Hence, no one can follow the Lord who will not sell all his possessions. If one does not sell his all, he cannot follow the Lord; he cannot go on in this way. We must have a deep realization of this serious matter.
The Bible says that when the young ruler heard the Lord’s word, he left in sorrow. A man can be so close to the Lord and so clear about Him and yet still refuse to let go of his possessions. He can still try to keep his possessions. But when he keeps his possessions, he also keeps his sorrow. Money pierces a person through with many pains (1 Tim. 6:10). A man cannot accumulate riches and joy at the same time. If he accumulates riches, he accumulates headaches for himself as well. If he saves his possessions, he saves sorrow and troubles for himself as well. Here was a man who kept his possessions, but he could no longer follow the Lord. If you want your money, you should not follow the Lord. If you do not follow the Lord, your money can remain intact, and your sorrow will also remain intact. Money and sorrow always go together. You cannot retain your money without retaining your sorrow.
Only those who have handed over their all can live a joyous life. Those who are unwilling to give up their possessions always live a sad life. I have noticed this too clearly in many places. I can predict that the brothers who cling to their money will always abide in sorrow. It is not a happy thing to cling to material possessions. This is very clear. We should tell new believers that if they want joy, they should give up everything to follow the Lord.
The young ruler would not let go of his possessions, and he left in sorrow. When the Lord saw this, He remarked, “How difficult it will be for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23). The first point in this story concerns inheriting eternal life. Following this there is the matter of entering the kingdom of God. Those who heard the Lord’s words concerning entering the kingdom asked, “Then who can be saved?” (v. 26). Here the matters of salvation, receiving eternal life, and entering the kingdom of God are all linked together. If we want to inherit eternal life, we have to part with our possessions. Otherwise, our possessions will hinder us from inheriting eternal life. If we want to enter God’s kingdom, we must remember that it is impossible for a rich man to enter in. If we want to be saved, the Lord will save us. Yet we must remember that if the Lord does save us, we have to give up our riches. This does not mean that one is saved by giving up his riches. It means that if a man is saved, he will spontaneously give up his riches.
It is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. In the same way it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Yet all the brothers and sisters among us are camels. Those who are rich are big camels, and those who are less rich are smaller camels; everyone is a camel. Just as a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle, a rich man cannot enter the kingdom of God. If the Lord says that no rich man can enter God’s kingdom, it must mean that no rich man can enter it.
When the disciples heard this they were worried. They asked, “Then who can be saved?” They misunderstood the Lord. What did the Lord say to the young man? When the young man asked, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” the Lord’s answer was to sell all he had and give to the poor. Hence, one must sell all that he has before he can receive eternal life. A little while later the Lord said that a rich man entering God’s kingdom is like a camel going through the eye of a needle. This means that a rich man cannot enter God’s kingdom. If you put the two things together, you can see that a rich man cannot enter God’s kingdom, and that one must sell his all before he can inherit eternal life.
Peter behaved liked a Bible teacher. When he heard this, he felt this was a terrible requirement. He thought, “If the inheriting of eternal life is related to one’s work, and if one cannot enter God’s kingdom if he is rich, but instead must sell his all before going in, this must mean that the entrance no longer depends on faith. If this is the case, who can be saved? Who can sell all that he has before inheriting eternal life? Who can first be poor in order to be saved?”