And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
The Rich Young Man
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he 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 said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
The Request of James and John
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 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 at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10 ESV
Mark 10
As was His custom, He taught them - We are not born with the information Jesus has, and so it will not be found inside ourselves. He also took the time in His teaching to correct the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees as we will see.
Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife - Commentators point out that the area Jesus is in was ruled by Herod, who had divorced his own wife to take his brother's wife. John the Baptist taught against this form of divorce and for that was put in jail. Herod's wife so hated her sin being pointed out that she had the Baptist killed. In every age there are things that God calls sin that the culture says is not, and in every age there are false teachers who are more than willing to accommodate itching ears. They are not asking Jesus this question because they want to know the answer and live according to the Word of God, but rather to put Jesus at odds with those who disagree with His answer. The majority of people preferred the teachings of the Sadducees and liberal Pharisees who allowed men to put away their wives for as little as burning the toast at breakfast, or because they found someone they were more attracted to.
What did Moses command you - Jesus doesn't take them back to their custom, not what their Scribes say, but what does God's word say, for that was given to Moses.
Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce - This was not a command to divorce, but an allowance to the reality of divorce. The Pharisees leave out the part of the man doing this (Deut. 24:1) because he has found some indecency in her. This was short of adultery because that was a stoning offence in Moses' time, but now they were under Roman rule so death sentences would be under the authority of Rome.
MacArthur adds that the Pharisees "camped on the word “indecency” (in Dt 24:1) and, as noted earlier in this chapter, expanded it to mean virtually anything they desired. There is, however, no command or explicit permission given to divorce anywhere in this passage; it merely describes a situation in which a man gets married, decides he does not like his wife, divorces her, and she marries someone else. The sole command is in Dt 24:4: In such cases “her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife.” Far from commanding or even permitting divorce, this injunction merely forbids a man to remarry a woman that he has divorced who has then been married to someone else. The passage recognizes and regulates the reality of divorce without condoning or condemning it. The Hebrew word translated “indecency” literally means “nakedness,” not in a physical sense but in the sense of something shameful. The same word is used in Deuteronomy 23:14 to describe things in the camp of Israel that the holy God must not see. The term does not refer to adultery, the only biblical grounds for divorce, but to sinful behavior short of adultery. It describes things that violate normal social responsibility and behavior in a civilized culture and hence are disrespectful of others. The word certainly cannot be extrapolated to mean anything that a man disliked about his wife, as the Pharisees were doing. (MNTC-Mark) - J Mac
Because of your hardness of heart - Divorce protected the unloved from the unforgiving, but also in the case of adultery it protects the hurt from the unrepentant. If someone is confronted about their cheating but will not stop then the innocent man or woman should go to the elders, and if the cheater is still unwilling to repent then the innocent is free to leave and file a certificate of divorce. Jesus makes an appeal to original intent, in that this was in no way God's design, but a result of man stepping away from God's institution of marriage, a result of his fallen nature. He also makes clear that when a man leaves a woman to marry another woman that this is adultery, the divorce certificate and the new marriage ceremony do not remove or cover the sin.
…27and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.… Ephesians 5: 27-29
…38So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better. 39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. 40In my judgment, however, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.… 1 Corinthians 7: 38-40
…15Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. 16“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith. 17You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?” By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”… Malachi 2: 15-17
Like a child - A child has a parent, and the child is to learn from and do as the parent directs. We must become like this as followers of Christ.
Ray Pritchard - Jesus is the little child’s best friend. His blessing has brought its benediction wherever his name has been heard. Christianity has always been the religion that safeguarded the rights of children. Wherever the gospel goes . . . it honors families . . . it ennobles motherhood . . . it protects and preserves the place of children. Where Christ is known and trusted and followed, and where his example is the model, there infancy is sacred and children are safe. - Precept Austin
Why do you call Me good - There is only One Who is good, and that is God, because all mankind has fallen short of this, has smashed the image of God in humanity by going the way of sin. Jesus gives a subtler glimpse of Who He is, but who here in this crowd would dare say that out loud?
All these I have kept from my youth - The man had kept the outward appearances of the law, but Jesus looks straight into His heart. It says, "Jesus looking at him, loved him", so the young ruler was not without sincerity, Jesus was not without compassion, but remember the man said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He came of his own self righteousness and then asked for another work. It is like the Roman Catholic system of Rosaries, Hail Mary's and pilgrimages, what must I do? He is a man of great means so he can afford to do a lot, and Jesus looks at what he really trusts, what he really puts the most stock in, maybe even unbeknownst to him before this challenge. He tells him to sell all he has and give it to the poor. Jesus ask him for everything, but Jesus doesn't need it so he tells him to give it to the poor. This is his call to discipleship, to the reality that you don't even own your life, and that riches are fleeting, it is the call of obedience, Jesus as Lord. He went away sorrowful, he trusted in his riches more than in Christ. His money and possessions were his master. It wasn't a call to philanthropy to enter the kingdom, but a willingness to leave everything temporal for all that is eternal. The man held his spec of dust and watched eternity slip away.
Camel to go through the eye of a needle - Macarthur points out that this came from a Persian colloquialism that used an elephant. A camel was the largest animal common to the area of Israel so it was adapted this way. Others have tried to dilute the saying down, but they are probably Arminian and wanting to downplay that Jesus is saying it is impossible. You can't buy your way in and salvation is of the Lord, faith is a gift from God as well.
MacArthur -Some, unwilling to face the stark reality that the saying implies, have attempted to soften it. Noting the similarity between the Greek words kamelos (camel) and kamilos (a large rope or cable), some suggest that a copyist erred by substituting the former for the latter. It is unlikely, however, that all three Synoptic Gospels would have been changed in the same way. Nor would a scribe make the statement harder rather than easier. He might change the wording from “camel” to “cord,” but not from “cord” to “camel.” But even a rope could no more go through the eye of a needle than a camel could. Others imagine that the reference is to a small gate [in] Jerusalem’s wall that camels could only enter with great difficulty. But there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed. Nor would any person with common sense have attempted to force a camel through such a small gate even if one had existed; they would simply have brought their camel into the city through a larger gate. The obvious point of that picturesque expression of hyperbole is not that salvation is difficult, but rather that it is humanly impossible for everyone by any means, including the wealthy (MNTC- Luke) - Precept Austin
Son of man will be delivered - Jesus is letting them know for the third time that He must die.
James and John - In other gospel accounts their approach is through their mother. Mark goes directly to the requests of the Sons of Thunder. They think they are ready to drink Christ's cup, and they will know some of it through persecution and James by martyrdom, but it is Christ's death that they must believe in, His blood that goes to their account. He is the acceptable sacrifice.
Bartimaeus - Bar means "son of".
Son of David - He refers to Christ in Messianic terms. He is blind but already sees more than the religious rulers do.
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