📊 Mark 10:15 | Children vs. the Rich Man

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Happy Tuesday, everyone!

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.

In today’s email…

• 📖 Walking through Mark 10

• 💯 Approaching the Kingdom like a child

• 📊 A trivia question about a common word…

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

Truly, I ___ __ ___, whoever does not _______ ___ kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

Mark 10:15

CONTEXT 📕 

In Mark 10, Jesus had been guiding his followers through one teaching after another.

He predicted his own suffering, called them to self-denial, and warned about the cost of discipleship.

Throughout the Gospel, Jesus repeatedly warns that His kingdom runs counter to our human instincts for power, prestige, and control.

And now, they get to see it play out in real time.

Parents were bringing little children, hoping Jesus would bless them.

The disciples shoo them aside.

What does Jesus do? He swiftly corrects their ideas about who is in a place to receive the Kingdom of God:

Immediately after this interaction, Mark transitions us to a story of a rich man who asks how to inherit eternal life.

The rich man is hesitant - and we see wealth and status collide within Jesus’ upside-down kingdom.

The rich man’s struggle highlights the same lesson: only the posture of a child —open, dependent, unpretentious — aligns with entry into His upside-down kingdom.

Time and again, the disciples misunderstand, clinging to a worldly point of view instead of embracing Jesus’ vision.

But here, the image of a little child brings the whole point home:

only those who relinquish pride and receive God’s grace can experience His reign.

You’ll find this same call and story in Matthew 18:3 and Luke 18:17.

Across the Gospels, Jesus insists that childlike faith unlocks the kingdom of God.

Come as a child and you will step into the upside-down kingdom Jesus invites you to.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Reread Mark 10:13–16. Then, read the rich man’s story in verses 17–22.

Think about the difference between those two interactions.

This contrast invites us to reflect:

Which story lines up with how I tend to approach God: the children or the rich man?

Consider a few ways to approach God more like a child today:

• 🙏 Pray simply and honestly - Use straightforward conversation rather than complex theological language.

• 😩 Express emotions honestly - Bring authentic feelings to God without pretending everything is okay.

• ⛰️ Maintain wonder and awe - Get outside and be amazed by God's creation.

• 🙌 Depend completely on God's provision - Trust in His promises and provision rather than worrying about tomorrow.

Pick one to focus on today.

Pray 🙏 

Jesus, strip away my pride and self-reliance. Teach me to come as nothing—free from the need for status, success, or possessions—and to receive Your kingdom by grace alone.

TRIVIA 📊 

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ANSWER KEY ✅ 

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

Mark 10:15