What things are sacred to us? Is marriage sacred? Are children sacred? Is material wealth a sacred idol or just a tool by which we serve others? Are titles and positions sacred idols to us, or do we serve quietly without tooting our horns? Do we treat the needy as sacred to God? Let’s examine these things in Mark 10.
This time in Judea did Pharisees there also try to test Jesus? What was His answer?
Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:1-3 NKJV)
What overriding principle did Jesus teach? As Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one, are husband and wife also one flesh?
They said, “Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mark 10:4-9 WEB Genesis 1:27; 2:24)
What did Jesus teach about remarriage after such a divorce? Do most Christians ignore this?
Inside the house, the disciples asked him again about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if a wife divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:10-12 CEB)
What did Jesus teach about the place of children? Was Jesus angry about preventing little children coming to Him? Did He bless them?
Some people brought their children to Jesus so he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16 CEV)
What did Jesus say about the commandments? Did He even mention the Sabbath?
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?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 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.’” (Mark 10:17-19 ESV)
What command did Jesus give beyond these? How did the man respond? Was this a call that other of Jesus’ disciples had answered?
He said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. (Mark 10:20-22 HCSB)
Do rich people have a huge potential problem? Do we trust in our wealth, whether large or small?
Then Jesus looked around and told his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were startled by these words, but Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their wealth to get into the kingdom of God! It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23-25 ISV)
Is it still possible for a rich person to be saved? What did Jesus say?
And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:26-27 KJV)
Had the disciples left everything to follow Jesus? How did Jesus answer them? How does this apply? Do any of us really “own” our properties or do we merely rent them from God for a short lifetime? Do we put them to God’s purposes and share them, showing Christian hospitality to God’s faithful servants?
Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 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 farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” (Mark 10:28-31 LSB)
What shocking prediction did Jesus then tell them? Was it about His suffering?
Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.” (Mark 10:32-34 NASB)
Did James and John reveal their ambitions? Do we still find that attitude in churches?
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:35-38 NIV)
How did Jesus respond to their overconfidence? Are we overconfident?
They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.” (Mark 10:39-40 NKJV)
What attitude exhibits true leadership? Is it service behind the scenes?
When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:41-45 NLT)
How did the disciples treat a street beggar? How did Jesus treat him? How do we treat beggars on the street?
They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 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!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still, and said, “Call him.” They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!” He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. (Mark 10:46-50 WEB)
What did Jesus do for him? Whose faith healed him?
Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way. (Mark 10:51-52 CEB)
What things are sacred to us? Is marriage sacred? Are children sacred? Is material wealth a sacred idol or just a tool by which we serve others? Are titles and positions sacred idols to us, or do we serve quietly without tooting our horns? Do we treat the needy as sacred to God? You decide!
