‏ Mark 10

Summary for Mark 10:1-2: 10:1-2  ^a The Pharisees’ question about divorce was much debated in Judaism, but it had a hostile purpose as they tried to trap Jesus (see 2:16  ^b, 18  ^c, 24  ^d; 7:5  ^e; 8:11  ^f; 12:13  ^g). John the Baptist was beheaded over his teaching that Herod Antipas’s divorce and remarriage was unlawful (6:18-19  ^h), and according to the Jewish historian Josephus, John was martyred close to Jesus’ current location east of the Jordan River, at Herod Antipas’s fortress at Machaerus (see 6:28  ⁱ; Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.2). If Jesus answered in agreement with John the Baptist, the Pharisees could indict him before Herod. But if Jesus said that divorce was lawful, he would be contradicting a prophet.
10:3  ^j Jesus answered the Pharisees’ trick question with a counter-question (cp. Matt 22:20  ^k).
10:4  ^l The Pharisees quoted what Moses permitted. There was much debate among rabbis as to what constituted the “something wrong” (see Deut 24:1  ^m) that made divorce permissible. Rabbi Shammai allowed divorce only on the basis of sexual immorality. Rabbi Hillel permitted divorce even if a woman burned her husband’s dinner or was less attractive than someone else (Mishnah Gittin 9:10).
Summary for Mark 10:5-9: 10:5-9  ⁿ God permitted divorce as a concession to the hard hearts of the people. But God’s will is more aptly expressed in the passages that Jesus quotes from the law of Moses (Gen 1:27  ^o; 2:23-24  ^p; see also Mal 2:16  ^q). Jesus shows that God delights in marriage, which is the creation of a new union in which two become one. No one should rebel against God’s will by seeking to split apart what God has united.
10:10  ^r Jesus often explained his teaching to his disciples in the privacy of a house (see 7:17  ^s; 9:28  ^t, 33  ^u).
Summary for Mark 10:11-12: 10:11-12  ^v Whoever divorces ... and marries someone else commits adultery: The parallel in Luke 16:18  ^w agrees with Mark and mentions no exceptions to this prohibition of divorce, while Matthew’s parallel account allows an exception in cases of infidelity (Matt 19:9  ^x; see also Matt 5:32  ^y). Paul also allows an exception if an unbelieving partner deserts the marriage (1 Cor 7:15  ^z). Mark’s account focuses on the core principles—God hates divorce (Mal 2:16  ^aa), marriage is meant to be for life, and divorce betrays the divine purpose of marriage.
Summary for Mark 10:13-16: 10:13-16  ^ab Jesus’ love and concern for children has already been seen in 5:41-43  ^ac; 9:36-37  ^ad, 42  ^ae. Jesus uses the incident to teach that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 10:13  ^af The ages of the children cannot be determined from this passage. The Greek word paidia can refer to a broad spectrum of ages, from a twelve-year-old child (5:41-42  ^ag) down to an eight-day-old infant (Gen 17:12  ^ah, Greek version).

