And they were astonished exceedingly, saying unto him, Then who can be saved?The amazement of the apostles was not so much in the principle as generally stated, but in the application of it to so lovable and personable a rich man as the one who had just departed. Taken literally, the Saviour's words would mean that no rich man can be saved, but he quickly moved to counteract such a literal application of his words. read more
Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God.Only God has the power to cause a rich man to leave off trusting in his wealth and turn to God for salvation; and such heavenly power has often been evidenced. In the Old Testament, Abraham, Job, and David were men of immeasurable riches, as were also Isaac and Jacob; but of such Jesus himself said that they shall be in the eternal kingdom (Luke 13:28). In the Christian era, there... read more
Mark 10:25. A camel— Or, A cable. See on Matthew 19:24. read more
Mark 10:27. With men it is impossible, but not with God, &c.— This is indeed utterly impossible to every man by any power of his own; but is not so to the mercy and power of God, with whom nothing is too hard to do: he can make an effectual change upon the heart by regenerating grace, and enable it freely to renderup all the affluence of this world, and every thing which is dearest to it here, when they stand in competition with me, and the blessings of my kingdom, and when he demands a... read more
3. Lessons concerning self-sacrifice 10:1-31Jesus gave this series of lessons south of Galilee in Perea and Judea, not in Galilee. Another contrast is the audience. He gave the preceding instruction to the disciples in a house, but He gave this teaching to the multitudes and the disciples in the open air. read more
Jesus’ instruction about wealth 10:17-31A question from a man in the crowd initiated this incident. Then Jesus proceeded to instruct His disciples following up the encounter. The position of this section in Mark’s Gospel is significant. It occurs after Jesus’ teaching about the importance of receiving the kingdom with trust and humility (Mark 10:13-16), and it precedes Jesus’ third prediction of His passion (Mark 10:32-34). The young man thought he could obtain the kingdom with works and... read more
Jesus’ teaching concerning riches 10:23-31 (cf. Matthew 19:23-30; Luke 18:24-30)Jesus used the incident just past to teach His disciples about riches. Matthew’s account is the fullest. read more
One writer paraphrased Jesus’ proverb as follows."It is easier to thread a needle with a great big camel than to get into the kingdom of God when you are bursting with riches." [Note: Moule, p. 80.] The camel was the largest beast of burden in Palestine. The needle Jesus referred to was a common sewing needle (Gr. hraphis). The disciples reacted with amazement because they thought that wealth indicated righteousness (cf. Job, Abraham, Solomon). read more
Jesus’ point was that salvation is totally God’s work (cf. Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8-9). It is humanly impossible to obtain it on the basis of achievement or merit. But God can enable anyone to realize his or her complete dependence on Him and turn to Him for salvation. read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Mark 10:25
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.Of course, it is impossible for a camel to go through a needle's eye, and the Lord's words are therefore hyperbole, used for the sake of emphasizing the difficulty. As Turlington put it, "The `impossible' figure is given, not to be taken literally, but to emphasize how hard it is."[31] In view of the Lord's plain statement in Mark 10:27, all efforts to understand such a thing as possible... read more