Praise the Lord, everyone.
Today, I want to meditate on the subject of the rich ruler. Please turn to Mark Gospel, Chapter 10. We will read from Mark 10:17-31.
And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.
Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery; Do not kill; Do not steal; Do not bear false witness; Defraud not; Honour thy father and mother.
And he answered and said unto Him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.
And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
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!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee.
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s,
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
May the Lord bless this Word. Let us pray.
Lord, we thank You, Lord, for this Word You have given unto us. We praise You and worship You. Lord, help us, lead us, and guide us to understand Thy Word. Lord, we seek the help of the Holy Spirit of God. We commit these things into Thy hands, and ask this prayer in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
From this passage that we read, we are familiar with this account. We know about the rich young ruler. This is recorded in three Gospels. Matthew 19:22 records him as a young man. Luke 18:18 records him as a ruler. In Mark, we see that he is a rich man. So, he is a rich young ruler.
This is a very important passage because many important things are addressed here: eternal life, the kingdom of God, and following Christ.
We see that this rich ruler came to Jesus running, and he knelt before Him. He had everything. He was at the right age, he had riches and great possessions, and he had influence as a ruler. He had everything that the world values. When the world looked at him, it would say, “He has everything.” But when Heaven looked at him, something was lacking. Something was lacking.
He was searching for something. He knew that something was missing in his life. There was an emptiness in his heart, an emptiness in his heart.
In God’s Word, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has put eternity in man’s heart. The vacuum is there, and that vacuum has to be filled by God Himself. Otherwise, people feel empty in their hearts and keep searching for things to fulfill it.
This man had everything, but he did not have the assurance of eternal life. From the outside, he was all right. If you looked from the outside, he had everything; but when you looked inside, there was emptiness. That is why he came running to Jesus.
We see almost seven things here. He had the right things in his life. He came at a young age, at the right time of his life. The young age is very important in one’s life.
In young age, we have more energy, more strength, and more courage. Whatever decisions we take at that age will influence our lives. This man was at the right age and was coming to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is good for a young man to bear the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Scriptures, we see that God was calling young people to serve Him. Samuel was called when he was a child. David was called when he was a shepherd, at a young age, before he became king of Israel. Jeremiah was also called when he was young, and Timothy was called from childhood.
Young age is very important, but many young people may think that they have a lot of time to accept the Lord and serve the Lord. So they are not very serious about accepting the Lord or serving Him.
We do not know the time and period in which we are living. So it is very important to come to the Lord at a young age and serve Him. Some may think, “We can serve the Lord after we retire. It will be very easy. We will not have anything to bother us. We can sit, relax, and then serve the Lord.”
But, you know, in old age we are not as active as we are in young age. I am not saying that we cannot always be active. We have already heard in this conference that when we wait upon the Lord, we become young. So age is not the criterion. Yet, as we grow old, we can feel the age. The mobility of the body is not supporting us to move fast.
Therefore, it is encouraging and good for a young man to come to God, to come to the Lord, at that age. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says:
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
It is good for a young man to remember his Creator at a young age. At that age, people hear two voices. One is the voice of Jesus Christ, and the other is the voice of the enemy.
Jesus Christ says, “Follow Me.” The world says, and the enemy says, “Follow yourself.” Jesus Christ says, “Follow Me,” to give us eternal life. But the enemy calls toward destruction.
This is an important stage in anyone’s life: to come to the Lord at a young age, to follow Him, and to receive eternal life.
Some young people admire celebrities. They want to have heroes to follow. Some follow sportsmen as their models. But who can be our greatest leader or hero to follow? It is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Celebrities grow old and fade away. Sportsmen retire. Kings die. But our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest leader we can follow, because He said:
I am the bread of life.
I am the true vine.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
I am the resurrection.
I am the good shepherd.
He died, but He is living evermore. He is our greatest leader whom we can follow in this world. Young life is very important for coming to the Lord and accepting Him. This rich ruler came to the Lord Jesus Christ at the right age of his life.
Secondly, he came in the right position, as a ruler. A ruler can influence the people in his country or in the region where he rules.
Once upon a time, there was an emperor called Constantine. He was a Christian. During his rule, he encouraged believers to gather, worship, and pray. He built many churches and encouraged many people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. As a ruler, he could influence more people to follow Jesus Christ.
