Sentence Flow: Mark 10:17-31

17 As he was setting out on a journey,

a man ran up,
knelt down before him,
and asked him,

"Good teacher,
what must I do
to inherit
eternal life?"

18 Jesus answered him,

"Why do you call me good?
No one is good
but God alone.
19 You know the commandments:
You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother. "
20 He replied
and said to him,
"Teacher,
all of these I have observed
from my youth."

21 Jesus, looking at him,
loved him
and said to him,

"You are lacking
in one thing.
Go,
sell what you have,
and give to [the] poor
and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come,
follow me."

22 At that statement

his face fell,
and he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around
and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is
for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"

24 The disciples were amazed at his words.

So Jesus again said to them in reply,

"Children,
how hard it is
to enter the kingdom of God!

25 It is easier for a camel
to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle
than for one who is rich
to enter the kingdom of God."

26 They were exceedingly astonished
and said among themselves
, "Then who can be saved?"

27 Jesus looked at them
and said,


"For human beings it is impossible,
but not for God.
All things are possible for God."

28 Peter began to say to him,

"We have given up everything
and followed you."

29 Jesus said,
"Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up

house
or brothers
or sisters
or mother
or father
or children
or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
30 who will not receive
a hundred times more
now in this present age:
houses
and brothers
and sisters
and mothers
and children
and lands,
with persecutions,
and eternal life in the age to come.
31 But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first."


Some Observations

The present selection of Mark can be called "The Rich Man and the Question of Eternal Life". Note the changes in the text: the first change is in v. 23 where Jesus turns to the disciples; the second change is in v. 27 where Peter breaks the silence of the disciples and introduces the theme of "leaving all behind". Thus the three-fold division of the narrative: 17-22, 23-26, 27-31.

The second thing to be noted in the whole story is that the ideas of "eternal life", "salvation" and "entrance into the kingdom of God" are synonimous. The young man showed that he didn't really want eternal life because he had wealth. When Jesus commented about the difficulty of the rich in entering the kingdom of God, the disciples ask the question "Who then can be saved?" The question about eternal life then is a question of salvation; and salvation is entrance into the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims.

The third idea is about the "one thing lacking" to the young man, and this is adhesion to Christ. Jesus had previously said: Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.  (Mark 8:34-35) This teaching is applied to the man and the man went away, not considering this requirement worth following through.