A rich young ruler came running toward Jesus and kneeled before him. Addressing him as “Good Teacher,” the young man asked what “good [thing or deed]” he needed to do to inherit “eternal life” (probably meaning life in the age to come). (Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18; see the Notes section for additional comments.) Although in possession of great wealth, this young man perceived a lack. Based on what he had come to know, he concluded that Jesus, as a notable teacher, would be able to answer his question. The manner in which Jesus responded initially suggests that the young man had a view of him that went beyond what would have been appropriate for a human teacher and did not necessarily recognize him as a teacher who had come from God.

Only Matthew 19:16 includes “good [thing or deed]” as part of the young man’s question, and this is then reflected in Jesus’ reply. “Why do you ask me about good? One is the Good [One].” According to other ancient manuscripts, the “Good One” is specifically identified as God. (Matthew 19:17)

Both in Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19, Jesus’ reply directed attention away from him as the “Good Teacher” from a human standpoint to the ultimate source of all that is good and, by implication, the source for his teaching. “Why do you call me good? No one [is] good, but one, God.”

Jesus then called attention to observing the commandments as being vital for entering “into life”—do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud (in Mark 10:19, according to numerous manuscripts), honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 19:18, 19; Luke 18:20; see the Notes section for comments on Matthew 19:18, 19.)

The young man, based on his earliest recollection, believed that he had lived up to the commandments. Still, he asked, “What yet do I lack?” Jesus felt love for him, suggesting that he saw in him admirable qualities and the potential for being a devoted disciple. “If you want to be complete,” Jesus continued, “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor (and you will have treasure in [the] heavens), and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:20, 21; Mark 10:20, 21; Luke 18:21, 22; see the Notes section for comments on Mark 10:21.) By using his abundant assets to aid his poor fellow Jews, he would be greatly enriched. The Most High would look favorably upon his concern and compassion for the needy, repaying him beyond what he could even have imagined for thus laying up treasure in heaven.

Undue attachment to his riches prevented the young man from acting on Jesus’ words. After hearing about the one thing he lacked, he became dejected. Saddened, he departed, “for he had many possessions.” (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22; Luke 18:23)

Starting with a solemn “amen” (truly), Jesus told his disciples that it would be difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of the heavens. He added, “It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich [person to enter] the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23, 24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24, 25; see the Notes section for additional comments.) To be part of the realm where God reigns by means of his Son called for sacrifice. It required being willing (if necessary) to forfeit everything of a mundane nature and to accept the suffering, hardship, and reproach resulting from incurring the animosity of people who continued in a state of alienation from God. Among the populace generally, the wealthy wielded great influence and enjoyed high honor. Their status made the decision to be a follower of Jesus more difficult, as much more seemed to be at stake than for those with modest or little means and without a prominent standing in the community.

The disciples were surprised about the great difficulty the rich would face in getting into the kingdom. They appear to have shared the common belief that abundant riches were an evidence of God’s blessing in the case of those who lived upright lives. In their estimation, the young man would have been an exemplary Jew. Therefore, greatly startled by Jesus’ words, the disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” Looking directly at them, he told them, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things [are] possible.” In this context, Jesus’ words indicate that God’s help is needed to put forth the required effort to be part of his realm and to remain devoted to him to the end. Human effort alone would prove to be insufficient. (Matthew 19:25, 26; Mark 10:26, 27; Luke 18:26, 27)

Contrasting the course that he and the other disciples had chosen with that of the rich young man, Peter said, “Look! We have left everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27; Mark 10:28; Luke 18:28)

In his answer, Jesus pointed to the future “renewal” or “regeneration” (palingenesía; pálin [again] and génesis [creation, birth, genesis]). This would relate to the time of the renewal of all things, which seems to be referred to in Romans 8:21 as the time when the whole creation would be liberated from enslavement to corruption and come to enjoy the magnificent freedom of the children of God. According to Jesus’ words, the Son of Man would sit “on his glorious throne,” and the twelve apostles would be sitting on thrones, “judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)

Seemingly, Jesus spoke of the kingdom in terms with which the apostles could then identify, as they had not yet grasped the full significance of what the realm where God reigns by means of his Son comprehended. The apostles still thought in terms of an earthly kingdom specifically linked to Israel. This is evident from the question they asked Jesus after his resurrection, “Are you at this time restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) Although what Jesus said appears to have accommodated their understanding, it did not obscure what he wanted to convey to them. In the future, they would be closely associated with him in the royal realm.

Then, focusing on the gains of the present, Jesus said that everyone who had “left houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother [house or wife or brothers or parents (Luke 18:29)], or children, or fields” for the sake of his name (or for the sake of the evangel or good news) would receive much more. “Now, in this time,” they would gain houses, and brothers and sisters, and mothers, and children, and fields, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. (Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29, 30; Luke 18:29, 30)

As part of a spiritual family of believers, they would be welcomed into the homes of other disciples and be loved by them as dear family members. From those who persisted in unbelief, they should expect persecution. In the age to come, they would enjoy the fulness of the real life, which signified having an enduring relationship with the Son of God and his Father and sharing in all the associated blessings.

There would be a reversal respecting those who appeared to be in line for the kingdom. “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30; Mark 10:31) Those who seemed to be the highly favored ones or among the “first,” like the rich young man, would lose out. Others, like the tax collectors and persons of ill repute, appeared to be last, with little possibility of being regarded as worthy of entrance into the kingdom. Yet, those who were last repented, changed their ways, became loyal disciples of God’s Son, and came to be part of the realm where his Father is Sovereign.

Notes:

In Matthew 19:16, the earliest extant manuscripts say “teacher,” not “good teacher” (as in Mark 10:17 and Luke 18:18).

According to Matthew 19:18, Jesus did not refer to any specific commandments until the young man asked, “Which [ones]”? Only Matthew 19:19 includes the commandment about loving one’s neighbor. It should be noted, however, that all three accounts are in agreement, with the additional information being supplementary.

In Mark 10:21, according to numerous manuscripts, Jesus also told the young man to “lift up [his] beam [staurós]” or to be willing to commence a life that could mean facing the kind of reproach and suffering of one who was condemned to die by crucifixion.

Very limited manuscript support exists for the reading kámilon (“rope”) instead of kámelon (“camel”). There is, however, no supporting evidence for the view that the Greek expression for “needle’s eye” refers to a small gate. (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25)

The hyperbole involving a camel with its hump (or two humps in the case of the Bactrian camel) seems appropriate as a parallel for a rich man loaded down with his many possessions. The relation of a needle’s eye to a camel is that of something very small to something very large (the largest common domestic animal in the region), and the vivid contrast served to heighten the impossibility of a rich man’s entering the kingdom while ardently attached to his wealth. Being disciples of God’s Son required a willingness to sacrifice everything and to suffer humiliation, reproach, bodily harm, and even death.

A similar use of hyperbole is known to have existed among the ancient rabbis. When emphasizing the impossible, they referred to an “elephant” as going through a needle’s eye. (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berakhoth and Tractate Baba Metzia)

Mark 10:23-26 provides more details about the interchange between Jesus and his disciples than do Matthew 19:23-25 and Luke 18:24-26. He initially told them that it would be difficult for persons with money to enter the kingdom. This astounded the disciples. After again telling them that it would be difficult to enter God’s kingdom, Jesus added that it would be “easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man [to enter] God’s kingdom.” The disciples became even more astounded, prompting them to ask, “Who then can be saved?”