Mark 10:17-22
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One,that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Matthew 13:44-46
Treasures in Heaven
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
John 1:1-4
Jesus Was With God in the Beginning
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 16:30
Jesus Knows All Things
30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.
Eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven are very closely related...Jesus tells us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like..."The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field...When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field...“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls...When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."...
Jesus tells us that that when a man found the Kingdom of Heaven and hid it in a field...Then the man sold all he had and bought that field...All his possessions went to buy that field where the Kingdom of Heaven was...And the Kingdom of Heaven is also like a merchant who is looking for fine pearls...When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it....The merchant who found the Kingdom of Heaven sold all he had to get the Kingdom in his possession...
When Jesus tells us these things of selling all that one has, we see the value of the Kingdom of Heaven or do we?...It really is a tough teaching...And Jesus shows us how hard it is when He meets up with a rich young ruler...The rich young ruler is satisfied with his earthly wealth...And many of us can become attached to our earthly ways and material things...
We understand the value of the Kingdom of Heaven, but when we are on earth and have to make a decision to sell all of our possessions it seems different and much more difficult than we might think...Jesus once counselled one who wanted to know more about eternal life and ask what it took to inherit eternal life...Jesus told the young man to follow the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”...And the young rich man answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”...Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”...But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions...The rich young man could not come to grips in selling all he had...Jesus had given him the greatest invitation a man could ask...Jesus ask him to come and be with Him and follow Him...The man had missed out on learning all the things from the Man, who knows all things...He had missed his chance to be with the One who could answer any of his questions...He had missed his chance to be with the One who has been with God from the beginning...