Even we can influence others. Parents can influence their children. Teachers can influence their students. Employers can influence their workers. Older believers can influence younger believers.
As we know from God’s Word, Joseph influenced Egypt. Daniel influenced Babylon. Nehemiah influenced Jerusalem. Esther influenced the entire nation. As a young man and as a ruler, this man could have influenced many people to follow Jesus Christ.
The greatest leaders are not those who command others. The greatest leaders are those who first bow before God and then lead others to follow Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, he came with the right status. He had great possessions. He was a rich man.
Jesus never condemned a wealthy man merely for being wealthy. Abraham was wealthy. Job was wealthy. Boaz was wealthy. In Luke 8:3, we see Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto Him of their substance.
If we are rich as believers, we can be a blessing to many other believers. Paul says in Romans 12:8, “He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.” God delights in generous hearts.
Believers who are rich can build churches, print Bibles, support missionaries, feed the hungry, and be a blessing to many other believers.
Fourthly, we see that he came in the right action. He came running toward Jesus. He was not simply coming slowly and walking slowly. He ran toward Jesus, as if to say, “I should not miss this opportunity to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. If I miss this opportunity, I may never get this opportunity again.”
He was seeking the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 16:11 says:
In Thy presence is fulness of joy.
When we come into the presence of the Lord, we have fullness of joy. The greatest thing is not the church building or the music that we hear in the church. Where two or three gather, He said, “I am there.” The presence of the Lord Jesus Christ is there, and there is fullness of joy.
Psalm 122:1 says:
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
When somebody says, “Let us go to the house of the Lord,” David says, “I was glad.” He was glad to hear that and to go with the saints into the presence of the Lord. There is joy, fullness of joy, in the house of the Lord and in the presence of the Lord.
When Abraham left Lot, he settled in the plains of Mamre. When he settled there, the first thing he did was build an altar to God. He began worshipping Him.
Then, in Genesis 18:1, the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. Abraham met the Lord in the plains of Mamre. In that same place, he received the promise of Isaac: Isaac would be born to Sarah.
From that place, he also prayed for the rescue of Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. The plains of Mamre were a place of worship, the presence of the Lord, the blessing and promise of the Lord, and intercession before the Lord.
This is the presence of the Lord, where there is fullness of joy and the richness of His presence. When we come into the presence of the Lord, or into fellowship with the Lord, we can experience all these things in our lives and enjoy His presence.
Then he came with the right attitude. How did he come? He came running, and then he knelt down before the Lord Jesus Christ. He knelt down. He had humility.
We observe a young man, a rich man, and a ruler coming, running toward Jesus Christ, and kneeling down before Him publicly. How much humility he had.
James 4:6 says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. He was so humble that he knelt before the Lord Jesus Christ publicly.
He had all these right things in his life. He approached the Lord Jesus Christ at the right age, at the right time, with the right position, with the right status, and with the right attitude.
Humility is the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am meek and lowly.” The King of glory wrapped Himself with a towel and began washing the feet of His disciples. Can we imagine the Creator washing the feet of the creation? How humble He is. How much humility He has.
Peter wrote in his letter that we have to clothe ourselves with humility. It is not merely human humility; it is divine humility that we have to wear. It is a garment. We can wear new clothes, but this garment is different: the garment of humility.
Water flows from high places to lower places. When there is a slope, the greater the slope, the faster the water comes down. In a similar way, blessings come when we humble ourselves.
The Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself not only before creation, but before the heavenly Father. On the cross of Calvary, He humbled Himself unto death. He went that low.
Therefore, His name was made higher than every name. He came down, and then He was lifted up to the highest place. Why? So that all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth should bow before His name and confess that He is Lord. God highly exalted Him because He humbled Himself so much before the Father.
This young man also came with the right question. This rich young ruler asked, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He did not come to ask the Lord Jesus Christ, “How can I become more successful in my life?” He did not ask, “How can I earn more money? How can I protect my future? How can I continue as a ruler?” No. The greatest question anybody can ask is, “How shall I inherit eternal life?”
Many people ignore this question, but it is a very important question. Daniel 12:2 says:
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
This young person knew that the grave is not the end of life. There is life after death. Maybe he had read these verses from Daniel; we do not know. But he knew that there is another life after this life. He came with the right question to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who can answer all our questions in life? We may have many questions about eternal life, being born again, the rapture, and the judgment of God. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can answer all our questions.
