"Radical Dependence: The Cost of Discipleship" | Mark 10:13-31 | The Gospel of Mark Series | Hillside Baptist Church

Have you ever played a game of Monopoly?

Growing up, it was always one of my favorites.

It's a pretty simple game to play.

You roll the dice, buy some properties, and collect rent.

And as the game goes on, maybe you build some houses and hotels, drive your opponents into bankruptcy, and stack piles of colorful money in front of you.

And if you're winning, it can be quite exhilarating.

But then the game ends.

The board is folded up, the money, the deeds, the hotels, they all go back into the box.

And no matter how well you played, you don't get to keep anything.

It's over.

And it was never real to begin with.

This simple game reveals a deeper reality in our human nature.

Many of us live our lives chasing wealth and comfort, convinced that these things will bring security and meaning.

We build houses and collect our rent, hoping that more possessions, more money, and more status will protect us from the uncertainties of life.

We think that if we can just hold on tight enough, we'll be safe and satisfied.

But just like the game of Monopoly, all the treasures that we work so hard to acquire in this life are temporary.

When the game ends, everything goes back into the box.

Similarly, the wealth and possessions that we accumulate can't be taken with us when we die, which is why you rarely see a U-Haul trailer hitched to a hearse.

In today's passage, Jesus challenges us to face this reality and consider the true cost of following him.

As we get ready to continue Mark chapter 10, let's first go before the Lord in prayer.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

Father in heaven, you tell us to store our treasures in heaven.

And we're going to read this morning about a rich young ruler, and we pray that as we read this story and that you would help us to apply it in our own lives, in our own hearts, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts that are willing to respond in faith and obedience on the path of discipleship.

We pray this in your Holy Spirit help.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Mark chapter ten, beginning with verse thirteen.

And they were bringing children to him, so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, Permit the children to come to me.

Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.

And he took them in his arms and began blessing them, laying his hands on them.

Here in the text we see a beautiful scene unfolding.

Parents bringing their children to Jesus, not just a handful, but likely many, and not just infants, but children of all ages, all being brought with the same desire that Jesus might receive them.

Parents were bringing their children for a blessing, for prayer.

In Jewish tradition, it was common for respected teachers or rabbis to lay hands on children and invoke God's favor over them.

But this was more than tradition.

These parents believed there was something uniquely powerful, even sacred, about Jesus' touch.

They recognized his authority and compassion, and this simple act speaks volumes.

It tells us that these parents saw Jesus not as a mere teacher, but as someone who could truly bless their children, not just physically, but spiritually.

And so they brought them with reverence and trust, hoping their little ones might be touched by the hand of God Himself.

And it's no accident that this scene follows immediately after Jesus' teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage.

Mark is drawing our attention to the family, first to husbands and wives, and now to parents and children.

The focus shifts naturally from the covenant of marriage to the fruit of that covenant, the children.

In both moments, Jesus affirms the value of relationships that the world so easily neglects or distorts.

The kingdom of God, he reminds us, is not built on power or status, but on faithfulness, humility, and trust, qualities so often seen in the home and especially in the hearts of children.

As we watch Jesus take these children into his arms here in Mark 10, we're reminded that this isn't the first time that he's done something like this.

Just one chapter earlier in Mark 9, we saw a similar moment, one that helps us understand what Jesus is teaching us now.

Back in verses 35 through 37, we read, And sitting down, he called the twelve and said to them, If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.

And taking a child, he set him before them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me, and whoever receives me does not receive me, but him who sent me.

Jesus is repeating a similar lesson here.

But this time, in Mark ten, he's not just teaching about children, he's using them as an illustration for the kind of posture required to enter his kingdom, humility, dependence, and trust.

Just as in chapter 9, Jesus loves and happily receives children, those who are weak and lowly, who bring nothing to offer, but come ready to receive.

But here in Mark 10, Jesus takes the lesson even further.

He doesn't just tell his disciples to receive children, he tells them to be like them.

To enter the kingdom, they must come as a child does, empty-handed, trusting, and dependent.

