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In Mark 10:13–22, Jesus welcomes children and rebukes His disciples, teaching that the kingdom belongs to those who come in humble dependence. He then confronts a rich young ruler who seeks eternal life through effort, exposing his misplaced trust in both his morality and his wealth. The contrast is clear: those who receive like children enter the kingdom, while those who rely on themselves walk away from it.
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Received, Not Achieved
Nate Roten / Mark / Mark 10:13–22 / July 5, 2026
Main Idea
The kingdom of God is received by those who trust Christ, not achieved by those who trust themselves.
What’s the one question that keeps ambitious people up at night? “Am I doing enough?” Enough for my career advancement. Enough for my kids’ future. Enough to be considered successful. Enough to matter.
That same question haunts our spiritual lives too, doesn’t it? “Am I doing enough for God? Am I reading my Bible enough? Serving enough? Growing enough? Am I good enough?”
Today’s passage gives us Jesus’ crystal-clear answer, and it’s going to challenge everything our performance-driven hearts want to believe. Because the kingdom of God is received by those who trust Christ, not achieved by those who trust themselves.
But before we see that truth play out in dramatic fashion, let me quickly connect this to where we were last week…
I – Recap: Marriage & Divorce
Last time, we saw Jesus answer the Pharisees’ question about divorce by refusing to debate loopholes. Instead, He took them back to God’s original design in Genesis. Marriage wasn’t invented by culture or government. It was established by God from the beginning as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. Jesus reminds us that in marriage, God joins two people into one flesh, and what God has joined together, no one should separate. While Scripture recognizes concessions due to human sin, God’s heart has always been for faithful, lifelong covenant.
Now, Mark doesn’t randomly jump from marriage to children… these scenes are organically connected. God’s design for a faithful marriage provides the context in which children are to be welcomed, loved, discipled, and raised.
As we continue in Mark 10, Jesus turns our attention from the covenant of marriage to the place of children in the kingdom of God… and, more specifically, to who will inherit the kingdom and who will not.
Passage 1
Mark 10:13–16 CSB
13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them.
II – The Kingdom Belongs to… (vv. 13-16)
Blessing. Many parents brought their kids to be touched and blessed by Jesus. Who are these kids? We don’t have names, but we do have ages. Mark calls them little children, while Luke calls them infants. Combine that with Jesus taking them into His arms, and you can see these are very young kids… likely nursery-age.
The request for a blessing would have been natural in this culture. Jewish fathers regularly blessed their children. We see this throughout the Old Testament with Noah, Isaac, and Jacob. These parents wanted their beloved rabbi to do the same for their little ones. To pronounce God’s favor over them. To pray that they would grow in wisdom and faith.
Picture the scene: mothers and fathers, having heard about this remarkable teacher, bringing their most precious possessions—their babies—hoping for just a moment of his attention. Maybe His hand on the child’s head. Maybe a prayer. Maybe a word of hope for their future.
These parents weren’t asking for much—just a touch, just a blessing. But to the disciples, even that seemed like too much.
The disciples’ rebuke. But before these children could reach Jesus, his own disciples intercepted them. And they didn’t politely redirect… Mark says they rebuked the parents. It is hard to understand why they would do this. Maybe they were tired. Maybe they thought that having Jesus hold babies was a waste of time. Perhaps they thought Jesus’ time was better spent on adults who can reason or the sick and diseased who would be healed through a miracle. Whatever their reasoning, the message was clear: Jesus is too important for this. These children aren’t worth His time.
We do the same thing, don’t we? We unconsciously rank people by their usefulness. The influential business leader gets the pastor’s attention after the service, while the single mom with the fussy toddler gets a polite smile. We have time for the sharp college student with theological questions, but we’re impatient with the elderly saint who repeats the same story. We’ve absorbed our culture’s obsession with productivity, impact, and measurable results, and we’ve baptized it with Christian language.
This was especially strange considering that Jesus used a young child as an object lesson just one chapter earlier, after the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest. Evidently, they still haven’t learned their lesson because Jesus had something to say about it.
