Tyndale Open Study NotesMark 10

This section is the second cycle (see study note on 8:27–9:1) containing:

• a prediction about the suffering of Jesus (9:30–32),

• an error by the disciples (9:33–34), and

• teaching about discipleship (9:35–10:31).

The Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce because they wanted to trap him. Divorce was already a debated issue among the Jews (see 2:16, 18, 24; 7:5; 8:11; 12:13). John the Baptist was executed by order of Herod Antipas. John had publicly said that Herod’s marriage to Herodias was unlawful because she had been his brother’s wife (6:18–19). The Jewish historian Josephus says that John was killed near this area, east of the Jordan River, at Herod Antipas’s fortress called Machaerus (see 6:28; Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.2).

If Jesus agreed with John, the Pharisees could accuse him before Herod. But if Jesus said divorce was lawful, he would seem to disagree with a prophet.

Jesus answered the trick question of the Pharisees with a counter-question. Instead of replying directly, he asked them a question in return (see Matthew 22:20).

The Pharisees quoted what Moses permitted. There was much debate among rabbis as to what constituted the "some indecency" that made divorce permissible (see Deuteronomy 24:1). 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).

God allowed divorce because people’s hearts were hard, meaning they would not obey God. But the passages that Jesus quotes from the law of Moses show God’s true plan for marriage (Genesis 1:27; 2:23–24; see also Malachi 2:16). These passages show that God values marriage. In marriage, a man and woman form a new union, and the two become one. People should not go against God’s will by separating what God has joined together.

Jesus often explained his teaching to his disciples in the privacy of a house (see 7:17; 9:28, 33).

Whoever divorces … and marries another … commits adultery: The parallel in Luke 16:18 agrees with Mark and mentions no exceptions to this prohibition of divorce. But Matthew's passage allows an exception when one spouse commits adultery (Matthew 19:9; see also 5:32). The apostle Paul also allows an exception if an unbelieving spouse leaves the marriage (1 Corinthians 7:15).

Mark’s account focuses on the main teachings about marriage and divorce:

• God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16),

• marriage is meant to last for life, and

• divorce goes against God’s purpose for marriage.

The love and concern Jesus has for children can already be seen in 5:41–43, 9:36–37, and 42. Jesus uses this event to teach that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children.

• We cannot determine the children's ages from this passage. The Greek word paidia can refer to a wide range of ages, from a twelve-year-old child to an eight-day-old infant (5:41–42; Genesis 17:12, Greek version).

• The disciples rebuked those who brought them: See study note on Luke 18:15–17.

Mark does not explain which qualities of children make them fit for the kingdom of God. Matthew 18:4–5 suggests that these qualities include humility and a simple trust in receiving what is given.

The story of the rich man continues the themes of discipleship that began in 9:33 and the requirements for entering the kingdom of God (10:13–16). The rich man’s attitude is very different from the humble, childlike faith needed to enter the kingdom of God.

The rich man (10:22) was a young ruler (Matthew 19:20; Luke 18:18). He showed respect toward Jesus by kneeling and calling him Good Teacher.

Teacher is a common title for Jesus in Mark (see Mark 4:38; 5:35; 9:17, 38; 10:20, 35; 12:14, 19, 32; 13:1; 14:14). The addition of good is unique.

Jesus replied. "No one is good except God alone.": This response has troubled interpreters for centuries. Jesus was likely correcting the man’s casual use of the word good for a human being. Perfect goodness belongs to God alone.

Jesus was not denying his own goodness. Instead, he wanted to direct the man’s attention to God. The rich man wanted to enter the kingdom of God, and Jesus contrasted God’s goodness with the man’s own sinfulness.

This reply may sound strange to Christians who know Paul’s teaching on this subject (for example, Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16). In naming five of the Ten Commandments, Jesus was not implying that the man could earn eternal life by keeping them. Instead, he was telling him what God’s standards are and letting the man examine his own life.

To truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31), we must:

• trust in God's grace,

• receive the sacrificial death of Jesus for us (Mark 10:45; Mark 14:24), and

• obey his commands (John 15:10; 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:22).

The man's reply showed a lack of understanding about what it really means to keep these commands (see Matthew 5:21–48), but it was not arrogant. The absence of any criticism supports this (compare Mark 12:13–17; Matthew 23:1–36).

• 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; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:5).

  Entering the kingdom of God requires repentance (Mark 1:15; 6:12). Jesus helped this man to understand exactly what repentance meant 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 deep love for God to gain eternal life. He must deny himself and love God first by giving away his money (8:34).

  For other commands with a negative (sell everything) and a positive (follow Me) element, see 1:15, 18, 20; 10:28; see also Acts 2:38; 20:21.

• The command Jesus gave to the rich man was not a strict rule for everyone entering the kingdom of God, but was specific to his situation. It teaches that nothing should come before God. Repentance requires removing anything we place above God (Mark 1:15; 6:12).

Mark records the rich man’s tragic choice. The man departed, still possessing his earthly riches (Matthew 6:19) but lacking eternal treasure (13:44–46). His expression was saddened and in sorrow. This revealed he knew his awful choice brought him no joy.

