Mark 10:21 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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

Mark 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Mark 10:21 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.

Mark 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Mark 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And he answered and said unto him..." into verse 22's "And he was sad at that saying...", so "jesus" and "beholding" 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 "beholding" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.