Jesus’ rebuke. When Jesus saw the disciples blocking the children, He became visibly angry. Mark says Jesus was indignant. This is the only time Mark uses this word. It literally means to grieve much and is expressed in severe irritation and anger over something unjust.
Indignation isn’t just annoyance—it’s that deep, visceral anger you feel when you see something profoundly wrong. It’s what you feel when you hear about a child being abused, or when you watch someone powerful exploit someone vulnerable. It’s righteous anger at injustice. And that’s how Jesus felt when his disciples blocked Him from the very people who most exemplified kingdom citizenship.
This is one of only a handful of times the Gospels tell us Jesus was angry, and it’s over his own team creating barriers between Him and the vulnerable. Let that sink in.
Jesus’ Two-part Command
Jesus gave a rebuke of His own, given in 2 parts, followed by a 2-part explanation.
1. “Let them come.” Jesus cares for the infant just as much as the teenager, adult, or elderly. They are to have free access to Jesus to receive His care, touch, and blessing, just like anyone else.
2. “Don’t stop them.” This is the flip side of the first command… not just permission but a prohibition. Don’t you dare stand between these children and me. While the disciples were the ones hand-selected by Jesus to be discipled and sent, they still had many issues and assumptions to deal with. They didn’t know it yet, but Jesus was about to demonstrate just how valuable these infants are by using them as an object lesson, just as He had done before.
Jesus’ Two-part Explanation
Again, Jesus uses a positive and a negative statement to drive home His point.
- The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. From the beginning, Jesus has been unpacking what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom… the very kingdom He was commissioned to bring… and now, He reveals the kind of person who will become a citizen of this kingdom. They must be like these little ones.
There is some confusion over what this means. What childlike characteristics is Jesus describing here? Is it their innocence, purity, lack of corrupted knowledge, or ease of persuasion? Is it because they will easily follow someone who is kind or loving? Or maybe it is because they are satisfied with small things… you know, when the cardboard box matters more than the toy?
These are all true about children, but they’re not what Jesus has in mind. For one, infants and toddlers are far from innocent and pure. Ask any parent. But more importantly, these qualities aren’t found elsewhere in scripture as the basis for faith. No, the childlike qualities are far more simplistic than you might think.
The main reason that the kingdom belongs to people like these children is that they are completely dependent and bring nothing to the table. They have no specialized knowledge, abilities, power, or wealth. They are characterized by what they lack, but as we’ve already seen before, Jesus expects us to act in a faith characterized by humble dependence and trust… just like a small child depends on and trusts their parents.
Think about a six-month-old baby. What does she contribute to the family? She doesn’t earn income. She doesn’t do chores. She can’t even feed herself or control her own bodily functions. She has nothing to offer except neediness. And yet she is fully part of the family, not because of what she does, but because of who she is… your daughter. She receives everything—food, shelter, love, identity—purely as a gift because she is loved.
That’s kingdom citizenship. You bring nothing. You qualify for nothing. You contribute nothing. You simply receive everything as a gift from your loving Father. The kingdom of God is received by those who trust Christ, not achieved by those who trust themselves.
This is a striking contrast to the disciples who repeatedly act in fear, selfishness, entitlement, and disbelief. And it is in this contrast that we see the dire warning…
2. Anyone who does not receive the kingdom as they do will NEVER enter. We must be careful and avoid thinking that we must act like children or divorce faith from knowledge and understanding. This is not a call to be a perpetually immature Christian. It is a warning to all, especially the disciples, that they need to grasp and absorb the lessons Jesus has been trying to instill in them. The language here is blunt and clear… if you cannot receive the kingdom like these children — in complete dependence and trust in Jesus — then you will not be in His kingdom. Period.
So, let me ask you a question: which side of this encounter do you find yourself on? Are you more like the children who come to Jesus with empty hands and trusting hearts? Or are you more like the disciples who are convinced that kingdom work is too important for simple dependence, that surely God needs their work and capabilities?
Because before you answer too quickly, Mark wants to show us what it looks like when someone tries the disciples’ approach. And it doesn’t end well.