Children receive the kingdom with nothing to offer, and they are not to be prevented or hindered in coming to Christ.

Mark uniquely notes how Jesus was moved with indignation because of the way his disciples were preventing the children from coming to him.

It's a serious offense to hinder a child from coming to Christ.

Think about what this means for parents today who by word or example keep their children from Jesus, whether through neglect, confusion, or even fear.

One day we will all stand before God and give an account for how we nurtured or hindered faith in the next generation.

Nothing is more urgent than pointing our children to Christ.

Looking again at our passage, it's also an affirmation to the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus that what they were doing was good.

The disciples were in the wrong for trying to hinder that effort.

Jesus, being the great teacher that he is, uses this as an opportunity to deliver another powerful lesson.

Jesus doesn't stop at telling his disciples to welcome children.

They are to receive the kingdom of God with the same kind of trust that a child has in a parent, and as one who has nothing to offer in exchange.

You relied on a parent or another adult for all of these things.

In fact, everything you had, your clothes, your toys, your food, all of it was given to you.

You didn't earn it.

It wasn't just given to you because let me say that again.

You didn't earn it, it was given to you because somebody loved you.

It's that kind of dependence, humble, trusting, and without self-sufficiency, that Jesus requires of those who would enter his kingdom.

Jesus isn't necessarily saying that children earn the kingdom of God because they are children.

He's using the relationship between a child and parent as an illustration for how we are to relate to God and receive the kingdom of God with complete trust and humility.

True disciples embrace the demands of following Christ with the humble, dependent faith of a child.

Let's continue with verses seventeen through twenty-seven.

And as he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him, and began asking him, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone.

You know the commandments, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your mother and father.

And he said to him, Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.

And looking at him Jesus loved 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.

But at these words he was saddened, and he went away, grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

And Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples, How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.

And the disciples were amazed at his words, but Jesus answered again and said to them, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

And they were even more astonished, saying to him, Then who can be saved?

Looking at them, Jesus said, With people it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.

Verse seventeen indicates a shift in the narrative.

Our gospel writer Mark often does this by noting some kind of movement of Jesus going from one place to another.

And yet it's no coincidence that Mark places this story about the rich young ruler after Jesus talks about receiving the kingdom of God like that of a child.

Think about it, these two couldn't be any more opposite.

Children have no money, no possessions truly of their own, no status, and no reason to cling to what little they have.

But the rich young ruler has lots of money, lots of land, advanced social status, and in a sense, everything to lose.

So when Jesus asks the rich young ruler to follow him, it's very much a big ask because Jesus also asks the rich young ruler specifically to sell all of his possessions and to give to the poor.

In return, Jesus promises the rich young ruler treasures in heaven.

To further complicate the matter, the rich young ruler came asking about eternal life, with no expectation that it would require him to give up anything.

He simply thought that it was a matter of doing the right things, and that would be sufficient.

This rich young ruler even comes to Jesus with a high view of his own personal righteousness, believing that he has truly satisfied the commands of God, perhaps believing that his wealth was a reflection of God's blessing for his obedience.

And you might be wondering about the strange response Jesus initially gives the rich young ruler when asked about what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus doesn't give the Sunday school answer that we'd expect.

First, Jesus questions why the rich young ruler called him good.

Does Jesus mean to correct this young man for calling him good because Jesus isn't worthy of being called good?

I remember back in college, sitting in a religion class at a very liberal school, to be clear, and the professor tried to use this story as so-called evidence that Jesus never claimed to be God.

But is that what's really going on here?

If we take a closer look, we'll notice that the rich young ruler addresses Jesus as good teacher, not as Lord, not as Messiah, and not as the Son of God, as we've seen elsewhere in Mark.

He approaches Jesus with respect, yes, but not with faith, not with a true understanding of who Jesus is.

So Jesus challenges him.

If this young man thinks that Jesus is just a teacher, then calling him good is careless at best and confused at worst.

Because as Jesus rightly says, no one is good but God alone.

As we've seen again and again in Mark, Jesus refuses to let people define him on their own terms.

He doesn't accept titles or praise from those who don't understand who he truly is.

