Mark 10:19, commentary and pictures

Jesus answers a rich young ruler who runs to Him asking what he must do to inherit eternal life by pointing him to the commandments he already knows, naming those that govern duties to other people in marriage faithfulness, respect for life and property, honesty without defrauding, and honor for parents. The ruler sincerely claims to have kept them from his youth yet still feels one thing lacking, and Jesus loves him and would make him a preacher of righteousness in companionship with Himself as with the disciples who left all. Outward keeping is not enough, for it can cover a diseased heart whose plague-spot is selfishness and covetousness, lacking the very spirit and life of true love for God and others which is itself transgression. His defect is that wealth is his idol, so Jesus in pity exposes it by calling him to sell all, give to the poor, take up the cross and follow His self-denying life, which alone is his hope of salvation and treasure in heaven. He goes away sorrowful because he values great possessions more than heavenly treasure, showing that keeping the commandments from the heart requires withdrawing affection from riches, doing good with what God entrusts, and complete self-surrender, which is the touchstone of character for eternal life in the final judgment.

Question, Answer, Commandments

The verse belongs to the meeting with a ruler, a rich young man, who asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. He comes running and kneeling with a sincere desire to become a disciple, drawn by seeing loving care shown to children. He represents some whom the Lord calls to engage in His service.

He comes in a spirit of self-righteousness and apparent righteousness, outwardly correct while selfish and covetous at heart, like Judas who was outwardly numbered with the disciples while selfish, covetous, and unpracticing in character. Christ’s words test his sincerity and draw out how he regards Christ as good, whether he realizes he is speaking to the Son of God, and what the true sentiment of his heart is.

Jesus answers the positive question about what to do with a just as positive answer, pointing him to the Father’s commandments which he already knows. Obedience to them is necessary for salvation and for entering life, and keeping them gives life. That obedience means giving all human powers and full strength to God and to His service, and the law so pointed to expresses God’s character, whose principles are to guide every action and bring a person into harmony with God. Giving full strength in this way does not unfit a person for this earth but gives a right hold on heaven to represent Christ’s love to the perishing, to pray in faith for those in need, and to bless others through intelligent knowledge of Jesus Christ and His religion.

The commandments named govern duties to other people. They require faithfulness in marriage, respect for life and property, honesty and not defrauding, and honor for father and mother, summed up as love for neighbor as oneself. Obedience to God’s commandments is thus set forth as necessary for eternal life and as the condition for entering life.

The ruler confidently yet sincerely claims to have kept them from his youth, yet still senses that something is lacking and that one thing is lacking. Jesus loves him and is drawn to him with longing to create in him discernment to see the necessity of heart devotion and Christian goodness, a humble and contrite heart conscious of the supreme love to be given to God and hiding its lack in Christ’s perfection. He would send him out as a preacher of righteousness, devoting his ability and noble character to saving souls. The call to follow offers companionship with the Saviour Himself on the same consecration required of the other disciples who left all, not a sacrifice greater than Christ’s own self-giving. The encounter so opens the way to correct the idea that God’s favor and the righteous person’s reward can be earned by human works, and it exposes a grasping, reward-seeking spirit not only in the ruler who admired Jesus and wanted eternal life but also in the disciples who were not wholly free from it.

Heart Obedience and Surrender

Outward keeping of those commandments is not enough, for it can cover a diseased heart whose plague-spot is selfishness and covetousness. Such keeping lacks their very spirit and life, which is true love for God and others, and self-love and devotion to worldly gain are themselves transgression that leaves a person out of harmony with heaven and unfit for its kingdom. To know the commandments is to keep them from the heart, with obedience entering the life and shaping the character in humble contrition, conscious of the supreme love owed to God, and not in closeness, covetousness, or outward observance only.

His defect was attachment to wealth as an idol that kept him from giving himself fully to God and from loving and serving the needy as the commandments require. Selfish love of riches, with plotting and striving for self and hoarding wealth, showed his heart was not free from love of earthly wealth and would debar him from heaven for failure to love his neighbor as himself. True keeping would have prevented such great accumulation, for loving God with all heart and mind and strength and loving neighbor as self cannot go with selfish accumulation but would have led him to distribute to the needs of the poor.

With pity and love Jesus exposed the defect by calling him to sell all he had, give to the poor and suffering, take up the cross, and follow His own self-denying, cross-bearing life given for the salvation of men. That requirement asked nothing more than Christ Himself had experienced in leaving riches and glory to become poor that men through His poverty might be made rich, with promise of treasure in heaven. The terms seemed severe but were wise, and accepting and obeying them was his only hope of salvation, and the required sacrifice and care for the poor tested his obedience by which he could receive the bread of life.

He refused and went away sorrowful and grieved because of his great possessions, valuing riches more than heavenly treasure. He wanted heaven yet wanted to keep his wealth, wanting both yet choosing earthly treasure over the conditions for entering life. So he renounced immortal life for love of money and power, turning sorrowfully from immortal reward to retain earthly possessions in a miserable exchange.

Keeping the commandments from the heart therefore requires withdrawing affection from riches and transferring treasure to heaven by doing good with entrusted possessions, blessing the widow and fatherless and being rich in good works, choosing the heavenly inheritance over the earthly. Following Christ calls for complete self-surrender, giving Him all one has and is and using what God entrusts in His work, and whatever is cherished at the cost of moral integrity must be cut away, with nothing short of obedience acceptable. This command tests professed followers and exposes whether they love riches more than God and neighbor and are prepared for heaven, for when the way is pointed out and the cost is counted, those who refuse to sacrifice earthly riches and become rich in good works show they judge heaven to cost too much.

That call to sell, give, and follow presents in advance the great test applied at the final judgment, because the spirit of love and self-sacrifice is the touchstone of character that decides eternal life. High position and possessions if cherished take God's place in the affections, weaken moral strength and effectiveness by becoming all-absorbing, and make it harder to realize wealth is not one's own but lent to be used for God's glory. So many who profess to keep all God's commandments while holding wealth are in danger of losing heaven without realizing it. True obedience calls for economy without stretching economy into meanness, with the true spirit of sacrifice, generosity to the poor, and freedom from a rigid, fanatical, watching spirit toward others, which does not unfit a person for this earth but gives a hold on heaven to represent Christ's love, pray in faith, and bless others.