The Rich Young Ruler
Plain English Version (PEV)
Mrk 10:17–31
- 17 After that Jesus started to leave that place. Then a man ran up to him and got down on his knees, to show him respect, and said, “Good teacher, what can I do so that I will live a good life for ever?”
- 18 Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? You know that only God is good. What are you thinking about me?
- 19 You know God’s laws, – Don’t murder anyone. – Don’t sleep with a woman like she is your wife, if you are not married her. – Don’t steal things that belong to other people. – Don’t tell lies about anybody. – Don’t trick people to get anything from them. – You always have to respect your father and your mother.”
- 20 That man said, “Teacher, I have always done all those things. I started to live that way while I was a little boy.”
- 21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and felt sorry for him. Jesus said, “There is still one more thing you have to do. Go and sell all your things to get some money and give all that money to people that have nothing. After you do this, God will be really happy with you and later, in heaven, he will give you lots of other good things. So go and do what I told you, then come with me, and follow me.”
- 22 That man heard what Jesus said and he got really sad. He was a rich man, but Jesus told him to give all his things away. He got very sad and just walked away with his eyes looking down.
- 23 After that man left Jesus looked around at his followers and said, “Rich people don’t like to join God’s family and let God be their boss. It is really hard for them.”
- 24 His followers heard this and they were shocked. So he told them more, he said, “It is hard for anyone to let God be their boss. Think about a big camel. Do you reckon it can go through the little hole in a needle? No, it can’t. But I’m telling you, a big camel has got more chance to get through that little hole than a rich person has a chance to get into God’s family. Rich people find it really hard to let God be the boss of their lives.”
- 25 The followers of Jesus got more shock, and they said to each other, “Is there anyone that God will save and take into his family? Maybe nobody.”
- 26 Jesus looked straight at them and said, “Nobody is good enough to get into God’s family. But God can make people good enough. God can do anything.”
- 27 Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you. What about us?”
- 28 Jesus said, “If anyone leaves anything so that they can tell people God’s good news, they will get back more than they leave. If somebody leaves their home, or brothers and sisters, or mother and father, or kids, or land, so that they can follow me and tell people God’s good news, they will get a much better life. They will get many more homes, many more brothers and sisters, lots more mothers, lots more kids and lots more land. But I have to tell you this too, if they do this work for me they will get trouble from other people. But later they will live for ever with God in heaven.
- 29 People that are important leaders today will find out later that they are nothing. God will change their job and they will be working men for everybody. And people that are just working men today will be the important leaders later.”
- 30 Jesus and his followers kept going along the road to Jerusalem. Jesus went ahead of all the others. His close followers were shocked. They knew that they could get big trouble in Jerusalem. The other followers were frightened too. Jesus stopped walking and took his 12 close followers away from the other people and told them what was going to happen to him later.
- 31 Jesus said, “We are all going to Jerusalem and there somebody will change sides and help the other mob catch me. That other mob are the leaders of the Jewish ceremony and the law teachers. I’m God’s special man from heaven, but the Jewish leaders will grab me and take me to the Roman bosses. They will say that I’m guilty and tell them to kill me.