Preview

Jesus and The Rich Young Ruler

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1078 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Jesus and The Rich Young Ruler
The Rich and the Kingdom of God There are 3 books of the Bible that include the Parable of the Rich and the Kingdom of God. Mathew, Mark and Luke, are listed to have the detailed dialogue between the rich man, Jesus and His disciples. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what he could do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all that he had and follow Him. The scripture goes onto to say that the young man went away sorrowing (Mark 10:17-31,NIV). Jesus used this confrontation to express, How hard it is for the ones who have many possessions to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus then states an example for his disciples. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."(Mark 24-31,NIV). Jesus uses this opportunity as a teachable moment for the young ruler, His disciples and for us today. As Jesus was on His way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The rich young ruler identifies that he does not have eternal life, steps out of a crowd of people and calls out to Jesus. Jesus responds with a directed statement towards the rich young man. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one, is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother." (Mark 10:17-18,NIV) The rich man replied and said that he has kept these commandments since he was in his youth. He then asks Jesus what is it that he is missing. It is obvious that the young ruler has a works related idea for salvation, but what the man believed is a common mistake. He believed that he could get this eternal life by his behavior. Jesus’s last words to this man


Cited: Mark. BibleGateway.com. 15 Sept. 2013 . Matthew. BibleGateway.com. 15 Sept. 2013 .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Be familiar with the textbook understanding of the account of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). PG 819…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the passage Luke 10:25-37, Luke tells of the greatest commandment and the Good Samaritan. In this reading Jesus answers the questions asked of him by the lawyer, within his answer, he tells one of his most remembered parables, the parable of the Good Samaritan. What were the questions asked by the lawyer? Why did he ask them of Jesus? What was Jesus’s response to the lawyer? What prompted Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan? These questions are just a few that enter one’s mind when they read the words of Luke. The lessons in this reading are twofold; they were applied to situations during Jesus’ lifetime as well as they are still applicable in today’s society.…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Merchants DBQ Essay

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages

    On behalf of Reginald, a monk of Durham (Document 3) it was stated that people ought to spread wealth and goods, one shall not maintain high riches, for they should instead, furnish for charity-give rather than receive. Reginald, lettering on behalf of his colleague St. Godric, says that in order to serve the Lord and Jesus Christ, one ought to give up all possessions, lead a more simple life and give to those less-fortunate. Thomas Aquinas, a leading Scholastic theologian (Document 4) states that people shall not “sell what is not his, and though he may charge for the loss of his suffers.” He states that people of the earth and of God shunt sell things for more than they are worth, which is exactly the activity merchants practice, for they need to make profit by raising the price on what they paid for merchandise. A similar phenomenon was occurring in the Islamic religion during this era. Ibn Khaldun, a leading Muslim scholar in the fourteenth century, announced that men shouldn’t pay more for what an item is worth and that they shunt raise prices of goods for people, just so merchants can bathe in higher riches (Document 5).…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    dbq 8

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Proof-It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle then it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In Mark 10, two of Jesus’ disciples ask Jesus if they can be seated at His left and right hand in heaven. These two disciples, James and John, saw leadership and following Jesus as an opportunity to gain a higher status but Jesus makes a statement to his 12 disciples about how “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) He was hoping to establish and set a tone for his disciples which he follows through with during the last supper. After they broke bread, Jesus began to wash his disciple’s feet. He says to them, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have…

    • 3023 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout my readings of Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography by John Crossan, I went in with somewhat low expectations. My reason for this was that the topic of religion, christianity especially was something I did not have too much care for. After finishing the book however, it did enlighten some questions I had on the religion. One answer that came into light when I read the book was concerning the gospels and testaments. I wonder why was there a need to have so many different variants, with minor differences in between them. As I went through the book, it becomes a bit more clear to me, as combining the different perspectives of Christianity will allow for a great combined experience. The second thing that was a bit more clear was on the topic of other great Christian tales such as the tale with Moses and how it relates to Jesus.…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose - John 17:3 provides a simple explanation of what it means to know God. In Luke 12:15-21, it is stated that one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. As in the parable of the man with the abundant crops, you can store up riches for yourself but that is not how you become rich in God.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beginning from 70-80 CE, Christianity had a negative view on trading. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is stated that those who amass a great opulence have a more difficult time getting into the Kingdom of God because they have became very…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scott Fitzgerald shows how wealth creates social class which can ruin relationships. Mainly because you buy stuff just to show off then you get full of yourself. Just as Tupac said”we all gonna die, we bleed from similar veins,” no matter what we accomplish on earth, we’re going to die so in the end all of it won’t mean a thing. Matthew 6:19-21 says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” All that matters is what we store up in…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Exegetical Worksheet

