Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How To Inherit Eternal Life | The Gospels | Mark 10: 17-31

Episode Date: February 9, 2026

What does it really mean to inherit eternal life? What stands in the way of entering God’s kingdom? Is following Jesus worth the cost? In today’s episode, Keith shares how Mark 10:17–31, through the story of the rich young ruler, reminds us that the rewards of following Jesus far outweigh anything we leave behind.  Read the Bible with us in 2026! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passage: Mark 10: 17-31

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. I'm really bad to remembering when something happened or how long ago something happened. For example, I can tell you most of our annual family vacations that we took when our kids were young, but I can't remember the order they were in or what year they were or how old the kids were on any particular trip. Right now, I remember things in the recent past as being pre-COVID or post-co. COVID. Like COVID, there are certain events that divide history into before and after. There was before

and after World War II. There was before and after 9-11. Those events changed how we live. 9-11 changed small things like airport security and big things like how the United States handled itself in world affairs. COVID changed politics. It changed trust in institutions, education, mental health. It seems like everything is different now. Many first century Jews believe that there would be a great event that would change the world for the better. They expected a new age would bring about justice and peace for Israel and punishment for evildoers. They looked forward to a future when the righteous would be resurrected to new life and the world would be transformed. They divided the world into the present age, which was the age full of sin and injustice, suffering and hardship, lying in oppression,

in the age to come in which everything would be different, everything would be better. And Jesus taught us to pray, God's kingdom of love, justice, and mercy would come to earth as it is in heaven. The question every Jew was asking was whether they could be sure that they would inherit the kingdom of God. Would they be resurrected in the age to come? I think that's how we should understand the question Jesus is asked in Mark chapter 10. Here's verse 17. as Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him, fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

A lot of Christians think that this man was asking how he could be sure he was going to go to heaven when he died, but that's not how this man or any Jew in the first century would have thought of it. Eternal life wasn't somewhere up in heaven. They believed that God was going to bring heaven to earth and make the whole world new. If this man had asked the same question, to a Pharisee. The Pharisee would have given the man a very detailed interpretation of the Jewish law and probably told him he should strive to become a Pharisee. That's how he could be sure he'd inherit the age to come when he died. But this man, who is often called the rich young ruler, didn't ask a Pharisee. Instead, he asked his question to Jesus. He asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? So how will Jesus respond?

Well, here's his answer in verse 18. 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. So Jesus restated the basic well-known commandments. You shall not murder as the sixth commandment. You shall not commit adultery is the seventh. You shall not steal as the eighth. You shall not give false testimony as the ninth. And then Jesus adds, you shall not defraud. And then he goes, back to the fifth commandment that you should honor your parents. So Jesus doesn't mention the first four commandments or the tenth, which is do not covet. But if you read carefully, you'll see he didn't

really omit them. Verse 20, teacher, the man declared, all these I have kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Okay, so let's just stop for a moment. Jesus loved this man, this dialogue that sounds confrontational in which Jesus challenges. the way this man thinks and what he believes is all rooted in that Jesus really loves him. And I bet this rich young ruler could tell that Jesus was asking him hard questions and calling him to do hard things because he loved him. Okay, so let's just start over. Teacher, he declared, all these I have kept since I was a boy, Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said, go sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven.

then come follow me see Jesus calls this rich young ruler to put God first which of course is the first commandment he calls him to reject idolatry which is the second commandment and then he calls him to reject covetousness greed or wanting other people's stuff which of course we've already said is the tenth commandment so earlier he had questioned why the rich young ruler had called him good which is a reflection of the third commandment to not use God's name in vain. So I think the point here is that Jesus is trying to get the rich young ruler to see that the age to come, the kingdom of God is breaking into the world now, and it belongs to those who fulfill the law through following him. We fulfill the Ten Commandments when we follow Jesus.

Verse 22, at this, the man's face fell. When he heard what Jesus said, he was disappointed. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were amazed 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. So what's happening here? Well, first, the rich young ruler walks away because he wouldn't give up his wealth for Jesus. He loved the things of this world more than Jesus. Jesus' comment that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God is hyperbole. He's just saying that apart from God,

people will always choose wealth. They will always choose themselves. They will always choose other things of this world like respect or power or pleasure over the kingdom. Verse 26, the disciples were even more amazed and said to each other, who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said with this man it is impossible but not with God. All things are possible with God. The disciples are amazed because they believed that wealth was a sign of God's favor. But Jesus is saying is that money might actually be an obstacle to the kingdom. Jesus says that no one can be saved apart from God's grace, but that all things are possible through him.

Even the rich and powerful can become poor in spirit and inherit the kingdom of God. verse 28. Then Peter spoke up, we have left everything to follow you. You can see what Peter's thinking. If the rich young ruler was supposed to sell everything and follow Jesus, but he wouldn't do it, now Peter's going, well, we're your disciples and we have decided to do that. It's almost as if Peter's asking, so what's in it for us? Jesus says, truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sister or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in the present age homes brothers sisters mother children and fields along with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life but many who are first will be last

and the last first so you can see peter doing the math in his head he's thinking if a person has to give up trusting their wealth to get the kingdom of god then that must be good news for us because we've given up everything to follow Jesus. What will therefore be in it for us? What will God do for us? And the answer is that the reward of following Jesus is greater than the rewards of this world. You don't have to wait to eternity to experience them. You can have the rewards of following Jesus now in the present age and in the age to come.

So I think there's a lot for us to chew on here. But I'll leave you with one big thing. Leave everything to follow Jesus. Don't let anything keep you from Jesus. Jesus is the true treasure. Jesus is your true satisfaction. Jesus is your true hope. He's your rock.

He's your salvation. He's your light. He's your joy. He's your peace. He's everything to you. Therefore, trade everything in to get Jesus. Amen.