Who Is the Kingdom of God For?

Introduction

It's frustrating to talk with someone who keeps changing the subject, especially when the conversation gets uncomfortable. We Christians are experts at this: we read the Bible, something catches our eye, we get stuck on it, and while we're lost down a rabbit hole over that detail, God is telling us "don't change the subject." In Mark 10:1-22, Jesus addresses three episodes that run completely against the grain of our culture: the question of divorce, welcoming little children, and the encounter with the rich young man. The text is built like a sandwich (A-B-A) and asks one true question: who is the kingdom of God for?

Sermon Outline

1. The kingdom of God is not for those who know the commandments

• The Pharisees set a trap for Jesus with the question of divorce (Mark 10:2). They know the law down to the smallest detail, but they use it to protect themselves and to test him.
• Jesus points back to Deuteronomy 24, then goes further back to the beginning (Genesis 2:24): what Moses permitted because of hardness of heart was never God's intention.
• God sometimes makes concessions, the way we do for a child learning to walk. But these concessions aren't meant to last, they don't define what he wants for his people.
• The Pharisees build their confidence on their knowledge of the law. The result: pride, and an inability to grasp God's intention behind the commandments. Knowing the Bible is not enough.

2. The kingdom of God is not for those who keep the commandments

• A man runs up to Jesus and asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). This is not a bad question, in fact, it's the right one.
• Jesus points him to the commandments. The young man can say in all sincerity, "I have kept all these since my youth." Nothing in the text suggests he is lying or being prideful.
• But Jesus adds, "You lack one thing: go, sell all you have and give it to the poor... then come, take up the cross, and follow me." This isn't a trap, it's a test of the heart.
• The young man goes away sad. His heart was anchored in his wealth, that's where he found his security and his identity. Keeping the commandments isn't enough either.

3. The kingdom of God is for those who depend on God

• Between the two slices of "bread," Jesus places the filling of the sandwich: "Let the little children come to me... for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mark 10:14).
• Children are neither humble nor innocent (sin appears in them very early). What they are is completely dependent. Left alone, they die. They receive everything from their parents.
• That's the quality Jesus highlights: "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Mark 10:15). We don't work to earn it, we receive it.
• This salvation is possible because Jesus lived the perfect life we should have lived, suffered the death our sin deserved, and rose again to give us his life. Sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus.

4. So why obey?

• Jesus never said obedience didn't matter. On the contrary, he applies a stricter standard than Moses on divorce and gives a more demanding command to the rich young man.
• Obedience doesn't save, but it serves as a test of the heart. "You lack one thing" reveals where our trust truly rests.
• The question to ask: what am I not willing to do for God? Which commandment do I resist, finding that God is asking too much of me?
• Every act of obedience, every spiritual discipline practiced, every prayer is an act by which we cling more tightly to our Lord, not an act by which we earn his love.

Key Takeaways

• Mark 10:1-22 has a sandwich structure: two false ideas about the kingdom, framing the central truth, the kingdom is for those who receive it like children.
• Knowing the commandments doesn't save. The Pharisees knew them better than anyone and missed the heart of God.
• Keeping the commandments doesn't save either. The rich young man had kept them all since his youth, yet his heart remained anchored in his wealth.
• The only way is to depend entirely on God, like a child reaching out to receive a piece of bread he didn't make, didn't buy, didn't earn.
• Our obedience remains deeply important, not to earn salvation, but as a test that reveals where our trust truly lies.

Personal Application

1. Do I rely on my knowledge of the Bible or doctrine to feel right with God, rather than on Christ alone?
2. Like the rich young man, is there an area (money, reputation, security, a relationship), where my heart finds its true security, in place of God?
3. When I read a difficult biblical text, do I change the subject by fixating on a secondary detail, or do I receive what God truly wants to tell me?
4. What am I not willing to do for God right now? Which commandment do I resist, finding that God is going too far?
5. Am I living like a child who receives, or like a child who put a little plastic steering wheel on his car seat and believes he's driving?

Scripture References

• Mark 10:1-22 (main text)
• Deuteronomy 24 (the certificate of divorce)
• Genesis 2:24 (the union of husband and wife)
• Mark 10:14-15 (receiving the kingdom like a little child)
• Mark 10:21 ("You lack one thing")

Further reading

• Daily Bible Reading: Building the Habit
• Which Book of the Bible Should You Start With?
• One-Year Bible Reading Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Jesus tell the rich young man to sell all his possessions?

He doesn't say this to the disciples or to the crowds, only to this man. Because Jesus saw that wealth was the anchor of this young man's heart, the place where he found his identity and security. The command is not a trap: it's a test that reveals that despite a lifetime of obedience, his heart was not yet free. It's a call to shift his trust from his wealth to Christ alone.

If the law could not save, why did God give it to Israel?

The law of Moses had two main functions. On one hand, it served as a guide to form a society centered on the worship of God, with rules for the temple, practices, and communal life. On the other hand, it served as proof that even by following this guide, no one could reach salvation through works. As Paul explains in the epistle to the Romans, the law was sufficient to structure a people, but it was never meant to save.

If salvation is free, what is the purpose of our obedience?

It doesn't save us, but it remains deeply important. Jesus never said obedience was optional, he even raised the standard beyond the law of Moses. Obedience serves as a test of the heart: it reveals where our trust truly rests. And every act of obedience becomes a means by which we cling more tightly to our Lord, knowing that he alone can save us and sanctify us.