As we resume the story of the Rich Young Ruler, we recall that the main character came to Jesus with a strong confidence in man’s ability to merit eternal life. And we saw Jesus repudiate that very notion. If the young man wanted to find Life, he would have to completely abandon everything on which that confidence was founded, renouncing it all to follow Jesus. That was the path to eternal life.
Unfortunately, this young man owned a lot of property, and was unwilling to let go of it, and the confidence that it gave him. So, instead of finding Life, he went away sad and grieving.
But the episode doesn’t end there. As we pick up the story, we find Jesus using the encounter to drive the point home to the disciples.
He turns around, and speaking to the disciples now, says, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23)
Now, place yourself in the disciples’ shoes. How would you respond to that statement?
If you are like me, and have been influenced by teaching from the rest of the New Testament, this statement may seem like a given – somethings so obvious, it almost seems needless to say it.
But note the disciples’ response. It wasn’t obvious to them. They were amazed (Mark 10:24). See they still had some of the same world-view as the rich, young ruler. The prevailing assumption of the religious community was that riches were a sign of God’s blessing, and evidence that your righteousness was pleasing to Him.
So, Jesus camps on this point. Repeating Himself, He says that it is easier to thread a sewing needle with a camel, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
In other words, it’s impossible.
Now, they are even more dumbfounded. If the rich man – the guy who seems to have abundant evidence of God’s approval for his righteous living – if this guy can’t make it in, who can? (Mark 10:26)
Jesus answer?
With men, it impossible to obtain eternal life. There is nothing you can do. Even the best-looking attempts are like trying to shove a camel through the eye of a needle.
But with God, all things are possible. So, you’re going to have to let go of everything you are trusting in, and follow Jesus.
Which is exactly what the disciples had done. And Peter begins to make that point – “We have left everything and followed you.” (Mark 10:28)
What had they left?
Well, let’s consider what Mark has already told us about some of these guys. They were not merely fishermen, scraping out a living. James and John had left their father, Zebedee, and his hired servants in the boat to follow Jesus (Mark 1:20). They walked away from an established business that they stood to inherit.
And, while Matthew might have been despised by many as a tax collector, he would have had a very good income. He left that to follow Jesus.
So, Peter says, “We’ve done what you told him to do. What does that mean for us?”
Jesus answers them –
“Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.””
(Mark 10:29–31 NAS95)
Now, it is easy to read Jesus’ words and think that this discipleship-thing might be a good investment plan. I mean, where else can you multiply your initial investment 100 times over?
But that would be a distortion. Jesus never presents discipleship as a means to wealth. It can’t be. The thing that makes wealth and possessions attractive is the sense of security they bring. It is that very confidence – the sense that we can secure Life on our own, regardless of the uncertainty that we may encounter – that Jesus insists we deny. The reason we must deny it is because it has replaced Him as the object of our dependence. If we are hoping that following Him will bring us wealth, our hope is still fixed on the wealth, not Him.
What Jesus promises the disciples is that they, having completely abandoned the hope that wealth offers in order to follow Him, have made a very good trade. They will gain much more than they gave up.
But what does that mean, in practical terms?
Well, Jesus divides the benefits between two ages.
In the present age, He does promise them 100 times what they abandoned. But He doesn’t mean that everyone who has left a house will now personally own 100 houses.
How easily we fixate on certain items in the list of things He mentions. Houses. Farms.
But He also mentions brothers, sisters, mothers, and children. Relationships.
To understand, we must look at all He promises.
We should pause here to note that, while He includes “fathers” in the list of things abandoned, they are not included in the list of things that He promises will be multiplied for the disciples. We have only one Father, and He is in heaven (Matthew 23:9).
Since Jesus assigns these promises to the present age, we should be able to find fulfillment in the later experiences of the disciples. And indeed we do. Throughout the rest of the New Testament the relationship between believers is characterized by the terms used here, particularly brothers, sisters, and children. As part of the church, they now, literally, have hundreds of brothers, sisters, and children.
But what about the houses and farms?
Well, they had those too. Consider the situation shortly after Jesus’ ascension:
“And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”
(Acts 2:44–45 NAS95)
The believers in the church in Jerusalem “had all things in common.” Any property or possessions were viewed as belonging to the whole group.
By the time we get to Acts 4, the church has grown to over 8000 strong (Acts 2:41; 4:4), and verse 32 tells us that “not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.” Out of over 8000 people, not one held back his personal possessions for his personal use.
Verses 34 goes on to say that any who owned houses or land would sell them and bring the proceeds to the apostles. The result was that, in this church of over 8000, there was not a single needy person among them.
This is what Jesus promised them in this age. Along with persecution. There would certainly be persecution in this age as well.
And in the age to come? Well, there, they are promised the eternal life which the rich young ruler had come to Jesus seeking.
Why are they promised this? Because they had already done what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do – they had left everything to follow Him.
So, does this mean that salvation is by works, and that we don’t go to heaven when we die, if we don’t leave everything to follow Him?
Well, the short answer is no.
But you don’t want to settle for the short answer. We will pick up the discussion here next week.