Lastly, this man came to the right Person, the One who could answer all his questions. Many people, if they have questions, go to books, go to some saints, or read religious books.
In John 5:39, the Lord Jesus Christ said:
Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of Me.
Read the Scriptures and understand the Scriptures. They all point toward Him. It is not religious books that have eternal life. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has eternal life.
Who is the Person we can trust and go to for our answers? The right Person in whom we can trust is our Lord Jesus Christ alone. This man had done all these things in the right way, and he came to the Lord Jesus Christ with the right question.
Then Jesus looked at him and loved him. Jesus knew this person not only from the outside, but from the inside also. He knew the questions in his heart. He knew the struggle inside his heart. He knew where his trust was.
John 2:24-25 says:
But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men,
And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man.
Jesus Christ knows everybody. He knows every man. There is no need for anyone to tell Him, “This person is like this” or “This person is like that.” He knows everything.
Looking at his situation, though he was not ready to part with his riches and leave his riches, Jesus Christ looked at him and loved him.
My dear friends, who can love us like that in this world? Human love is limited. First, it starts with ourselves; then our family, our fellowship, and our group. It cannot go beyond that. But our Lord Jesus Christ loves us with infinite love.
We may have many failures in our lives. We may not be successful. We may not serve the Lord as He expects us to serve Him. But still, He loves us. That is His nature. He loves us. It is eternal love.
Sometimes we may think that people are ignoring us. They offend us, and we may feel that nobody cares for us. We are alone in this life. We have many struggles, many silent prayers, and many tears in our eyes. Who is looking at us all this time? He loves us. The Lord Jesus Christ looks at us. He is looking at us, and He is loving us.
Isaiah 46:4 says:
And even to your old age I am He;
and even to hoar hairs will I carry you:
I have made, and I will bear;
even I will carry, and will deliver you.
He is our great and good Shepherd. When we are hurt and wounded, He will come, lift us, take us, put us upon His shoulders, and carry us home to heal us. Even in old age, until the end of life, until the end of this age, He carries us. Who can love us like that in this world?
This rich young ruler came with the right attitude and the right status, yet he was not able to accept the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ compared his situation to a camel going through the eye of a needle.
It is a very interesting comparison and illustration. Sometimes it has been said that in Jerusalem there was a large gate to enter the city and a smaller gate beside it. For security purposes, in the night the large gate would be closed, and only the small gate would be opened. Whoever came as a visitor would have to squeeze through that small gate. It was called the eye of a needle.
When a camel comes there, it cannot enter. It cannot enter. The Lord Jesus Christ used the example of the largest animal. He did not speak of a squirrel or some small animal that could easily go inside. Even if the camel fasted and lost some weight, it could not enter through the eye of a needle.
At least the camel would have to bend down on its knees, unload everything, and crawl through the door. Yet even that would not be possible. Riches can come in the way of a rich man; they can block him from entering into the kingdom of heaven.
I think the obstacle is not riches themselves, but the heart that is trusting in riches. His trust was in his riches. His heart was trusting in his riches. That is the obstacle.
The camel represents everything that man relies upon: wealth, achievement, pride, self-righteousness, and religion. The needle represents the entrance into the kingdom of God.
All these characteristics belong to the old man—the Adamic man. Adam cannot enter into God’s kingdom. The nature of Adam cannot enter into God’s kingdom. It must remain outside God’s kingdom. As someone prayed this morning, only the new creation enters into the kingdom of heaven.
Even a small thing can become an obstacle to entering the kingdom of God. That is why the disciples were astonished. “Then how can anybody be saved?” The Israelites and Jews believed that if they were rich, it meant blessing had come from the Lord. If Abraham was rich, that meant he was blessed by God. So if a rich man cannot enter the kingdom of God, who can be saved?
That is why, with man, it is impossible. Jesus turned the focus from man to God. With man it is impossible, but with God it is possible. God can make things happen. It is in the hands of God.
Proverbs 21:1 says:
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:
He turneth it whithersoever He will.
God can turn the ways of rivers and the hearts of men. How can a rich man enter into God’s kingdom? Only God can change him. Salvation is of the Lord. Only God can change the heart of man.
God can break the chains of greediness and make a person trust in God more than in his wealth or riches. Salvation is of the Lord.