Passage 2
Mark 10:17–22 CSB
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
III – The Kingdom Does Not Belong to… (vv. 17-22)
The man – We know him as the rich young ruler. Mark calls him only a man, Matthew calls him a young man, and Luke calls him a ruler. All three describe him as wealthy, so he gets this composite title when you combine their descriptors. It’s also important to see how this rich young ruler approaches Jesus. He doesn’t come with pomp or arrogance but with eagerness, urgency, and respect. This is a man who is genuinely searching for an answer to his burning question, which is…
The crucial question – “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Unlike the Pharisees who asked questions to trap Jesus, this man asks the most important question anyone can ask. And yet his question contains a fatal flaw. Let’s take a deeper look.
1. His seeking is correct. This man has been paying attention to Jesus’ teachings. The teachings from the Rabbis already answer this question: keep the law. Do that, and you will inherit the promises of Abraham, but this man was searching for more, so let’s applaud him for recognizing that there must be more to it.
2. His use of ‘good’ is not. This one interaction has caused a lot of confusion for modern readers, so let’s clarify the cultural context. Today, we say that human beings are essentially good, though we sometimes do bad things. That wasn’t the 1st-century Jewish mindset. There was an understanding that only God is intrinsically good. In Exodus 33:19, God tells Moses, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you…” and in dozens of OT passages, man is declared sinful and unrighteous (Psalm 14:2–3, Psalm 53:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Isaiah 64:6, just to name a few). Their use of the word ‘good’ as a characteristic of one’s nature was reserved for God alone. More on this in just a moment…
3. His assumption of works-based salvation is not. The residue of law-keeping remains in his thinking. He is seeking the way to eternal life, which is good, but he still thinks there are things he can DO to earn it. And that assumption… that we can DO something to earn eternal life… is the key to understanding what follows.
Jesus’ unexpected, Two-part reply
1. Why do you call me good? – Some people misread this as Jesus denying his divinity: “See, Jesus says he’s not good, so he can’t be God!” But that’s exactly backward. Jesus isn’t denying His goodness; He’s forcing the man to think more carefully about what he’s saying.
If only God is good, and you’re calling me… a teacher… good, then what are you really saying about the nature of humans? What Jesus is actually doing here is using a question to drive home a point. Sound familiar? That is Jesus’ M.O. He’s getting this man to recognize man’s nature vs God’s nature. This man thinks he is good because of his ‘good’ actions in keeping the law, but he has forgotten that no one is good. Only God is. Therefore, this question is asked to reorient this man’s thinking and remind him of the vast difference between God’s goodness and mankind’s sinfulness.
2. Secondly, Jesus lists most of the 2nd tablet of the 10 commandments to deal with his misunderstanding of righteousness through law-keeping, but with a twist. Jesus lists numbers 6-9 and then number 5, but replaces ‘do not covet’ with ‘do not defraud,’ which is likely a personal application of “do not covet” for a man who has vast wealth.
Why does Jesus customize the commandment? Because he’s diagnosing this man’s particular heart condition. Wealth never fully satisfies… it always leaves you wanting more. And the temptation for the wealthy is to use questionable means to get it. Jesus is already putting his finger on the exact spot where this man’s heart is compromised.
But the man doesn’t see his shortcomings. His reply is that he has “kept all these from my youth.” Given that he is a young ruler, it likely hasn’t been a very long time. His issue is that he thinks he is currently in right standing with God because he has kept the commandments.
This man’s issue is twofold. First, he thinks he can earn eternal life, and second, his trust and worth are in his possessions. Jesus knows this already and is using a simple question and statement to draw it out. This interaction has nothing to do with Jesus’ professed identity and everything to do with helping this man see his blind spots.
Jesus’ care and command
Notice how Jesus reacts to the man’s reply. He doesn’t applaud his good works, nor does he rashly call out his shortcomings. The very first thing Mark tells us about Jesus’ response is an internal perspective. He loved him.
If you don’t hear anything else I say today, will you receive this invaluable insight? In the midst of our failures and misunderstandings, Jesus loves you. His desire is to draw you out of your sin with love and compassion… not to look upon your shortcomings with disappointment and frustration. This was his posture toward anyone who came to Him humbly and seeking truth… and this man wasn’t even a disciple yet! How much more compassion and love does Jesus have for those who are eternally His!
