Church Fathers Commentary Mark 10:17-27

"And as he was going forth into the way, there ran one to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, [even] God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother. And he said unto him, Teacher, all these things have I observed from my youth. And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was one that had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle`s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished exceedingly, saying unto him, Then who can be saved? Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God." — Mark 10:17-27 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: A certain man had heard from the Lord that only those who are willing to be like little children are worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, he desires to have it explained to him, not in parables but openly, by what works a man may attain everlasting life.

Therefore, it is said: And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Theophylact of Ohrid: I wonder at this young man. While all others come to Christ to be healed of their infirmities, he begs from Him the possession of everlasting life, despite his love of money—the malignant passion that afterwards caused his sorrow.

St. John Chrysostom: However, because he had come to Christ as he would to a mere man, and to one of the Jewish teachers, Christ answered him as a man.¹

Therefore, the account continues: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but the One God.

In saying this, He does not exclude humanity from goodness, but from a comparison with the goodness of God.

The Venerable Bede: By this one God who is good, we must understand not only the Father, but also the Son, who says, I am the good Shepherd (John 10:11), and also the Holy Spirit, because it is said, The Father which is in heaven will give the good Spirit to them that ask him (Luke 11:13). For the one and undivided Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is the only and one good God.

The Lord, therefore, does not deny that He is good, but implies that He is God. He does not deny that He is a good Master, but He declares that no master is good except God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Therefore, the Lord intended by these words to raise the young man’s mind, so that he might know Him to be God. But He also implies something else: that when you have to converse with someone, you should not flatter them, but look to God, the root and fountain of all goodness, and honor Him.

The Venerable Bede: But observe that the righteousness of the law, when kept in its proper time, conferred not only earthly goods but also eternal life on those who chose it. Therefore, the Lord’s answer to one who inquires about everlasting life is, Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill. For this is the childlike blamelessness that is set before us if we would enter the kingdom of heaven.

Then follows his reply: And he answered and said unto Him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

We must not suppose that this man asked the Lord with a desire to test Him, as some have imagined, or that he lied about his life. Rather, we must believe that he confessed with sincerity how he had lived. This is evident from what follows: Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him.

If, however, he had been guilty of lying or deception, Jesus, after looking into the secrets of his heart, would by no means have been said to love him.

Origen of Alexandria: For in that He loved him (or kissed himⁱ), He seems to affirm the truth of his profession that he had fulfilled all those things. For when He considered him, He saw that the man answered with a good conscience.²

Pseudo-Chrysostom: It is worth asking, however, how He could love a man whom He knew would not follow Him. The answer is this: since the man was worthy of love in the first place for observing the law from his youth, he did not, in the end, suffer a loss of that initial love, even though he did not take on perfection.

For although he did not go beyond the bounds of human righteousness or follow the perfection of Christ, he was still not guilty of any sin, since he kept the law to the best of a man’s ability. It was in this manner of keeping the law that Christ loved himⁱ.³

The Venerable Bede: For God loves those who keep the commandments of the law, even if they are at a lower stage of righteousness. Nevertheless, He shows to those who would be perfect the deficiency of the law, for He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17).

Therefore, what follows is: And said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. For whoever would be perfect ought to sell all that he has—not just a part, like Ananias and Sapphira, but the whole.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And when he has sold it, he is to give it to the poor, not to entertainers and self-indulgent people.

St. John Chrysostom: He also did well to say not "eternal life" but "treasure," saying, And thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Since the question concerned wealth and the renunciation of all things, He shows that He gives back far more than He has commanded us to leave, in proportion as heaven is greater than earth.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But because there are many poor people who are not humble, but are drunkards or have some other vice, He adds, And come, follow me.

The Venerable Bede: For a person follows the Lord who imitates Him and walks in His footsteps.

The account continues: And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelist adds the cause of his grief, saying, For he had great possession. The feelings of those who have little and those who have much are not the same, for the increase of acquired wealth ignites a greater flame of covetousness.

Then follows: And Jesus looked round about, and said unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He does not say here that riches are bad, but that those who possess them only to guard them carefully are at fault. For He teaches us not to hoard them—that is, not to keep or preserve them—but to use them for necessary things.

St. John Chrysostom: But the Lord said this to His disciples, who were poor and possessed nothing, in order to teach them not to be ashamed of their poverty. It was, as it were, an explanation to them, giving them a reason why He had not allowed them to possess anything.

The account continues: And the disciples were astonished at His words. It is plain that, since they themselves were poor, they were anxious for the salvation of others.

The Venerable Bede: But there is a great difference between having riches and loving them. Therefore, Solomon also says not, 'He that has silver,' but, He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver (Ecclesiastes 5:10). The Lord thus clarifies His previous statement to His astonished disciples, as follows: But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard it is for them that trust in their riches to enter the kingdom of God.

Here we must observe that He says not 'how impossible,' but how hard. For what is impossible can in no way come to pass, whereas what is difficult can be accomplished, though with great effort.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, after saying it is 'difficult,' He then shows that it is impossible—and not simply so, but with a certain vehemence. He demonstrates this with an example, saying, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It may be that by 'camel,' we should understand the animal itself, or else the thick cable used for large ships.

The Venerable Bede: How then could Matthew and Joseph in the Gospel, or the many rich persons in the Old Testament, enter the kingdom of God? It must be that they learned through the inspiration of God either to count their riches as nothing or to give them up altogether.

Or, in a higher sense, it is easier for Christ to suffer for those who love Him than for lovers of this world to turn to Christ. For by the 'camel,' He wished Himself to be understood, because He bore the burden of our weakness. By the 'needle,' He means the sharp pains of His Passion. By the 'eye of a needle,' therefore, He signifies the narrow passage of His suffering, through which He deigned, as it were, to mend the torn garments of our nature.

The account continues: And they were astonished above measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

Since the number of poor people is immeasurably greater, and they could be saved even if the rich perished, the disciples must have understood Him to mean that all who love riches—even if they cannot obtain them—are counted among the rich.

The account continues: And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God. We must not take this to mean that covetous and proud people can enter the kingdom of heaven with their covetousness and pride. Rather, it means that it is possible with God for them to be converted from covetousness and pride to charity and humility.

St. John Chrysostom: The reason He says this is the work of God is to show that a person who is put on this path by God has great need of grace. From this it is proved that the reward is great for those rich men who are willing to follow the disciplineⁱ of Christ.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, we must understand that by with men it is impossible, but not with God, He means that when we listen to God, it becomes possible; but as long as we hold to our human notions, it is impossible. Then follows: For all things are possible with God. When He says “all things,” you must understand this to mean all things that have being, which sin does not, for sin is a thing without being or substanceⁱ.

Furthermore, sin does not fall under the concept of strength, but of weakness; therefore sin, like weakness, is impossible for God. But can God cause something that has been done to have not been done? To this we answer that God is Truth, but to cause what has been done to not have been done is falsehood. How then can Truth do what is false?

For God to do so, He would first have to abandon His own nature. Therefore, those who ask such a question are really asking, “Can God cease to be God?”—which is absurd.

1. Hom. in Matt., 63
2. in Evan. tom. xv, 14
3. Cat. in Marc. Oxon.