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The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 38 – Mark 10

[ 0 ] August 18, 2009 | stephenlawes

In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.

Mark 10:1-52 (NIV)
1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied. 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” 13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. 17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard 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 man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” 32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “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?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

In Mark 10 Jesus continue to teach His disciples, and in this chapter He warns them about spiritual traps that have been fallen into by “religious” people throughout time.

Mark 10:1-16

In this section of the chapter Jesus warns against legalism. The Pharisees are at it again, trying to test and discredit Jesus. Their question this time…

“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

If Jesus says no, it would seem as though He were speaking against the Law of Moses. If He says yes, He would be contradicting His teaching on commitment to a permanent relationship.

Of course, Jesus never falls for their traps. Instead He reveals the condition of their sin hardened hearts.
The Pharisees believed that the Law was “the” standard of perfection. They believed that following the law would provide them salvation.

Jesus offers a different look at the law. He says, “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law.” Jesus went on to teach that if you look back to creation you can see that God’s intention was for marriage to be a lifelong commitment.

It is only because our hearts have been hardened by sin and warped and distorted the most intimate of relationships that Moses permitted divorce.

God was willing to LOWER His standards to make a way for hard hearted human beings with a way to escape a destructive marriage. In effect, the divorce law of Moses proved that the Law was not the IDEAL standard that they believed it to be. In fact, the Law involved a lowering of God’s standards to allow for people who all fall short of the ideal. This realization is what causes us to realize our need for a Savior. We can never be good enough even if we were able to completely follow the Law, because the Law falls short of the ideal.

In a separate discussion with His disciples Jesus again says it is an issue of a hardened heart where the law on divorce was being used simply to change an older mate in on a new model. This action amounts to adultery.

There is another little story about legalism in this first section. It has to do with the children. When Jesus says that the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these and that “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” He is challenging the Pharisees and their legalistic view point. In Judaism a “little child” was not considered to be under the Law until their thirteenth birthday. Only then could they begin to relate to God through the Law. When Jesus says that we need to receive the kingdom like a “little child”, it was a rejection of the Law as a way of entering God’s kingdom. It pointed to to need to rely instead on the love and grace of God as children did.

Mark 10:17-34

The statement that Jesus makes about only God being good is a direct assault on humanism. Apart from God, nothing that we do is GOOD. Humanism seeks goodness in human motives and actions, without realizing that only God is good.

Jesus attempts to help this young man see the error for himself. He asks the young man questions about the commands listed on the second tablet. (Moses came down the mountain with two tablets, the first tablet contained commands that related to loving God, the second tablet contained commands related to loving other human beings).

Jesus asked only about the commandments from the second tablet as He spoke of murder, commit adultery, stealing, giving false testimony, honoring mother and father. This, the young man said, he had done since he was a boy.

This young man was not lying. He had been a truly good person. “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”
Then Jesus spoke to the problem, this good young man couldn’t handle the first command on the first tablet.
“You shall have no other gods before Me” He chose money over God. The disciples were shocked because they believed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing. Jesus tells His disciples that nothing is better than a relationship with God.

Mark 10:35-45

Another stumbling block for the religious is authoritarianism. Jesus teaches His disciples that in the Kingdom of God those that are in authority do not Lord it over others, authority in the Kingdom of God is demonstrated by service.

Mark 10:46-52

In the story of Bartimaeus we are reminded that it is in Christ that we are able to SEE what the Kingdom of God is like and how what really matters is a relationship with God based on His grace, not on the authoritarian, humanistic, legalistic approach to life presented by the Pharisees.

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The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 38 – Mark 10 | Internet Pastor Online | Ministry of Encouragement

The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 38 – Mark 10

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