• the disciples scolded the parents: See study note on Luke 18:15-17.
Summary for Mark 10:14-15: 10:14-15  ^ai Mark does not explain what characteristics of children make them fit for the Kingdom of God; Matthew 18:4-5  ^aj suggests that the attributes include humility and the ability to receive things simply.
Summary for Mark 10:17-31: 10:17-31  ^ak The story of the rich man continues the themes of discipleship begun in 9:33  ^al and the requirements for entering the Kingdom of God (10:13-16  ^am). The attitude of the rich man contrasts sharply with the childlike faith necessary for entering the Kingdom of God. 10:17  ^an The rich man (10:22  ^ao) was a young ruler (Matt 19:20  ^ap; Luke 18:18  ^aq) who showed respect toward Jesus by kneeling and calling Jesus Good Teacher. Teacher is a frequent title for Jesus in Mark (see Mark 4:38  ^ar; 5:35  ^as; 9:17  ^at, 38  ^au; 10:20  ^av, 35  ^aw; 12:14  ^ax, 19  ^ay, 32  ^az; 13:1  ^ba; 14:14  ^bb); the addition of good is unique.
10:18  ^bc Jesus’ reply has troubled interpreters for centuries. Jesus was probably objecting to the man’s loose application of the term good to any human being, since ultimate goodness and perfection belong to God alone. Without in any way denying his own goodness, Jesus wanted to focus the rich man’s attention on God. The rich man wanted to enter the Kingdom of God, and Jesus was contrasting God’s goodness with the man’s own human sinfulness.
10:19  ^bd Jesus’ reply seems strange to Christians who are familiar with Paul’s teaching on this subject (e.g., Rom 3:20  ^be; Gal 2:16  ^bf). In naming five of the Ten Commandments Jesus was not implying that the man could earn eternal life by keeping them; he was telling him what God’s standards are and allowing the man to evaluate his own performance. Truly loving God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength, and one’s neighbor as one’s self (Mark 12:30-31  ^bg), requires trusting in God’s grace, accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf (10:45  ^bh; 14:24  ^bi), and keeping his commands (John 15:10  ^bj; 1 Jn 2:4  ^bk; 3:22  ^bl).
10:20  ^bm The man’s reply was naive (as to what it really means to keep these commands; see Matt 5:21-48  ^bn), but it was not arrogant, as the lack of any rebuke indicates (cp. Mark 12:13-17  ^bo; Matt 23:1-36  ^bp).
10:21  ^bq Instead of having an extended discussion about what it means to truly keep the commandments, Jesus focused on the specific issue that revealed this man’s problem. He still lacked one thing: He loved riches more than he loved God, thus breaking the first and most important commandment (12:29-30  ^br; Exod 20:3  ^bs; Deut 6:5  ^bt). Entering the Kingdom of God requires repentance (Mark 1:15  ^bu; 6:12  ^bv), and Jesus helped this man to understand exactly what repentance entailed for him. He did not need, as he might have thought, to attain a higher level of personal righteousness. He needed to enter God’s Kingdom through repentance and wholehearted love for God, thereby obtaining eternal life. He must deny himself (8:34  ^bw) and love God first and foremost by giving away his money. For other commands involving a negative [sell all] and a positive [follow me] element, see 1:15  ^bx, 18  ^by, 20  ^bz; 10:28  ^ca; see also Acts 2:38  ^cb; 20:21  ^cc.

• Jesus’ command to the rich man was not a universal requirement for entering the Kingdom of God but was addressed to his particular situation. It teaches anyone seeking eternal life that nothing else can come before God; repentance (Mark 1:15  ^cd; 6:12  ^ce) requires the removal of anything that we place above God.
10:22  ^cf Mark records the rich man’s tragic choice. The man departed, still possessing his earthly riches (Matt 6:19  ^cg) but lacking eternal treasure (Matt 13:44-46  ^ch). His demeanor (face fell ... sad) showed his awareness that his awful choice had brought him sorrow rather than joy.
Summary for Mark 10:23-27: 10:23-27  ^ci Jesus astounded the disciples by reversing the idea, popular at that time, that riches were a sign of God’s favor.
10:24  ^cj In response to the disciples’ amazement, Jesus addressed them affectionately as dear children.
10:25  ^ck Jesus was emphatically warning that riches are an obstacle to entering the Kingdom of God. The camel was the largest animal in Palestine, the eye of a needle the smallest hole. Some rich people are evidently able to overcome the problem created by riches and follow Jesus, but Jesus’ followers came from among the poor more than from the rich.

