The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(A)

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life^(B)?”^(C)

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(A)

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees^(B) before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^(C)

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ 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.’^[a]”^(D)

²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,^(E) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(F) Then come, follow me.”^(G)

²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich^(H) to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is^[b] to enter the kingdom of God!^{(I) 25} 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.”^(J)

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”^(K)

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”^(L)

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much^(M) in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come^(N) eternal life.^(O)

²¹ keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait^(A) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.^(B)

¹⁵ that everyone who believes^(A) may have eternal life in him.”^[a](B)

²⁰ We know also that the Son of God has come^(A) and has given us understanding,^(B) so that we may know him who is true.^(C) And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.^(D)

² The life appeared;^(A) we have seen it and testify to it,^(B) and we proclaim to you the eternal life,^(C) which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.^(A)”^(B)

¹¹ And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,^(A) and this life is in his Son.^{(B) 12} Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.^(C)

Concluding Affirmations

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God^(D) so that you may know that you have eternal life.^(E)

²⁵ And this is what he promised us—eternal life.^(A)