Consider the life of Zacchaeus. How was he changed when he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ? Who told him to part with his riches and give to others? This is the miracle of the grace of God.
With our own efforts, we cannot enter. The camel kneeling down, unloading everything, and crawling—these are all pictures of human effort. With human effort, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. We are saved by His grace, by His mercy, and by faith in Him.
Let us not boast in the works we do. It is purely by the grace of God that we can enter into the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God is not what we normally think it is. The kingdom of God is possessing Jesus Christ, gaining Jesus Christ alone.
Some may say that the kingdom of God is Christ plus something—Christ plus wealth, Christ plus reputation, or Christ plus influence. No. Christ Himself alone is the kingdom of God. We cannot add anything to that.
We are not looking for more qualifications to enter into the kingdom of God beyond Jesus Christ. It is Christ Himself alone.
Here, the Lord Jesus Christ invited the rich ruler to follow Him. Many focus on the words, “Sell what you have,” but then Jesus said, “Follow Me.”
“Follow Me” is an invitation to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is not something achieved at one time. It is continuous fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ—following Jesus Christ.
John 17:3 says:
And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.
Eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself alone. We need continuous fellowship with Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ looked at that rich ruler, loved him, and said, “Follow Me.”
“Follow Me” means that this is not the end of your life. You can sell your riches, give them to others, and go back; but still you will not have eternal life unless you follow Me. There must be a continuous relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is partaking in eternal life. Jesus Christ Himself is eternal life.
The disciples came to know many things about eternal life, the kingdom of God, and rich men entering the kingdom of God. Then Peter said, “Lord, what shall we receive? We have left everything and followed You.”
Jesus promised them that they would receive a hundredfold blessing. These hundredfold blessings may include a greater inheritance, the rich purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ, deeper joy, fuller communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, and Christ Himself becoming our inheritance.
Then He went on to say that they would receive these blessings a hundredfold, but they would also receive persecution. The kingdom of God contains both cross and crown—both cross and crown.
The Lord Jesus Christ clearly taught that those entering the kingdom of God would also have persecution. Then He said, “The first shall be last, and the last first.”
The rich young ruler appeared to be in first place at the beginning. He was a rich man. He had influence. He was young. He came to the right Person. Yet he walked away empty. He walked away empty.
He was admiring the Lord Jesus Christ as a good Master and a good person, but he was not accepting the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ invited him to have fellowship with Him, but he was not ready to leave his riches or part with them for others. His heart was trusting in his riches.
In contrast, Peter and the other fishermen were uneducated and not important in society, yet they became pillars of the kingdom of God. The first shall become last, and the last shall become first. The foolish will become wise. The weak become mighty. The despised become chosen.
The kingdom of heaven reverses the values of earth. Those whom we think are great saints at the beginning may become last. Those who are despised, unwise, and weak may become first in the kingdom of God. The kingdom reverses the rules of this world.
Who is the greatest treasure that we can possess? This rich young ruler was not breaking the last commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.” But he was breaking the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”
A person cannot serve two masters at one time. Either you serve God, or you serve mammon—riches. Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The rich young ruler’s heart was with his riches, not with the Lord, not with God.
He followed everything, all ten commandments, but failed miserably in one. The kingdom of God is not a checklist. We cannot simply check each item and say, “I have done it. My job is done. This is my religion. This is the way I follow. Now I am ready to enter into the kingdom of God.” No.
Who was sitting on the throne of his heart? His riches were sitting there. He could not leave his riches. So who is our greatest treasure, the One whom we can have in our lives and make King on the throne of our hearts?
If someone finds a precious jewel in a field, what does he do? First, he sells everything he has, and then he goes and buys that field or buys that precious stone. That desire should be in our hearts. First, we have to realize who the real treasure is.
The real treasure is our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you think He was poor? He was rich in heavenly places.
Second Corinthians 8:9 says:
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,
that ye through His poverty might be rich.
He is richer than anybody else. This whole world belongs to Him. Consider how many jewels, precious stones, how much gold, and how much silver there are in this world. It all belongs to God. He is so rich that we cannot imagine it, yet He became poor for us, for our sake.
He came down and offered His life. That is the great exchange. He offered His life so that we could become rich, so that we could become citizens of His kingdom, and so that we could receive His eternal life.
We can go to the place where He is. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great treasure we can possess.
May the Lord bless this Word and help us to follow Him.