• Explanations about a gate in the Jerusalem wall called the “Eye of the Needle” are ill-conceived. There never was such a gate, and this explanation loses sight of Jesus’ frequent use of hyperbole in his teaching (see also Matt 7:3-5  ^cl; 23:24  ^cm).
10:26  ^cn The disciples were astounded: It was generally believed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing that enabled the rich to do good deeds. Accordingly, it was assumed that the rich had an inside track on entering the Kingdom of God. The disciples’ question was natural, given this understanding. God’s assessment was the opposite of their conventional wisdom.
10:27  ^co This verse tends to be interpreted in one of two ways: (1) Although salvation by one’s own effort is impossible, by God’s grace people can be saved through faith (Eph 2:8-10  ^cp). (2) God can give an unusual grace that enables people to overcome their sinful love of riches and believe. Mark does not explain his understanding.
10:28  ^cq The disciples had done what Jesus told the rich man to do—they had given up everything to follow Jesus (1:16-20  ^cr; 8:34-38  ^cs).
Summary for Mark 10:29-30: 10:29-30  ^ct Jesus assured his disciples that they would receive whatever they had given up for him many times over, including a new family in Christ (brothers, sisters, mothers, children) and Christian hospitality (houses).

• a hundred times: What is gained in following Jesus far outweighs any loss. And in the world to come they will inherit the eternal life that the rich man desired but did not receive.
10:31  ^cu But many ... greatest then: The account ends with a proverb, contrasting the way that God understands life and how people generally understand it (for similar sayings, see Matt 20:16  ^cv; Luke 13:30  ^cw). For those with eyes to see and ears to hear (Mark 4:9-12  ^cx; 8:18  ^cy), the Kingdom of God has already come, and the overturning of this world’s values has begun.
Summary for Mark 10:32-34: 10:32-34  ^cz The disciples’ awe and the people’s fear cast a dark shadow over what lay ahead, given the hostility of the Jerusalem leaders toward Jesus (see 3:22-30  ^da; 7:1-13  ^db). Taking the disciples aside again, Jesus described the coming events in the greatest detail yet (see also 8:31  ^dc; 9:31  ^dd). He knew what was about to happen; what awaited him in Jerusalem was neither a tragedy nor fate, but God’s will (see 8:31-33  ^de; Acts 4:27-28  ^df). As the Son of God, Jesus had unique knowledge of his upcoming unique death as the Savior of the world.
10:33  ^dg The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were the human agents who fulfilled God’s purpose through their hatred of Jesus.

• They did not have the right of capital punishment (John 18:31  ^dh), so they had to hand Jesus over to the Romans to carry out the actual execution.
Summary for Mark 10:35-45: 10:35-45  ^di Following Jesus’ third prediction of his suffering (10:32-33  ^dj) comes another example of the disciples’ failure (see 8:31-33  ^dk; 9:31-34  ^dl). The first part of the account involves the foolish request of James and John (10:35-37  ^dm) and Jesus’ reply to them (10:38-40  ^dn). Then Jesus explains to the other disciples what greatness and leadership in the Kingdom of God mean (10:41-44  ^do). Jesus’ own supreme example of servanthood (10:45  ^dp) illustrates and concludes this account.
10:37  ^dq The brothers’ request indicates that James and John correctly understood that Jesus was the Messiah (see 8:29  ^dr; 9:2-8  ^ds). However, they completely misunderstood what it meant to be a leader in God’s Kingdom (10:41-45  ^dt).
10:38  ^du The two brothers didn’t know what they were asking: To share in his glory, they must share in his suffering as servants.

• to drink from the bitter cup: Drinking from a cup is often associated with suffering and death (Ps 75:8  ^dv; Isa 51:17  ^dw, 22  ^dx; Jer 25:15  ^dy; 49:12  ^dz; Lam 4:21  ^ea; see also Mark 14:24  ^eb, 36  ^ec).

