Mark 10:21 (DBY)

Passage

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].

Nearby Context

Mark 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honour thy father and mother.

Mark 10:20 And he answering said to him, Teacher, all these things have I kept from my youth.

Mark 10:21 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 10:22 But he, sad at the word, went away grieved, for he had large possessions.

Mark 10:23 And Jesus looking around says to his disciples, How difficultly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "looking", "upon", "loved", "said", "lackest", "thou", and "sell". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "looking", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And he answering said to him Teacher..." into verse 22's "But he sad at the word went...", so "jesus" and "looking" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "looking" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.