Mark 10:1-31

1Then Jesus left that place and he went to Judea. He went across to the east side of the Jordan River. Crowds of people came to him again. So he taught them, as he usually did.

2Some Pharisees came to Jesus. They wanted to find out how he would answer their question. They asked him, ‘Can a man send his wife away, so that she is no longer his wife? Is it right for him to do that?’

3Jesus replied with a question: ‘What did Moses say was right for you?’

4The Pharisees said, ‘Moses said that a man could write a letter to say that he and his wife are no longer married. Then the man can send the woman away.’

5Jesus said to them, ‘You did not want to obey God. That is why Moses made this rule for you.

6But at the start, when God made the world, he made people male and female.

7That is the reason that a man leaves his father and his mother. Then God joins him and his wife together.

8The man and the woman become like one body. They are not two separate people any longer. They have come together as one person.

9God has put them together to be husband and wife. So nobody should cause them to be separate.’

10When Jesus went into the house, the disciples asked him about these things again.

11So Jesus said to them, ‘A man must not send his wife away and then marry another woman. If he does that, he has not been faithful to his wife. It is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife.

12In the same way, a woman must not leave her husband and then marry another man. She also has done a wrong thing. It is the same as if she had sex with another woman's husband.’

13People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on each child's head. The disciples told the people that they should not do that.

14But when Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to them, ‘Do not stop the children. Let them come to me. People must become like these children so that God can rule their lives. That is what the kingdom of God is like.

15I tell you this: A person must become like a little child for God to rule in his life. If he does not become like a child, he will not come into the kingdom of God.’

16Then Jesus took hold of the children. He put his hands on each of them and he asked God to bless them.

17While Jesus was starting on his journey, a man ran to him. He went down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said to Jesus, ‘Good teacher, what must I do so that I can live with God for ever?’

18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you say that I am good? Only God is good. Nobody else.

19You know God's rules: “Do not kill anyone. Do not have sex with anyone who is not your wife. Do not rob anyone. Do not say things that are not true about people. Do not take things that are not yours. Love your father and your mother, and obey them.” ’

20‘Teacher,’ the man replied, ‘I have obeyed all these laws since I was a young man.’

21Jesus looked at the man and Jesus loved him. Jesus said to him, ‘There is still just one thing that you must do. Go now. Sell everything that you have. Then give the money to poor people. If you do that, you will have many valuable things in heaven. Then come back and be my disciple.’

22When the man heard that, his face became sad. He was a very rich man. Because of that, he went away and he was very sad.

23Jesus looked round and he said to his disciples, ‘It is very difficult for rich people to let God rule in their lives.’

24They were very surprised about Jesus' words. Jesus spoke again to them: ‘My friends, it is very difficult for anyone to let God rule in their life.

25The hole in a needle is very small. A camel cannot go through it! But it is even more difficult than that for a rich person to let God rule in their life.’

26Then Jesus' disciples were even more surprised. They said to each other, ‘So perhaps God will not save anyone!’

27Jesus looked at them and he replied, ‘For people, it really is impossible. But God can do it. God can do everything.’

28Peter said to Jesus, ‘Look! We have left everything that we had. Now we are your disciples.’

29Jesus said, ‘I tell you this: Some people have left their homes. Or they may have left their brothers or sisters. Or they may have left their mother or their father. Or they may have left their children or their fields. They have done that because of me. And they have done it because of God's good news.

30Now, in this world, God will give those people many more things than they have left behind, even 100 times more! Yes, they will receive houses and brothers and sisters. They will receive mothers and children and fields. As well as all this, people will be against them. But in the future world, they will live for ever with God.

31But many people who are very important now will not be important then. And people who are not important now will become very important then.’