MARK CHAPTER 10
Three Years In.
Pastor Eric J. Hanson
At this point in the series on the Gospel of Mark, we have reached three years into the public ministry of Jesus. He had already been preparing his disciples for ministry without him there, because Jesus knew that he would soon be going to Jerusalem to be illegally tried and then crucified.
In chapter ten several different behavioral and decision matters are dealt with. Jesus also continued to prepare his disciples for his soon coming departure.
A Look at Divorce: (1-12)
1. Jesus again changed location and began to teach a fresh new crowd.
2. The investigation into Jesus’ legitimacy continued.
3-4. First Jesus appealed to Moses and seemed to be going in a conventional direction.
5. This is an interesting insight into the Law. This one must have grabbed everyone’s attention immediately. The Pharisees had no comeback It silenced them.
6-9. God’s perfect plan is spoken here. A man and a woman, committed to each other and to the Lord, actually complete each other and are indeed one. Each one is part of the other. To tear them apart by divorce, is to tear a living thing apart. When sin and its accompanying baggage of seeking to please self, gain the upper hand in the marriage of two believers, and they divorce, the damage is deep and vast.
10-12. Notice that the disciples were still thinking about this. It is not the sort of thing to be quickly forgotten about. Whichever partner divorces the other, if that partner marries another person, they have, thereby, committed adultery against their original wife or husband.
Timely note for November of 2009: “From the beginning God made them Male and Female.” There is no plan b. One man and one woman get married. No other combination is eligible. We must never be ashamed of this. Our culture will attempt to marginalize all who hold to God’s design in this matter. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be hateful to those who believe otherwise, but do stand for the truth.
The Little Children: (13-16)
13. The disciples were of the opinion that children were not important enough for the Lord to spend his limited time with them. Only adults need get in line.
14-15. Jesus’ attitude was entirely different than that. He was about ministering to all people, not just “important” people. The Kingdom belongs to those who trust Jesus, who want to see Jesus, who listen to Jesus.
16. Jesus then practiced what he preached. Every church in existence needs to make reaching out to children and ministering to them a real weighted priority. We at Hosanna Church may be doing better than some at this, but we can do much better yet if the whole church family rises up together, and each part does its part.
The Rich Young Ruler & Related Matters : (17-31)
17. Here is the most important question that anyone can ever ask.
18. Jesus didn’t say “Don’t call me good.” He asked why this young man called him that. This is interesting.
19-20. This young Jewish man affirmed the Law of God and his devotion to it.
21-22. Jesus cut to the chase. The most important thing anyone comes up against when dealing with the question of gaining the Kingdom of God is this: “What in my life is more important to me than doing God’s will?” The answer for this young man at that stage of his life was “his money”. He had great wealth, but that’s not the problem. Abraham had great wealth too, but never let it hold him back from God at all. The problem here is that this young man’s wealth had him!
23-25. This verse is borne out by my own experience. When doing hospital rounds, I find that those who have been highly paid professionals and who have a comfortable life back home, are much slower to want me to pray with them than poor people are. Out in the marketplace of ideas, where the Gospel of Jesus Christ competes against other values systems, those who live comfortably tend to be not very likely to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and to walk with the Lord. People who struggle more with the basics of life, tend to be more open, regardless of intelligence level. Genius level thinkers such as Derek Prince, Charles Colson, and others, came to the Lord in prison, or in combat, or while on the skids.
26-27. Isn’t it good that this matter is not impossible with God. Think of C.S. Lewis. This great Oxford professor and writer came to be a real sold out disciple of Jesus Christ, in spite of already having a good life here on Earth. With God, it does not always take some tragedy to bring even the most highly educated people, or multi-millionaires to genuine saving faith.
28: Peter, perhaps remembering the lucrative family business, spoke for several of the disciples here in mentioning that they had left it all to follow Jesus.
29-33: It’s not just a one way street where we sacrifice. Our God is generous and is a loving Father who sees every tear and every sacrifice made out of love for Him and for people. He places us into a new type of community in the Body of Christ, and he has eternal rewards waiting for all who genuinely follow Him. Note that the Judgment Day will not honor Earthly appearances. Many who seem to be top notch now, will actually be least in the Kingdom, and many hidden saints of the Lord, known only to a few, will be known as great in the eternity to come.
Jesus Brings It Up Again. (32-34)
32. The things Jesus had just taught, were taken very seriously indeed by the disciples, and apparently by much of this crowd. Now they were heading toward Jerusalem.
33-34. This time, when Jesus very plainly stated what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem, no disciple tried to “correct” him. He plainly stated here that he would rise three days after being killed, but later on in the Gospels, the disciples will be clueless about this once again.
Greatness in the Kingdom of God (35-45)
35-37. These guys were looking ahead, but they were still thinking the way we all think naturally. “Wouldn’t be nice to be the King’s pal and have everybody know it! Let’s sew that position up now!”
38-40. Jesus’ reply to them should have stopped them cold in their tracks. He had just described his soon coming condemnation, mocking, being spat upon, flogging, and being killed. Now he has told these ambitious brothers that the same awaits them! The fact that they quickly replied that they could drink the Lord’s cup and be baptized with his coming baptism of persecution and death, shows that they were really not getting it yet. God the Father already knows who will sit next to Jesus in his throne room.
41. The ten also thought just like James and John…
42. This is a perfect description of Worldly power and authority.
43-45. Humility and loving service to all, even to the least, is a key to authority in the Kingdom. It can’t be faked. It only comes from God. To have great power in the Lord’s realm, we must love people, and not love power.
Bartimaeus, the People, and Jesus (46-52)
46-47. Here is the introduction to this man’s sad state and to his hope of getting Jesus’ attention. Notice that he called Jesus “Son of David”, which means the Messiah.
48. Like the disciples with the little children, the awestruck crowd considered Bartimaeus to be a bother, not a priority.
49-50. Jesus did not consider this man to be simply a bother. He valued Bartimaeus the blind beggar.
51. It was important that things be stated, so that there was no confusing any issue.
52. One more time, the miracles of Jesus attested that He is Messiah. As He approached Jerusalem, there was now one more formerly blind man walking with him as living proof of this. The Messiah of Israel was now coming to the Capital City!
