Mark 10
10
Jesus goes from Galilee to Jerusalem
Teaching about divorce
(Matthew 19.1-12; Luke 16.18)
1After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the River Jordan. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them.
2Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. 3Jesus asked them, “What does the Law of Moses say about that?”
4They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away.”#Dt 24.1-4; Mt 5.31.
5Jesus replied, “Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless. 6But in the beginning God made a man and a woman.#Gn 1.27; 5.2. 7That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married.#Gn 2.24. 8He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. 9And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.”
10When Jesus and his disciples were back in the house, they asked him about what he had said. 11He told them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries someone else is unfaithful to his wife.#Mt 5.32; 1 Co 7.10,11. 12A woman who divorces her husband#10.12 A woman who divorces her husband: Roman law let a woman divorce her husband, but Jewish law did not let a woman do this. and marries again is also unfaithful.”
Jesus blesses little children
(Matthew 19.13-15; Luke 18.15-17)
13Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him.
14When 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.#10.14 People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God: Or “The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children.” 15I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”#Mt 18.3. 16Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them.
A rich man
(Matthew 19.16-30; Luke 18.18-30)
17As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, “Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?”
18Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 19You know the commandments. ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’ ”#Ex 20.13; Dt 5.17; Ex 20.14; Dt 5.18; Ex 20.15; Dt 5.19; Ex 20.16; Dt 5.20; Ex 20.12; Dt 5.16.
20The man answered, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.”
21Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, “There's one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me.”
22When the man heard Jesus say this, he went away gloomy and sad because he was very rich.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “It's hard for rich people to get into God's kingdom!” 24The disciples were shocked to hear this. So Jesus told them again, “It's terribly hard#10.24 hard: Some manuscripts add “for people who trust in their wealth”. Others add “for the rich”. to get into God's kingdom! 25In fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God's kingdom.”
26Jesus' disciples were even more amazed. They asked each other, “How can anyone ever be saved?”
27Jesus looked at them and said, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.”
28Peter replied, “Remember, we left everything to be your followers!”
29Jesus told him:
You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the good news 30will be rewarded. In this world they will be given a hundred times as many houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and pieces of land, though they will also be ill-treated. And in the world to come, they will have eternal life. 31But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.#Mt 20.16; Lk 13.30.
Jesus again tells about his death
(Matthew 20.17-19; Luke 18.31-34)
32The disciples were confused as Jesus led them towards Jerusalem, and his other followers were afraid. Once again, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and told them what was going to happen to him. He said:
33We are now on our way to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death and hand him over to foreigners,#10.33 foreigners: The Romans who ruled Judea at this time. 34who will make fun of him and spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.
The request of James and John
(Matthew 20.20-28)
35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, will you do us a favour?”
36Jesus asked them what they wanted, 37and they answered, “When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.”#10.37 right side…left: The most powerful people in a kingdom sat at the right and left side of the king.
38Jesus told them, “You don't really know what you're asking! Are you able to drink from the cup#10.38 drink from the cup: In the Scriptures a “cup” is sometimes used as a symbol of suffering. To “drink from the cup” would be to suffer. that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?”#10.38 as I must be baptized: Baptism is used with the same meaning that “cup” has in this verse.#Lk 12.50.
39“Yes, we are!” James and John answered.
Then Jesus replied, “You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must! 40But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for God to decide.”
41When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John. 42But Jesus called the disciples together and said:#Lk 22.25,26.
You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. 43But don't act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others.#Mt 23.11; Mk 9.35; Lk 22.26. 44And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave. 45The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue#10.45 rescue: The Greek word often, though not always, means the payment of a price to free a slave or a prisoner. many people.
Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus
(Matthew 20.29-34; Luke 18.35-43)
46Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar called Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. 47When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David,#10.47 Son of David: The Jewish people expected the Messiah to be from the family of King David, and for this reason the Messiah was often called the “Son of David”. have pity on me!” 48Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”
49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!”
They called out to the blind man and said, “Don't be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” 50The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus.
51Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man answered, “Master,#10.51 Master: A Hebrew word that may also mean “Teacher”. I want to see!”
52Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.”
Straight away the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.
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Mark 10: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Mark 10
10
Divorce
1-2From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”
3Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”
4They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”
5-9Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
10-12When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”
* * *
13-16The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
To Enter God’s Kingdom
17As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
18-19Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”
20He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”
21Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”
22The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
23-25Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”
26 That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.
27Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”
28Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”
29-31Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”
32-34Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”
The Highest Places of Honor
35James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”
36“What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”
37“Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”
38Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”
39-40“Sure,” they said. “Why not?”
Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”
41-45When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”
* * *
46-48They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”
49-50Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.”
They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.
51Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52“On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.”
In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.