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Preliminary Statement: I think that this parable means that there are two types of righteousness. One that can be "work righteousness" and the other "gift righteousness." We see this through the tax collector and the Pharisee. The Pharisee thinks that it's his works and religious practices that make him righteous. But the tax collector, whose a sinner, is given the gift of righteousness from Jesus. We think we can work for righteousness but it's really a gift from God because He is the only one that is righteous.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Gospel of Wealth” was written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889. He was one of the richest men in American during the Gilded Age. Carnegie had a strong belief that wealthy people should spend their money to benefit the society while they were still alive. He said “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the New Testament of the Bible, written around 70-80 CE, it is written that Jesus tells his followers that a rich man cannot enter heaven (Document 1). This idea that a rich man cannot enter into heaven directly condemns merchants and supports the initial Christian views of trade. Furthermore, it comes from the founder of Christianity, therefore it is reliable in analyzing the early views of Christians. However, Jesus himself was not a rich man. Most of his followers were not of high social status and likely resented the rich, which would explain their disapproval of merchants. A 12th-century account of the life of St. Godric tells the story of St. Godric’s merchant life. It ends with St. Godric giving up his material possessions and devoting himself to Christianity (Document 3). This piece highlights the opposition of the Christian faith to material gain. However, this was written by a colleague of St. Godric. Furthermore, it was written right before St. Godric’s death. The piece may not be accurate in describing St. Godric. A leading theologian from the 13th century quotes the Bible and the words of a Roman writer to make an argument against merchant techniques (Document 5). He concludes that the way that merchants profit is deceitful and therefore sinful. Again, this shows that Christians do not approve of merchants. Finally, a letter from a mother to her son, a merchant,…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Foundations Paper

    • 1239 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come to fulfill,” (179). Jesus was sent to the Earth to fulfill the law. When you read in the Old Testament, you begin to see a pattern of failure in man. If man were perfect, there would be no need for a savior. David, in the Old Testament, was said to be a man after God’s own heart, but he couldn’t abstain from sin. He committed adultery and he arranged a man’s death. So, since there wasn’t anyone that could not sin, someone had to pay for it. That is why we have Jesus. He came, lived a perfect life, and died an innocent man so that we could be free. When I say a perfect life, I mean that he fulfilled the law in its entirety. He didn’t just fulfill it outwardly, he did inwardly as well. In the New Testament he brings forth a deeper meaning to the Old Testament law and Commandments. While on Earth, he lived a life that all men should model their lives after. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains this lifestyle. “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” (179). Here Jesus is telling people to live their lives in an honorable manner so that we can be strong and able to tell others of God. Jesus…

    • 1239 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gospel of Wealth

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Carnegie starts out his article stating, “The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship.” (Carnegie, 1) He begins by explaining how the people of our society enjoy wealth to a much greater level. He quotes, “What were the luxuries have become the necessaries of life.” (Carnegie, 2) He proves this by taking the laborer to the landlord and proving the landlord of our day has more than a King of the times before. The society we live in today has much more opportunity and competition and Carnegie feels that if you have money, it is under your control to use it to help out the less fortunate and not to use it for just your own good.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    the richest man in babylon

    • 1410 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Babylon there is a man who is wealthier than all and there is another poor man deeply interested in how he has achieved such status so he begins to make daily visits to his house on the hill, bringing others along, to learn the lessons that created such wealth. The wealthy man is open to share his keys to success and the others intently listens as he tells stories and experiences in his life that get across the most fundamental techniques of personal money management, savings and investment.…

    • 1410 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays