The high price of the kingdom of God

The verses in Markus 10,17-31 belong to a section that is Markus 9 It extends to 10. This section could be titled "The High Price of the Kingdom of God." It describes the period shortly before the end of Jesus' life on earth.

There, Peter and the other disciples are in the process of understanding that Jesus is the promised Messiah. But they do not yet understand that Jesus is the Messiah who will suffer to serve and save. They do not understand the high price the kingdom of God will cost - the price that Jesus pays with the dedication of his life to be the king of this kingdom. Likewise, they do not understand what it will cost them as disciples of Jesus to become citizens in the Kingdom of God.

It's not about how we can access the kingdom of God - but about sharing in Jesus' kingly life with Jesus and thus reconciling our lives with the way of life in his kingdom. There is a price to pay for this, and Mark points this out in this passage, highlighting six attributes of Jesus: prayerful dependence, self-denial, faithfulness, generosity, humility, and persevering faith. We will look at all six properties, keeping a close eye on the fourth: Generosity.

The prayerful dependence

First, we go to Markus 9,14-32Jesus is saddened by two things: firstly, the opposition he encounters from the teachers of the law, and secondly, the unbelief he sees in so many people, including his own disciples. The lesson in this passage is that the victory of the Kingdom of God (in this case, over sickness) does not depend on the extent of our faith, but on the extent of Jesus' faith, which he later shares with us through the Holy Spirit.

In this environment where human weaknesses are at stake, Jesus explains that part of the high cost of the Kingdom of God is to turn to Him in prayer with an attitude of dependence. What is the reason? Because he alone pays the full price of the Kingdom of God by sacrificing his life for us soon afterwards. Unfortunately, the disciples do not understand that yet.

self-denial

Continue in Markus 9,33-50 The disciples are shown that part of the cost of the Kingdom of God is relinquishing one's own desire for dominance and power. Self-denial is the path that makes the Kingdom of God great, which Jesus illustrates by referring to weak, helpless children.

Jesus' disciples were not able to deny themselves completely, so this admonition points to Jesus, who alone is perfect. We are called to trust him - to accept his person and to follow his way of life from the kingdom of God. Following Jesus is not about being the greatest or the most powerful, but about denying oneself in order to serve God by serving people.

loyalty

In Markus 10,1-16 The text describes how Jesus uses marriage as an example to illustrate that the high cost of the Kingdom of God includes faithfulness in our closest relationships. Jesus then clarifies how innocent young children set a positive example. Only those who receive the Kingdom of God with the simple faith (trust) of a child truly experience what it means to belong to the Kingdom of God.

Generosity

When Jesus was on his way again, a man came running, dropped to his knees in front of him and asked, "Good Master, what must I do to get eternal life?" Why do you call me good, Jesus replied "Good is only God, no one else. You know the commandments: Thou shalt not commit murder, Thou shalt not break the marriage, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not make false statements, Thou shalt bring no one to his own, Honor thy father and mother! Master, replied the man, I have followed all these commandments since my youth. Jesus looked at him with love. He said to him, One thing is missing: Go, sell what you have, and give the proceeds to the poor and you will have a treasure in heaven. And then come and follow me! The man was deeply shocked when he heard that, and walked away sadly, for he had a great fortune.

Jesus looked at his disciples one by one and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were astonished at his words; but Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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.” They were even more astonished. “Then who can be saved?” they asked one another. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Peter said to Jesus, “You know we left everything to follow you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you, whoever leaves home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields for my sake and the gospel will receive a hundred times as much now in this age—home, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” But many who are first now will be last, and the last will be first. (Mk 10,17-31).

Here Jesus becomes very clear what the high price of the kingdom of God is about. The rich man who turned to Jesus owned everything but what really matters: eternal life (life in the kingdom of God). Although he wants to receive this life, he is unwilling to pay the high price to own it. The same thing happens here as in the well-known story of the monkey who cannot pull his hand out of the trap because he is not ready to let go of what is in his hand; so even the rich man is not ready to break away from his fixation on material wealth.

Though he is clearly lovable and eager; and undoubtedly morally upright, the rich man fails to face what it will mean for him (given his situation) if he follows Jesus (which is eternal life). So the rich man sadly leaves Jesus and we don't hear from him anymore. He made his choice, at least for then.

Jesus judges the situation of the man and tells his disciples that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, it is completely impossible without God's help! To make it very clear, Jesus uses a funny-looking proverb - rather, a camel goes through the eye of a needle!

Jesus also teaches that giving money to the poor and other sacrifices we make for the kingdom of God will pay off (build a treasure) for us - but only in heaven, not here on earth. The more we give, the more we will get. However, that does not mean that we will get much more in return for the money we donate to God's work, as taught by some groups that preach a gospel of health and wealth.

What Jesus teaches means that spiritual rewards in the kingdom of God (both now and in the future) will far exceed any sacrifices we could now make to follow Jesus, even if the following include times of need and persecution.

As he talks about these hardships, Jesus adds another announcement detailing his impending suffering:

"They were on their way up to Jerusalem; Jesus was leading the way. The disciples were filled with unease, and those who were with them were also afraid. He took the twelve aside again and told them what was going to happen to him. 'We are going up to Jerusalem now,' he said. 'There the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles, who do not know God. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. But three days later he will rise again.'" (Mk 10,32-34).

Something in Jesus' behavior, but also in his words, amazes the disciples and frightens the crowd following them. Somehow they feel that a crisis is imminent and that is the case. Jesus' words are a haunting reminder of who ultimately pays the very high price for the Kingdom of God - and Jesus does this for us. Let's never forget that. He is the most generous of all and we are called to follow him to share in his generosity. What keeps us from being generous like Jesus? This is something we should think about and pray about.

humility

In the section on the high cost of the Kingdom of God, we come to Markus 10,35-45James and John, the sons of Zebedee, go to Jesus to ask him for a high position in his kingdom. It is hard to grasp that they are so pushy and so self-centered. However, we know that such attitudes are deeply rooted in our fallen human nature. Had the two disciples been aware of the true cost of such a high position in the kingdom of God, they would not have dared to make this request of Jesus. Jesus warns them that they will suffer. However, this does not necessarily mean that it will bring them a high position in the kingdom of God, for everyone has suffering to bear. The bestowal of a high position belongs to God alone.

The other disciples, no doubt as egocentric as James and John, resent their request. These positions of power and prestige probably also wished. Therefore Jesus once again patiently explains to them the totally different value of the Kingdom of God, where true greatness is shown in humble service.

Jesus himself is the outstanding example of this humility. He came to be a suffering servant of God, as in Jesaja 53 prophesied to give his life as "a ransom for the many".

Persistent faith

The section on our topic ends with Markus 10,46-52The text describes how Jesus travels with his disciples from Jericho to Jerusalem, where he will suffer and die. On the way, they encounter a blind man named Bartimaeus, who pleads with Jesus for mercy. Jesus responds by restoring Bartimaeus's sight and telling him, "Your faith has healed you." Bartimaeus then joins Jesus.

For one thing, this is a lesson on human belief that is imperfect and yet effective if persistent. Ultimately, it is about the persistent, perfect faith of Jesus.

conclusion

At this point, the high price of the kingdom of God should be mentioned again: prayerful dependence, self-denial, faithfulness, generosity, humility and persevering faith. We experience the Kingdom of God as we accept and practice these qualities. Does that sound a bit scary? Yes, until we realize that these are qualities of Jesus Himself - qualities he shares through the Holy Spirit with those who trust him and follow him with confidence.

Our participation in life in Jesus' kingdom is never perfect, but as we follow Jesus it "transfers" to us. This is the path of Christian discipleship. It's not about earning a place in the kingdom of God—in Jesus we have that place. It's not about earning God's favor—thanks to Jesus, we have God's favor. What matters is that we share in Jesus' love and life. He possesses all of these qualities perfectly and in abundance and is willing to share them with us, and He does just that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Dear friends and followers of Jesus, open your hearts and your whole life to Jesus. Follow him and receive from him! Come in the fullness of his kingdom.

by Ted Johnston