• The baptism of suffering recalls Jesus’ total commitment to God’s calling at his baptism, and it speaks of the believer’s own baptism into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Rom 6:3-5  ^ed; Col 2:12  ^ee).
10:39  ^ef James and John did indeed drink a bitter cup ... of suffering for Jesus. James died for his faith (Acts 12:1-5  ^eg). John died an old man, having experienced persecution (Tertullian, The Soul 50; Jerome, Commentary on Galatians 6, 10). Yet the death of James and John was not the same as that of Jesus—no believer can die Jesus’ death as a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of the world (Mark 10:45  ^eh) or experience the divine wrath as he did (15:34  ^ei).
10:40  ^ej Whatever James and John would experience, Jesus did not have the authority to grant their request. Only God the Father could (see also 13:32  ^ek).
10:41  ^el the ten other disciples ... were indignant: Perhaps they wanted the special places requested by James and John for themselves. All of Jesus’ disciples needed a new understanding of what leadership in God’s Kingdom means (10:42-45  ^em).
Summary for Mark 10:42-44: 10:42-44  ^en The unbelieving world (the rulers in this world) thinks that leadership means lording it over others. Just as Jesus’ role as Messiah and Son of God meant suffering and death (8:31  ^eo; 9:31  ^ep; 10:32-34  ^eq, 45  ^er), being his follower involves serving others, not ruling over them (9:35  ^es; John 10:11  ^et).
10:45  ^eu Jesus offered his own example to demonstrate what leadership in God’s Kingdom means.

• Jesus understands his death as a ransom. A ransom was a payment made to free a slave or captive.

• The expression for many is probably an allusion to Isa 53:12  ^ev, where many means all (cp. Rom 5:15  ^ew, 18-20  ^ex). Jesus died as the substitute for all. Later, Jesus would speak of his blood as being poured out for many (Mark 14:24  ^ey).
Summary for Mark 10:46-52: 10:46-52  ^ez The healing of blind Bartimaeus is the last healing miracle recorded in Mark. This event and the healing of the blind man in 8:22-26  ^fa form bookends around this section (see Mark Book Introduction, “Literary Features”). It is also a bridge to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as Israel’s Messiah in 11:1-11  ^fb. Bartimaeus’s confession (Jesus, Son of David) prepares the reader for the confession of the people upon Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem (11:10  ^fc). 10:46  ^fd they reached Jericho: The journey Jesus began in 10:1  ^fe was nearing its conclusion. Jericho was the last major city in the Jordan River Valley before Jerusalem. It may be the oldest continually occupied city in the world. In Jesus’ day, it was no longer located on the much smaller site of Old Testament times (Tell es-Sultan) but had been moved and greatly enlarged. The road from Jericho up to Jerusalem was steep, with a difference in elevation of about 3,000 feet (about 1,000 meters).

• The large crowd following Jesus might have been fellow pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for Passover, but they certainly show Jesus’ great popularity and charisma.

• A blind beggar ... was sitting beside the road: This was a good location for collecting alms from religious pilgrims going to Jerusalem.
Summary for Mark 10:47-48: 10:47-48  ^ff Bartimaeus heard: Jesus’ great fame had spread to Jericho, even as it had spread to Gentile areas (3:8  ^fg).

• Jesus, Son of David: Mark does not explain how Bartimaeus knew of Jesus’ Davidic ancestry. Perhaps he knew that Jesus was the Messiah. The blind man, however, did not here associate this title with political or military goals as did the vast majority of people in his day. Instead, Bartimaeus focused on the fact that Jesus was concerned with bringing God’s Kingdom to the poor, maimed, lame, and blind, and he requested mercy and healing (10:51  ^fh)—which was in harmony with Jesus’ own understanding (cp. Luke 4:18-19  ^fi).
10:50  ^fj threw aside his coat: Bartimaeus’s response is best understood as simply a spontaneous act of joy and anticipation rather than as a symbolic casting off of his old way of life or leaving all to follow Jesus.
10:51  ^fk Bartimaeus’s request, I want to see! revealed his faith, without which he might simply have asked for alms. The reports he had heard about Jesus enabled him to cry out for the miracle of sight.
10:52  ^fl The man’s faith was rewarded, and he was healed (literally saved; see 5:23  ^fm, 28  ^fn, 34  ^fo; 6:56  ^fp; Matt 9:22  ^fq; Luke 8:48  ^fr). The healing was performed without touch, in contrast to the healing of the blind man in Mark 8:22-26  ^fs. Bartimaeus followed Jesus (see also 1:18  ^ft; 2:14-15  ^fu; 6:1  ^fv; 8:34  ^fw; 10:21  ^fx, 28  ^fy, 32  ^fz) down the road (cp. 1:2-3  ^ga; 10:32  ^gb).