Mark 10:17 Commentary and Bible Study

This is a remarkable passage, the meeting of Christ with the rich, young ruler. It is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and each account adds something to the record. Matthew tells us he was a young man – that could mean anything up to forty years of age. Luke tells us that he was a ruler, possibly a synagogue ruler, maybe more than that: a young prince among the people. You might expect him to be proud, disinclined to take advice, but this man in some respects is different – he runs to the Lord. All three Gospels say that he had great possessions; he was conspicuously rich. This is a very moving account. We are told that Christ looked at him and loved him, but we learn that tragically he turned away from the Lord and would not do what Christ required of him, and although he seemed to come close, he failed to receive the great blessing he had sought. His approach was so promising at first. He was very earnest. He did not seek a private interview with Christ, but was prepared to meet with him ‘in the way’, along the road, because he felt the matter was so urgent. Though he was a ruler who might be expected to preserve his dignity, he came running to Christ. He believed that what he had come to ask for was what he needed more than anything else. He thought he had identified his greatest need. He was unashamed to be seen to come running. He was, so it would seem, a humble individual and very earnest and he knelt there in the way before Christ, which was an indication (especially in public) of great veneration towards the Lord, a readiness to learn and obey. He has seen his need of eternal life and acceptance with God, and he is right about that. He could not count on eternal life. ‘There must be more, I can’t just glide into heaven. This brief life is soon over, and then we go into eternity, but not all who are in this world will qualify for eternal life’ – he has seen this. The question implies he is ready to admit that he does not yet have eternal life. Surely here is a perfect example of someone who is coming in the spirit of a little child, meek and humble and open, and putting himself at the disposal of Christ. So you might think that he is so open that he would naturally believe.But wait, there is a fatal flaw and we see it in his question: ‘Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ In Matthew’s Gospel it is a little worse: ‘Good Master, what good thing [noble thing, excellent thing] shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’ Sadly, the whole idea of coming as a child, which Christ has just been speaking of, is missing. A child is a dependent being. A child depends upon the income of the parents and all their labours and knows it, but here is somebody who is not coming in a dependent spirit, but a capable spirit: ‘Tell me, what good, noble thing must I accomplish and achieve in order to inherit eternal life?’ Outwardly his demeanour is wonderful, but inwardly he is a person who is very confident that he has sufficient ability, sufficient goodness, to please the pure and holy God. He can do something to secure eternal life; he just wants to know what it is. He evidently doesn’t see himself as an inadequate and lost sinner, with a heart that is defiled, who needs to repent, who needs a Saviour, a Mediator, one who will atone for his sins. ‘What shall I do?’ He thinks he can do something that can earn him eternal life. If he did what Jesus said, God would be pleased to have him. He didn’t understand that no one is fit for God.What did he have in mind? Perhaps he thought he could perform some philanthropic act, give an endowment to build a new synagogue, give some portion of his great possessions to a good cause. That would be enough to please God and earn a place in heaven! He probably inherited his holdings and had used them astutely. ‘If I can buy land, I can buy heaven.’ He asks, ‘What good thing [singular] shall I do?’ He is not expecting a complicated answer. Half of the answer he expects is contained in his question.