Mark · chapter 10 of 16
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Mark 10 gathers Jesus' teaching on the way to Jerusalem: God's purpose for marriage, the welcome of children, the rich man who cannot leave his wealth, the third announcement of his death, the lesson on serving and giving his life as a ransom, and the healing of blind Bartimaeus at Jericho.
Jesus has left Galilee and is heading for Jerusalem. In Mark 10 he teaches his disciples what life in God's kingdom looks like in concrete matters: marriage, children, money and power. The chapter ends with the healing of a blind man who then follows him, a picture of the disciple who sees and walks with Jesus.
In Judea and beyond the Jordan, the Pharisees test Jesus by asking whether it is lawful to divorce. He takes them back to the beginning: God made them male and female, so a man leaves his father and mother and the two become one flesh, and what God has joined together, let no one separate. At home, Jesus tells the disciples that whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery, and the same applies to a woman.
People bring children to him to touch, and the disciples rebuke them. Jesus is indignant, says to let the children come because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these, and that whoever does not receive it like a child will not enter it. He takes them in his arms and blesses them.
A rich man runs to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminds him of the commandments; he says he has kept them since his youth. Jesus looks at him with love and says he lacks one thing: to sell what he has, give to the poor and follow him. The man goes away sad, for he had great possessions. Jesus says it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples are amazed and ask who can be saved; Jesus replies that for people it is impossible, but not for God. Peter notes that they have left everything, and Jesus promises reward and eternal life.
On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus announces a third time his betrayal, death and resurrection. James and John ask to sit at his right and left in glory; the other ten become indignant. Jesus teaches that whoever wants to be great must be a servant, for the Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. At Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, cries out to Jesus as Son of David; many rebuke him, but he cries out all the more. Jesus calls him, asks what he wants and heals him, and Bartimaeus follows him on the road.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jesus declares that what God has joined together, no one should separate. He takes the teaching on marriage back to God's original purpose in creation.
Jesus is indignant with the disciples and says to let the children come, for the kingdom of God belongs to those like them. To receive the kingdom like a child is to receive it as a gift, with no merit of one's own.
Jesus looks at the rich man with love and points out what he lacks: letting go of his wealth, helping the poor and following him. His invitation is loving, but it demands total trust in him.
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. It is one of the clearest summaries of his mission and of the meaning of the cross.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To the beginning of creation: God made them male and female, and the two become one flesh. — Mark 10:6-8
Answer: He was indignant and said to let the children come, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. — Mark 10:13-14
Answer: To sell what he had, give to the poor and follow him. — Mark 10:21
Answer: That for people it is impossible, but not for God, for all things are possible with God. — Mark 10:26-27
Answer: To sit one at his right and one at his left in his glory. — Mark 10:35-37
Answer: To receive his sight. — Mark 10:51
Mark 10 touches concrete areas of life. In a Sunday school class you can pray for marriages, with respect and without judgment, and remember that God's purpose is faithfulness and unity. You can also ask what place we give children in our church: do we hinder them or welcome them as Jesus did?
The story of the rich man does not condemn the wealthy, but it does warn that any possession can take God's place. And the service Jesus teaches takes the cross as its model: to be great in the kingdom is to be a servant. Bartimaeus, who would not be silenced, encourages us to keep calling on Jesus even when others try to quiet us.
Mark 10 ends with Bartimaeus following Jesus on the road, now close to Jerusalem. In Mark 11 Jesus enters the city riding a colt, cleanses the temple and faces the question about his authority.
Jesus takes his hearers back to God's original design, which joins two people in one flesh, and presents divorce as a concession to hardness of heart. Christians who respect the Bible differ on how it applies to cases such as abandonment, abuse or unfaithfulness; congregations need to handle each case with truth and compassion.
It is a deliberately exaggerated picture saying that it is humanly impossible for someone trusting in riches to enter the kingdom. Jesus' conclusion is that salvation is God's work, for whom all things are possible, and not human merit.
A ransom was the payment that freed a slave or a captive. Jesus uses this picture to say that his death frees others, paying a price they cannot pay. For many expresses the breadth of what his sacrifice accomplishes.