Day 36: Jesus warns us against riches
A lot of people in our culture want to be rich. Having lots of money makes us humans feel successful and important. Maybe you’re hoping you’ll be rich when you grow up! But in our passage today, we’ll see that instead of being a mark of a successful life, having lots of money can actually lead people to fail at the only thing that matters in the end: entering God’s kingdom.
In verse 17, what did the man do and what question did he ask?
How did Jesus respond at first (v. 18)?
Jesus often answers a question with another question. Here, He makes the point that only God is really, truly good. Jesus isn’t saying that He isn’t God. He’s making the man think!
In verse 19, Jesus points the man back to the famous Ten Commandments that God gave Moses. How many of the Ten Commandments does He quote?
The first four commandments relate to worshiping God. Jesus skips these and only quotes the ones that relate to how we treat other people.
What does the man say he has done (v. 20)?
Does it seem like the man thinks he is basically good?
How does Jesus feel about the man (v. 21)?
What does Jesus tell the man to do at the beginning of verse 21?
Why does Jesus say he should sell everything and give to the poor (v. 21)?
What else does Jesus say the man must do (v. 21)?
Instead of quoting the commandments on how we treat God, Jesus tells the man to follow Him. Jesus says only God is good. Now, He steps into God’s shoes and tells the man that to have eternal life he must follow Him.
How does the man react to Jesus’ command and why (v. 22)?
What does Jesus say once the rich man has left (v. 23)?
The disciples are shocked by Jesus’ words. They probably thought that rich people were especially blessed by God. But Jesus makes His point even more dramatically!
What does He say is easier than a rich man to entering God’s kingdom (v. 25)?
The disciples are even more shocked and wonder who can be saved. How does Jesus respond (v. 27)?
It’s just as impossible for any of us to be saved as for a great big camel to squeeze through the tiny hole in a needle. But Jesus did the impossible: He’s God, yet He became a man to die on the cross in our place.
Peter points out that he has left everything to follow Jesus. What does Jesus say that people who leave everything to follow Him will get (vv. 29–30)?
How does Jesus summarize His upside-down kingdom in verse 31?
Thank God He sent Jesus so we could have eternal life with Him. Ask God to help you not be drawn to money and away from Him as you grow up.