The second part of Jesus' response is just as surprising as the first.

When the rich young ruler asks, What must I do to inherit eternal life?

We might expect Jesus to say something like, Believe in me, or repent of your sins and follow me.

But he doesn't, at least not right away.

Instead, Jesus points him to the commandments.

You know the commandments, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, and so on.

In doing this, Jesus is turning the man's attention to God's law.

Now, why would he do that?

Jesus isn't teaching salvation by works here.

He's not saying just keep these commandments and you'll earn eternal life.

No, this is something much deeper.

Jesus is exposing what's really going on in this young man's heart.

The rich young ruler came to Jesus thinking he was already a pretty good person.

He believed he had lived a moral life, kept the commandments, and had done the right things.

He likely thought that he was missing just one more checkbox to guarantee his place in the kingdom of God.

Maybe he expected Jesus to commend him, give him an attaboy, and affirm his goodness, sending him on his way with confidence.

But that's not how salvation works.

God didn't give us his law as a checklist to prove our righteousness.

The law is not a ladder we climb to reach heaven, it's a mirror meant to show us our sin.

It reveals how far we fall short of God's holy standard and drives us to see our need for a Savior.

So when Jesus points to the commandments, he's not affirming the man's self-righteousness.

He's gently but directly confronting it.

Outwardly, this young man may have kept many of the commandments, but what about inwardly?

Jesus is pressing deeper to the matters of the heart.

And there's a subtle but significant detail here when Jesus lists the commandments.

He replaces do not covet with do not defraud.

That's not a random swap.

Many scholars believe that Jesus was pointing to something specific in the rich young ruler's life, perhaps how he had acquired or maintained his wealth.

In that culture, it wasn't uncommon for the wealthy to exploit the poor through dishonest lending, excessive taxes, or shady business practices.

So it's very possible that Jesus is gently confronting an area of hidden or unconfessed sin, perhaps even the very thing that helped build this young man's fortune.

And then comes the defining moment.

Jesus says to him, You lack one thing, go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

And come, follow me.

This isn't just a call to generosity, it's a call to repentance.

Jesus is putting his finger on the one thing that this man treasures most.

His wealth isn't just a part of his life, it's the very thing that he depends on.

It's what he trusts.

And Jesus is asking him to lay it down, to let it go.

Not because giving away money earns salvation, but because clinging to it reveals where his heart truly is.

And this is where the parable of the soils comes to life.

If you remember back in Mark 4, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who scattered seed, representing the word of God.

Some of that seed fell among thorns, and those thorns, Jesus explained, represent the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.

These things choke the word, so it becomes unfruitful.

And that's exactly what's happening here.

The word has been sown.

The rich young ruler, he hears it, he's interested, he even kneels before Jesus.

But the thorns are already there.

The love of money, the desire for comfort, and the fear of giving it all up.

These things choke the word before it can take root and bear fruit in his life.

And so he walks away, sorrowful.

Why?

Because he had great possessions, and more importantly, his possessions had him.

He wanted eternal life, but he wanted his wealth more.

And in the end, he couldn't have both.

Not because he didn't love him.

Mark tells us Jesus looked at Him and loved him.

But Jesus never softens the call to follow him.

He never adjusts the cost of discipleship.

There's no place for holding on to idols.

He demands the throne of our hearts, and he will not share it with money or anything else.

This is a sobering moment, not just for the rich young ruler, but for all of us.

Because the thorns Jesus spoke about aren't just out there in the world, they grow in our own hearts too.

The love of money, the pursuit of security, the desire for comfort and control.

These things can creep in quietly, and if we're not watchful, they begin to choke our spiritual lives.

They make us slow to obey, reluctant to surrender, and unwilling to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

So Jesus presents the same question to each of us.

What are the thorns in your life?

What are you holding on to that's choking your desire to follow Him fully?

For many of us in this room, it might not be wealth and possessions, like it is for this rich young ruler.

But what about the cares of this world?

What about the cares in your world right now?

Do you get so focused on immediate needs and circumstances that you forget or set aside the things of God?

And looking back at the rich young ruler, he failed to see his need for God's grace.

He thought he could earn his way to eternal life, but no one can.

Not the rich, not the moral, not the religious.

None of us can keep the law perfectly.

None of us can cleanse our own hearts or atone for our own sin.

That's why Jesus came.

And he rose again to offer eternal life, not as a reward for the good, but as a gift for those who are broken, humbled, and fully surrendered.

So what must we do to inherit eternal life?

We must come like a child with empty hands and dependent hearts.

The way into the kingdom is not by achievement, but by full surrender to God.

As the disciples watch the rich young ruler walk away in sorrow, they are stunned, not just by the young man's decision, but by Jesus' words that follow.

Mark tells us they were amazed and not in a positive or awestruck sense.

They were deeply disturbed, even confused.

Why?

Because Jesus turns to them and says how hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.

In our modern context, this might sound like a warning, but to the disciples, it sounded like a contradiction.

In their culture, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's blessing and favor.

A rich man, especially one who was moral, religious, and seemingly upright, was thought to be in good standing with God.

So when Jesus says that it's hard for the wealthy to enter God's kingdom, the disciples are stunned.

If someone like that can't get in, then who can?

That's why Jesus repeats himself, this time using even stronger language.

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

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus is intentionally using hyperbole, a vivid and absurd image, to make something unmistakably clear.

It is humanly impossible for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.

Why?

Is it because having money is inherently evil?

No.

Scripture doesn't condemn wealth itself, but it does repeatedly warn about the love of money, the trust in riches, and the false security that it provides.

And that's exactly the issue Jesus is highlighting here.

Wealth tends to blind people of their spiritual poverty.

It gives a false sense of independence, self-sufficiency, and control.

And if a person finds their identity, their security and satisfaction in their possessions, those things can become their God.

And Jesus says very clearly elsewhere in Scripture, you cannot serve both God and money.

So when Jesus says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, he's not just making a point about wealth.

That's exactly how the disciples understand it.

Verse 26 says, and they were even more astonished, saying to him, Then who can be saved?

If the rich, who seem to have everything going for them, can't be saved, then what hope is there for anyone?

And that's when Jesus gives one of the most hopeful, powerful, and grace-filled statements in all of Scripture.

With people it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.

That's the point.

Salvation is not something we can achieve, it's something God must do.

The rich can't buy it, the moral can't earn it, the religious can't work for it, and the broken can't fix it themselves.

No one can enter the kingdom of God apart from divine grace and intervention.

We must come to Jesus, not with our hands full of achievements, but empty and open like a child, ready to receive what only God can give.

Let's close out with verses twenty-eight through thirty one.

Peter began to say to him, Behold, we have left everything and followed you.

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, except one who will receive one 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.

Following Jesus comes at a cost.

It may cost us everything, just as Peter points out in verse twenty eight.

And Peter wasn't exaggerating.

He and the other disciples had literally walked away from their livelihoods, their homes, and the lives that they had always known.

In essence, they had done what the rich young ruler was unwilling to do, to let go of what was worldly and familiar in order to follow Jesus into the unknown.

And Jesus doesn't correct Peter for saying this.

Instead, he affirms the cost and promises the reward.

In the economy of God, nothing we give up for the sake of Christ is truly lost.

No act of sacrifice goes unnoticed.

No surrender is wasted.

God returns far more than we release.

Not always in material things, but in the deeper blessings of belonging to his family and promise of eternal life.

As Jim Elliott famously wrote, he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

It's the greatest trade a person can ever make.

But make no mistake, it is a trade.

It requires full surrender.

It demands trust.

The early disciples left jobs, homes, and in many cases, even families to follow Jesus.

And Jesus is honest about that.

He includes some very personal and costly things in this list house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, lands, and yet, notably, he does not mention spouse.

Why?

It's not accidental.

Going back to our passage from last week, Jesus has already shown us how seriously he takes the one flesh union of husband and wife.

Marriage and God's design isn't an obstacle to discipleship, it's a joint calling within discipleship.

When two believers are united in marriage, their following of Jesus isn't meant to be divided, it's meant to be shared.

So Jesus doesn't ask a spouse to walk away from that covenant to follow him.

Instead, that covenant becomes the context in which both spouses live out their faith.

And if you're wondering about children, I don't believe he has young children in mind.

Parents are still obligated to raise and care for their children, training them up in the ways of the Lord.

It's likely that adult children are in mind, perhaps in cases where there is a conflict in faith.

But beyond that, notice the promise in verse 30.

Jesus doesn't just speak of rewards in the age to come.

He says those who follow him will receive a hundredfold now in this time, in the present.

Yes, there will be persecutions.

Jesus doesn't shy away from that reality, but there will also be the deep joys of belonging to a new spiritual family, the church, a community of brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, homes and support, purpose and joy, far more abundantly than we could ask for or imagine.

So yes, following Jesus is costly, but it's not loss, it's gain, eternal gain.

And Jesus closes this section with a final word that flips the world's values upside down, but many who are first will be last, and the last first.

The rich young ruler certainly looked like a first, morally upright, outwardly blessed, seemingly secure, but he walked away.

And the disciples looked very much like one of the last, fishermen, tax collectors, ordinary men with nothing impressive to offer.

But they stayed, they followed.

And in the kingdom of God, those who seem last in this world may be the first in the next.

This is the great reversal of the gospel.

This is the kingdom of God, where the humble are exalted, the poor in spirit are made rich, and the ones who lose everything for Jesus end up gaining more than they ever imagined.

So as you consider your own life today, ask yourself, what might Jesus be asking me to let go of?

What am I tempted to hold on to thinking it's too much to give up?

And most importantly, do I trust him enough to believe that whatever I surrender, he will replace with something better, both now and forever.

Because in the end, the call to follow Jesus is not a call to poverty.

It's a call to true treasure, the kind that neither moth nor rust can destroy, and no thief can steal.

It's the treasure of knowing Christ and having eternal life in Him.

But that kind of treasure challenges everything the world teaches us to value, flips the scoreboard, it redefines what it means to win.

So let's revisit that monopoly game we talked about earlier this morning.

Imagine this.

You're winning the game by a landslide.

You're flush with monopoly money, you own most of the valuable properties, and hotels line your streets.

You can make any deal that you want.

And then one of the other players approaches you.

At this point in the game, they're nearly bankrupt, and they have nothing of value to offer you, at least nothing in monopoly terms.

But outside the game, this person is incredibly wealthy, and they offer you a deal unlike any other.

They promise you a vast estate in the real world, fully furnished homes, steady rental income, and even a mansion for your family to live in.

All they ask in return is everything you have in the game.

The money, the properties, the hotels, all of it.

But there's just one condition.

You won't receive the estate right away.

You'll have to wait several years.

And during that time, you'll work for this person, sometimes facing difficulty, discomfort, or even danger.

But you're guaranteed the reward.

It's real, it's coming, and it's worth every bit of the waiting.

Would you make that deal?

This is the kind of moment we saw in our passage today.

The rich young ruler had to decide would he cling to what was temporary, his worldly wealth, or would he trust Jesus and follow him into eternal life?

It's the same invitation Jesus extends to each of us.

Yes, it's a costly call.

True discipleship asks us to let go of comfort, security, and control.

But Jesus never asks us to give up anything without offering us something infinitely greater in return.

Because what he offers isn't fading, fleeting, and ultimately worthless like monopoly money.

What Jesus offers is treasure that lasts, joy that endures, life that death can't take away.

So the question isn't just for the rich young ruler, it's for all of us.

Are you holding on to what you cannot keep, or are you ready to follow Jesus and receive what you cannot lose?

Let's pray.

Father in heaven, our hearts are deceitful and we often cling to the things of this world.

But God, you offer us something even greater, far greater.

We know that apart from your work in our hearts, we would have no hope.

We could not possibly earn eternal life.

God, you give it as a gift for those who believe.

And so, God, even for us who do believe, would you help us to live as those whose treasures are in heaven?

This only comes through your Holy Spirit.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.