Mark 10:21

King James Version (KJV)

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Translations

Mark 10:21 - Amplified Bible

And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come [and] accompany Me [walking the same road that I walk].

Mark 10:21 - American Standard Version

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Mark 10:21 - Bible in Basic English

And Jesus, looking on him and loving him, said, There is one thing needed: go, get money for your goods, and give it to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven: and come with me.

Mark 10:21 - Darby Bible

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, One thing lackest thou: go, sell whatever thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, [taking up the cross].

Mark 10:21 - English Standard Version

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Mark 10:21 - King James Version

Mark 10:21 - La Biblia de las Americas

Jesùs, mirándolo, lo amò y le dijo: Una cosa te falta: ve y vende cuanto tienes y da a los pobres, y tendrás tesoro en el cielo; y ven, sìgueme.

Mark 10:21 - The Message

Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, "There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me."

Mark 10:21 - New American Standard Bible

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Mark 10:21 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Jesùs, mirándolo, lo amò y le dijo: "Una cosa te falta: ve y vende cuanto tienes y da a los pobres, y tendrás tesoro en el cielo; entonces vienes y Me sigues."

Mark 10:21 - World English Bible

Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross."

Mark 10:21 - Young's Living Translation

And Jesus having looked upon him, did love him, and said to him, `One thing thou dost lack; go away, whatever thou hast -- sell, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me, having taken up the cross.`

Mark 10:21 - Additional Comments

This may seem extreme. Yet, we have friends who have sold everything to follow Christ as missionaries.
If this man had decided to follow Christ, he most likely would have had to give up his wealth anyway, either to help those in the church (Acts 4:34-35) or due to persecution. His wealth certainly should have been spread to those in need (Eph 4:28).
Jesus could see the sincerity with which he asks, and feels an affection for him. How it must hurt that he rejects Jesus How it must hurt Him when we don't do what He asks.
This man was trying to obtain righteousness by the works of the law. Jesus was trying to impress on him that this is impossible.
In Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus tells of the merchant who, upon finding the pearl of great value, sold all he had so he could buy it. Jesus was telling this man this is what he found, so this is what he needs to do -- sell all to get something of far greater value.
There is really only one thing the man lacked -- righteousness! And this can only be obtained by faith (Hebrews 11:6).
Also, Jesus was not necessarily saying that people should get rid of their money -- people need to make sure that nothing holds a higher affection to us than God. Anything that we hold higher than Him needs to be removed from our life (see verses 28-30).
Think of all your possessions and activities. What in your life are you unwilling to give up for God? You cannot serve 2 masters (Matthew 6:24). Jesus was asking the man to make his decision.
What stands between you and spiritual growth? This effectively shows you what stands between you and God. Probably for many people it is the work it takes to have that relationship with God -- getting up early, memorizing, praying, studying instead of relaxing.

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