Another truth to receive today is that Jesus meets you where you are, but He never intends to leave you there. This man has two massive blind spots, and now that Jesus has drawn them out, He will call the man to deal with what he sees.
1. Concerning his idolatry of wealth, He says: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and in doing so, you will still have riches, but they will be in a heavenly storehouse. The act of giving up his idol would demonstrate his allegiance to Jesus.
2. Concerning his ‘good works,’ He says: Follow me. Doing is not the goal. Being is. Like the other disciples, this man must leave behind everything that is a barrier to following Jesus and stop trusting in anything that would give him right standing with God outside of Jesus.
The Tragic Response
What happens next is one of the saddest moments in scripture. This rich young ruler —personally invited by Jesus, loved by Jesus, called by Jesus—walked away shocked, sorrowful, and grieving.
Can you picture it? Jesus, looking at him with love, extends the invitation of a lifetime: “Come, follow me.” Everything this man claimed he wanted—eternal life, righteousness, purpose—was standing right in front of him, offering Himself freely.
And the man calculated the cost and said… no.
He walked away. Not angry. Not defiant. Grieving. He knew what he was losing. He just couldn’t let go of what he was holding.
The answer to his question was standing in front of him, but he couldn’t let go of the thing he treasured most… and it cost him eternity. The kingdom of heaven is not for those who are unwilling to make Jesus Lord of their lives.
The kingdom of heaven is for those who humbly come to Jesus in a state of dependence and complete trust.
🔥 Application: Which person are you?
Today, two types of people are in view: a child and a rich man.
| The Children | The Rich Young Ruler |
|---|---|
| Little | Great |
| Weak | Powerful |
| Dependent | Self-sufficient |
| Have nothing | Has everything |
| Brought to Jesus | Runs to Jesus himself |
| Receive blessing | Rejects blessing |
| Nothing to offer | Everything to offer |
| Enter the kingdom | Walks away from the kingdom |
Let me close with this image:
Picture those parents at the beginning of our passage, bringing their infants to Jesus. They didn’t bring theological dissertations. They didn’t bring résumés of their children’s accomplishments. They didn’t try to prove their kids deserved Jesus’ attention. They just brought them. And their children, too young to speak or understand, simply received his touch, his blessing, his love.
That’s the picture of saving faith. You don’t bring your achievements. You don’t prove your worthiness. You don’t earn your way in. You simply come. And you receive.
The rich young ruler had everything the world values: youth, power, wealth, respectability. And he walked away with nothing.
The children had nothing the world values: no power, no autonomy, no accomplishments. And they walked away with everything.
Which will you be?
If today you realize you’ve been trying to achieve the kingdom rather than receive it, the answer isn’t to try harder. The answer is to admit you can’t. To come to Jesus with empty hands. To say, “I have nothing to offer, and I’m done pretending I do. I need you to save me.”
The kingdom of God is received by those who trust Christ, not achieved by those who trust themselves.
FAQs
1. What does it mean to receive the kingdom like a child?
It means coming to Jesus in total dependence, not offering achievement or worthiness. Like a child, you trust and receive rather than earn and prove.
2. Is Jesus saying we should be immature in our faith?
No. He’s not commending childishness, but childlike dependence. Mature faith still rests fully on Christ, not on self.
3. Why was Jesus so angry with the disciples?
Because they were blocking access to Him. Their assumptions about who mattered most contradicted the heart of the kingdom.
4. Did the rich young ruler do anything wrong by keeping the commandments?
External obedience isn’t the issue—trust is. He relied on his performance and refused to surrender what rivaled Christ in his heart.
5. Is Jesus commanding all Christians to sell everything?
Not universally. Jesus addressed this man’s specific idol. The principle is universal: anything you trust more than Christ must be surrendered.
6. Why did Jesus challenge his use of the word “good”?
To expose his shallow view of righteousness. If only God is good, then human goodness cannot earn eternal life.
7. Was the rich young ruler close to salvation?
He was close in proximity, sincerity, and morality—but still far because he would not trust Christ above all else.
8. What keeps people from receiving the kingdom today?
Often the same thing: self-reliance. Whether through morality, success, or control, people resist coming to Christ empty-handed.