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NASB | Mark 10:21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Mark 10:21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, "You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk]." |
Bible Question:
The man to whom these words were spoken certainly found them hard. He was the rich man who came to Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life (vs 17). Jesus said, "Well, you know the commandments," and mentioned those which sum up one's duty to a neighbor. That keeping the commandments was the way to life is stated in the law itself: "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD" (Lev 18:5). The man answered that he had kept all these from his youth (vs 20). So isn't keeping the Law enough gain eternal life? Is selling all you have required to gain eternal life? Bonus question: Why did Jesus fee; a love for him? |
Bible Answer: Dear Steve, Coming from a divine perspective, I don't understand why Jesus the Son of God felt love for this particular sinner. We all deserve God's severe, holy and just wrath for the least of our sins. But from a human perspective I can understand why Jesus felt love for this guy. The rich man was sincere and very moral. He was just a decent guy, as evidenced by his self-professed obedience, which we have no reason to doubt. (You'll notice, however, that Jesus did not reference the 10th commandment, which has to do with greed.) But a sinner’s sincerity and high morals are not enough to find acquittal before God severe justice. He will still be weighed in the balance and be found wanting. (Dan 5:27, KJV) God does save good people, but not because they’re good. People need to understand that this kind of goodness of a sinner is determined with respect to other sinners only. This goodness is only relative. But when a good man is examined by the holy law of God, all his righteousness deeds will be as filthy rags. (Is 64:6) True goodness is sinlessness; it is to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. (Mat 5:48) There will be a lot of good people going to hell. The clear teaching of Scripture is that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Rom. 3:28) This is true of saints before and after Christ. So, this passage must be understood in that light. It cannot mean that some men are justified by keeping the law the best they can and selling all their possessions. I don’t think you are foolish enough to believe or advocate this, Steve. Some Bible students believe that Jesus was exposing the rich man’s greed by placing such a demand on him. How much did he value eternal life? Did he understand where the true riches were? Did the rich man think that eternal life could become one more of his possessions? Did he think that he could purchase it? Did he love God more than his riches? Maybe the demans placed upon the wealthy man by Jesus were for the express purpose of showing him the he wasn't without sin and that eternal life is a free gift apart from the works of the law. It cannot be bought, and if it were for sale the richest man in the world could still not afford it. For us who are not wealthy, it is easier to give up all to accept the priceless, but free, gift of eternal life on the basis of the finished substitutionary work of Christ on the cross. But for the wealthy, Christ says, it’s not so easy. Peace, Lionstrong |