Mark 10:24

‘And the disciples were amazed at his words.'

Why were the disciples amazed? Because they had still not learned the lesson that what was important in the world was not important to God. They probably thought that riches enabled men to give generously, gave them position in the synagogue and made them more capable of doing good. It gave them a decided advantage. That was because in spite of all that Jesus had taught them they still thought that eternal life could be earned. They failed to see that when men did the things that we have described their hearts were often not right, and that meanwhile they failed in so much of what they ought to have done, for they lacked compassion and mercy. And His disciples were also astonished that Jesus seemed even to pity such rich men.