Mark 10
CHAPTER 10
Teaching about divorce
And he left there and went into the regions of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Crowds gathered around him again, and as was his custom he taught them. 2 And there came to him Pharisees, who asked him: Is it lawful for a man to send away his wife? They asked this to test him. 3 And he answered and said to them: What did Moses command you? 4 And they said: Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorcement and to send her away. 5 But Jesus said to them: For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of the creation: Male and female made He them. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cling to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh; so that they are no more two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, do not let man divide.
10 And in the house the disciples asked him about this matter. 11 And he said to them: Whoever shall send away his wife and marry another, commits adultery against her. 12 And if she herself shall send away her husband and marry another, she commits adultery.
13 And they were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them: Permit the little children to come to me; forbid them not. For to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no way enter into it. 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.
The rich young man
17 And as he was proceeding along the road, a man ran to him and kneeled before him, and asked him: Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said to him: Why do you call me good? None is good save one- God. 19 You know the commandments: Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honour your father and mother. 20 And he said to him: Teacher, all these things have I observed from my youth. 21 And Jesus observing him, loved him; and said to him: One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. 22 But this teaching saddened him, and he went away sorrowful. For he was one that had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples: How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus continued and said to them: Children! How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished exceedingly, saying to him: Then who can be saved? 27 Jesus, observing them, said: With men it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.
28 Peter began to say to him: We have left all, and have followed you. 29 Jesus said: Truly I say to you. Whoever leaves house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands for my sake and for the gospel's sake, 30 will receive in return, in this present season, a hundredfold houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, and with them persecutions; but in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many that are first shall be last and the last, first.
Jesus talks about His death
32 And they were on the road heading up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve aside, he began to tell them what was to happen to him: 33 We will go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. 34 And they shall mock him and shall spit upon him and shall scourge him, and shall kill him; and after three days he shall rise again.
35 And there came near to him James and John, the sons of Zebedee, saying to him: Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we shall ask of you. 36 And he said to them: What would you wish that I should do for you? 37 And they said to him: Grant to us that we may sit, one on your right hand and one on your left hand, in your glory. 38 But Jesus said to them: You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? Or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said to him: We are able! And Jesus said to them: The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. 40 But to sit on my right hand or on my left hand is not mine to give; but it will be given to them for whom it has been prepared.
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him, and said to them: You know that they who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not to be so among you; but whoever would become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all; 45 for the Son of Man came not to be served by others, but to serve- and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus heals Bartimaeus
46 And they arrived in Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say: Jesus! You Son of David, have mercy on me! 48 And many rebuked him, saying that he should hold his peace. But he cried out more zealously: You, Son of David, have mercy on me! 49 And Jesus stood still and said: Call him. And they called to the blind man, saying to him: Be of good courage! Rise, he calls for you! 50 And he, casting away his garment, sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said: What will you have me do for you? And the blind man said to him: Rabbi- that I may receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said to him: Go your way. Your faith has made you whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed him in the way.
Commentary
10:9 Husbands and wives can divide what God has joined together in their marriage by arguing, insisting upon their way, criticizing, attachment to other things or partners. But other people can also divide them by things like manipulating one partner against another, poisoning the mind of one against the other etc.
10:14 Those who enter God’s Kingdom will have the characteristics of children- trust, hope, willingness to learn.
10:19 The commandments which Jesus chose to list are all those which can be ticked off as done or not done. The man thought he was legally righteous. But Jesus taught that perfection isn’t a matter of legalistic obedience. It’s about taking up His cross and following Him.
10:21 By giving our wealth to the poor we are as it were transferring that wealth from earth to Heaven. The invitation to take up a cross was shocking to first century people- for death by crucifixion was the death of criminals, and the cross was despised as a symbol of shame. Jesus is asking us to join Him in a condemned man’s last walk to the place of death. Following Him means following Him to death.
10:24 Trusting in riches is paralleled with having riches (v. 23). Having them is the same as trusting in them because this is the very nature of wealth. It’s impossible to have it without trusting in it. Yet despite these grave warnings about the spiritual dangers of wealth, many Christians earnestly desire to have it!
10:30 We receive these blessings in the church now, in fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters there. If we chose not to fellowship with others, or if the church is dysfunctional, then these promised blessings won’t come true.
10:31 Our society is like an elevator; once you get into it, the thrust is always upwards. People want to be upwardly socially mobile, to improve their position, to get ahead in the race. But the further we get ahead now, the further back we will be eternally.
10:35 Again, straight after the prediction of Christ’s death, the disciples start arguing. The message of the cross was so lost on them at that time. And Mark is telling this story to an audience, showing them that the preachers themselves ‘didn’t get it’ initially, and on that humble basis appealing for the hearers to do better than their teachers and ‘get it’ more quickly.
10:40 Not mine- Again we see the subjection of Jesus to the Father.
10:43 So we should be looking for opportunities to serve others every day. “Brother, sister, let me serve you” should be the heartbeat of our daily lives.
10:47 Son of David- He recognized that the promises to David of a future descendant of David who would also be God’s Son had come true in Jesus (2 Sam. 7:12-16).
10:50 His garment was probably his only possession.
