The Rich Young Man
"With God all things are possible"
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
A man ran up, knelt before Jesus, and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, saying he had kept the commandments since he was young. Jesus looked at him, loved him, and told him to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow him, but the man went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God's kingdom, and when the disciples asked who could be saved, he said, "All things are possible with God."
Where it is in the Bible: Mark 10:17-31
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He is on his way to Jerusalem.
- A rich man: A man with a lot of money who has kept God's commandments since he was young. Matthew calls him young (Matthew 19:20), and Luke calls him a ruler (Luke 18:18).
- The disciples: Jesus's closest followers, including Peter.
Setting
- A road in Judea. Jesus has just blessed some little children.
When
- About 2,000 years ago, not long before Jesus went to Jerusalem to die.
Before the Story
Jesus had just blessed little children. He said that anyone who does not receive God's kingdom like a little child will never enter it (10:15).
God gave his people the Ten Commandments. They tell how to love God and other people (Exodus 20).
Many people thought being rich was a sign of God's blessing.
Here's what you know: Jesus has just said God's kingdom is received like a child receives a gift. Now a man comes asking what he must do.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A man runs up | 10:17-18 | A man asks how to get eternal life |
| 2. The commandments | 10:19-20 | The man says he has kept them all |
| 3. One thing | 10:21-22 | Jesus loves him and tells him to sell everything |
| 4. The eye of a needle | 10:23-25 | Jesus says it is hard for the rich to enter God's kingdom |
| 5. "Who then can be saved?" | 10:26-27 | Jesus says God can do the impossible |
| 6. "We have left everything" | 10:28-31 | Jesus makes a promise to his followers |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6A Man Runs Up
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and knelt down.
"Good Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (10:17). To inherit means to receive something that is passed down to you. Eternal life is life with God that never ends.
"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked. "No one is good except God alone" (10:18).
Scene 2 of 6The Commandments
Jesus said, "You know the commandments." Then he listed some of them: do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, do not cheat, honor your father and mother.
To commit adultery means to break the promise of marriage by being with someone else.
"Teacher," the man said, "all these I have kept from my youth" (10:20).
Scene 3 of 6One Thing
"Jesus looked at him, loved him" (10:21).
Then Jesus said, "There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me" (10:21).
The man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Scene 4 of 6The Eye of a Needle
Jesus looked around at his disciples. "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" he said (10:23).
The disciples were amazed. Jesus said it again. "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!" (10:24).
Then he said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (10:25).
The eye of a needle is the tiny hole for the thread. A camel was the biggest animal people saw every day.
Scene 5 of 6"Who Then Can Be Saved?"
The disciples were even more astonished. They said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" (10:26).
Jesus looked at them. "With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" (10:27).
Scene 6 of 6"We Have Left Everything"
Peter spoke up. "Look, we have left everything and followed You" (10:28).
Jesus said that no one who leaves home or family or fields for him and for the gospel will miss out. They will receive a hundred times as much now: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields. They will also face hard times. And in the age to come, they will have eternal life.
"But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first" (10:31).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (10:17) | The man thought eternal life was something to earn. But an inheritance is a gift. |
| "No one is good except God alone" (10:18) | Nobody is good enough on their own. Only God is truly good. |
| "Jesus looked at him, loved him" (10:21) | Jesus's hard words came from love, not anger. |
| "There is one thing you lack" (10:21) | His money had his heart. It stood between him and following Jesus. |
| "Easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle" (10:25) | This is an exaggeration on purpose. No one can get into God's kingdom on their own. |
| "All things are possible with God" (10:27) | What we can't do, God can. Salvation is God's work. |
| "Many who are first will be last" (10:31) | God's kingdom turns the world's ranking upside down. |
Back Then
Camels were the largest animals in Israel. People used them to carry heavy loads on long trips.
Some people thought wealth meant God was pleased with you. That's one reason the disciples were so amazed (10:26).
Jesus listed commandments about how we treat other people. He did not list the ones about loving God first. Some readers think Jesus was showing the man that his money had become like a god to him.
Literal Reader Alert
Was there a gate called "the eye of a needle"? You may have heard that there was a small gate in Jerusalem with that name. There is no evidence from Jesus's time for such a gate. Jesus meant a real sewing needle. That's the point: it is impossible, and only God can do it.
Does everyone have to sell everything they own? Jesus told this man to, because his money had his heart. Jesus did not give everyone the same command. But he does ask everyone whether anything comes before him.
Is it a sin to be rich? No. Money is not evil. The Bible warns that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). The question is what you trust.
Was the man a bad person? Mark doesn't say that. He says Jesus loved him (10:21). He went away sad, not angry. Mark doesn't tell us what happened to him later.
Jesus said people will get a hundred houses? Jesus meant his followers gain a huge new family: other believers who become like brothers, sisters, and mothers to them. He also said honestly that there would be hard times (10:30).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The man | Eager | He ran up and knelt down (10:17) |
| Jesus | Loving | He looked at the man and loved him (10:21) |
| The man | Sad | He had great wealth and didn't want to give it up (10:22) |
| The disciples | Astonished | "Who then can be saved?" (10:26) |
| Peter | Hopeful | He wanted to know if their sacrifice mattered (10:28) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What would be hardest for you to give up? Tap one.
My stuff
That was hard for this man too. Jesus didn't stop loving him. Ask God to help you trust him more than things.
People I love
Jesus promised a new family to those who follow him (10:29-30). He doesn't leave you alone.
Being in control
The man wanted to know what he must do. Jesus said what's impossible for us is possible for God.
Nothing, I think
Peter thought that too. It's good to keep asking: what has my heart?
You Might Have Heard
"If you do enough good things, you'll go to heaven."
What's true: God's commandments are good. Keeping them matters.
What the story is mainly about: The man thought he could do enough. Jesus showed him that nobody can. "With man this is impossible, but not with God" (10:27). Eternal life is a gift God gives, not a prize we earn.
Where Jesus is: Looking at the man and loving him. And walking on toward Jerusalem, where he would give everything, his life, so that the impossible would happen for us.
Good News
The disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?" The honest answer was: nobody, on their own.
"With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" (10:27).
Jesus went to the cross to do what we could never do. He gives eternal life as a gift.
Nobody can earn their way into God's kingdom. With God, all things are possible, and Jesus gives what we could never buy.
Big Idea
No one can earn eternal life. What is impossible for us is possible for God, and Jesus gives it as a gift.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism, Luther explains the First Commandment: we should fear, love, and trust God above all things. In the Large Catechism, he says that whatever your heart clings to and trusts most is really your god. For many people, he said, that is money.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Mark 10:17-31 in October of Year B (Lectionary 28).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
For all things are possible with God.
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 28 Year BGospel, Mark 10:17–31
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The Rich Young Man, explained in plain words. A man asks what he must do. Jesus loves him, and tells him one thing he lacks. About 10 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/the-rich-young-man/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church