young man was probably thinking, “I know what Jesus wants here. He wants me to sell what I have to invest the proceeds in his ministry.” That made sense. He could look at it as an investment in the ministry, and it would pay off because his money would be funneled into ministry projects.
But then the other shoe dropped. Jesus commands him to give the money to people experiencing poverty. That didn’t make sense at all. This young man had known about poor people all his life. They were a burden to him and all the other rich men. People with low incomes are a leaking bucket. It doesn’t matter how much they get; they will still be there on the corner of the market the next day with their hands out.
But these were Jesus’ three prerequisites. The rich young man was free to get treasures in heaven, but he had first to divest himself of all his treasures on earth. He could come and follow Jesus, but first, he had to remove everything about himself that he identified with.
The man went away sorrowful because he was very rich. I’ve known a lot of sorrows in my life, but I have little experience with this one. This man had what most people think they want, and he had just learned that all he had was an obstacle to getting eternal life. He went away with regret because he thought that eternal life was impossible.
He was right. He was a big fat camel, loaded with a life of earthly treasures, and as such, he could never get through the needle’s eye. Salvation is impossible for mere humans but not for God.
Jesus promises the same thing to all: salvation by grace (26-31).
The disciples stood there with their mouths open. They had just watched this young man walk away from Jesus. Of all the people they had encountered in their short time with Jesus, he was the one they thought most likely to join them as an apostle. He could have made such a difference. But he walked away. They felt they would probably be next if Jesus rejected this man.
Then Peter realizes that each of the disciples had been given a choice similar to that Jesus gave the rich man. The fishermen were called to follow, but they had to leave their boats first. Matthew had to leave his booth. The disciples were not known for the advantages they brought to Jesus. They had gone and sold their old lives to follow him.
Peter said to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything to follow you!” They had divested before they could start investing. That is what living in the current phase of the kingdom is all about. Jesus points out to Peter and the rest that they gain something by that initial divestment. They may be called to leave their family. Jesus will give them another family. Like this rich man, they may have to leave their possessions (their fields). Jesus does not promise them an easy life for doing so. There will be persecutions. But Jesus does promise that now – in this age – everyone who dares to give up anything or anyone for him will find a hundred times more from him.
But that’s not all. By trusting in God’s grace instead of our riches, we will all gain a permanent life in the age to come. It won’t happen when we die. It begins when the new age begins, at the resurrection.
But the rich young man in this chapter reminds us that so many all around us today have been told the gospel good news, but for them, it is terrible news. Some are rich and not willing to divest themselves, so they will never have the opportunity to come and follow Jesus. Some are poor, but even if they have something, they are unwilling to give it away to gain treasures in heaven. As long as the self is put first, those who put themselves first will be last on God’s list.
The gospel is good news, and it is good news because God does not require that you give him anything to get his salvation. That puts us all on the same level. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. All that God required, he provided in the death of his Son.
But there is one thing that God wants from us. He wants us free and clear of all baggage. If we are willing to come to him empty-handed, he will gladly give us all we need for eternity. That’s grace. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”[1]
When Jesus calls all of us to accept God’s grace and trust in God’s love, we all face the same challenge that the rich young man did. We all want to offer ourselves to God based on what we have – what we have accomplished – our strengths – our assets. But God does not need any of our assets. Jesus can turn stones into bread; he does not need to raid our refrigerators. There’s nothing we can tell him that he doesn’t know. There’s nothing we can give him that he doesn’t have. There is nothing we could build for him today that will not burn before the new age begins.
That is why the picture Jesus gives of how someone receives the kingdom is, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (vss. 14-15). Children are dependents because they are dependent. Mommy and Daddy provide the kids with what they need. That’s how the kingdom works.
If you are reading this today, I want to ask you to consider everything you own. They may be things you possess, talents, or inherited gifts – whatever you own. Now ask yourself, what if you had to give away these things to live eternally? Would anything you now possess be worth missing that opportunity? Don’t go away sorry because of what you have. Sell it and come to Jesus.
For further study:
Fair Ian A et al. Matthew & Mark: Good News for Everyone. Barbour Pub 2008. pp. 84-85, 182.
France R. T. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press 2002. pp. 404-409.
Healy Mary and Peter S Williamson. The Gospel of Mark. Baker Academic 2008. pp. 204-206.
Martin George. The Gospel According to Mark: Meaning and Message. Loyola Press 2005. pp. 261-268.
McBride Alfred. To Love and Be Loved by Jesus: Meditation and Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Our Sunday Visitor 1992. pp. 94-96.
Ortlund Dane C et al. Mark: A 12-Week Study. Crossway 2013. pp. 52-53.
Sweetland Dennis M. Mark: From Death to Life. New City Press 2000. pp. 124-130.
[1] “Rock of Ages” (verse 3) – Augustus Toplady (1776).
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