Jesus surprised the disciples by challenging the common belief that wealth was a sign of God's favor.

When the disciples were amazed, Jesus spoke to them with care and called them children.

• Jesus strongly warned that riches can keep people from entering the kingdom of God. In Palestine, the camel was the largest animal, and the eye of a needle was the smallest opening. Jesus used this picture to show how difficult it is for rich people to follow him.

  Even so, some rich people did follow Jesus. Still, more of the followers of Jesus came from the poor than from the rich.

• Some people say that the eye of the needle was a small gate in Jerusalem’s wall. But this explanation is not convincing. There is no evidence that such a gate ever existed. It also ignores how Jesus commonly used hyperbole (intentional exaggeration for emphasis) in his teaching (see also Matthew 7:3–5; 23:24).

They were even more astonished: Many people believed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing and that rich people could use their money to do good deeds. Because of this, people often assumed that the rich had a better chance of entering the kingdom of God. So the disciples’ question was understandable. But God’s view was very different from the common thinking of their time.

People usually interpret this verse 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 (see Ephesians 2:8–10).

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.

The disciples had done what Jesus told the rich man to do. They had given up everything to follow Jesus (1:16–20; 8:34–38).

• Jesus assured his disciples that they would receive whatever they had given up for him many times over. This includes a new family in Christ (brothers and sisters and mothers and children) and Christian hospitality (houses).

• a hundredfold: The benefits of following Jesus are far greater than any loss. And in the world to come they will inherit the eternal life that the rich man desired but did not receive.

But many who are first: The account ends with a proverb, contrasting the way that God understands life and how people generally understand it (for similar sayings, see Matthew 20:16; Luke 13:30). For those with eyes to see and ears to hear (Mark 4:9–12; 8:18), the kingdom of God has already come. The overturning of this world’s values has begun.

The disciples’ amazement and the people’s fear made them worried about what would happen next. The religious leaders in Jerusalem were already hostile toward Jesus (see 3:22–30; 7:1–13).

Jesus took the disciples aside again and described the coming events in more detail than before (see also 8:31; 9:31). He knew what was about to happen. What awaited him in Jerusalem was not a tragedy or an accident, but part of God’s plan (see 8:31–33; Acts 4:27–28). As the Son of God, Jesus understood that he would die a unique death as the Savior of the world.

• The leading priests and the teachers of the law were the human means by which God’s plan was carried out through their hatred of Jesus.

• The Jewish leaders did not have authority to carry out capital punishment (the death penalty) under Roman rule (John 18:31). So they handed Jesus over to the Romans, who carried out the execution.

After Jesus predicts his suffering for the third time (10:32–33), the disciples fail again (see 8:31–33; 9:31–34). The first part of the account involves the foolish request of James and John (10:35–37). Jesus responds to them (10:38–40). Then Jesus explains to the other disciples what greatness and leadership in the kingdom of God mean (10:41–44).

Jesus gave the greatest example of humble service(10:45). This example concludes the account.

The brothers' request shows that James and John knew Jesus was the Christ (see 8:29; 9:2–8). However, they completely misunderstood what it meant to be a leader in God’s kingdom (10:41–45).

• You do not know what you are asking: To share in his glory, they must also share in his suffering as servants.

• drink the cup: Drinking from a cup often represents suffering and death (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15; 49:12; Lamentations 4:21; see also Mark 14:24, 36).

• The baptism of suffering points back to the full commitment Jesus showed to God’s calling at his baptism. It also points to the believer’s union with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 2:12).

James and John truly experienced suffering for Jesus. James died for his faith (Acts 12:1–5). 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 the death of Jesus. No believer can die the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for the world's sins (Mark 10:45) or experience the unique suffering he experienced on the cross (15:34).

Jesus did not grant their request. These places belong to those for whom God the Father has prepared them (see also 13:32).

the ten … became indignant: Perhaps they wanted the special places requested by James and John for themselves. All of the disciples needed a new understanding of what leadership in God’s kingdom means (10:42–45).

the rulers of the Gentiles: The unbelieving world (the rulers in this world) thinks that leadership means dominating others. Just as the role of Jesus as Messiah and Son of God meant suffering and death (8:31; 9:31; 10:32–34, 45), being his follower involves serving others, not ruling over them (9:35; John 10:11).

• 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 phrase for many likely refers to Isaiah 53:12, where many means all (compare Romans 5:15, 18–20). The death of Jesus was for all humanity. Later, Jesus would speak of his blood as being "poured out for many" (Mark 14:24).

The healing of blind Bartimaeus is the last healing miracle in the Gospel of Mark. This event and the healing of the blind man in 8:22–26 frame this section (see Mark Book Introduction, “Literary Features”).

It also connects this story to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as Israel’s Messiah (the Christ, God's chosen king) in 11:1–11. Bartimaeus’ cry for help (Jesus, Son of David) prepares Mark's audience for the confession of the people upon the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem (11:10).

• they came to Jericho: The journey Jesus began in 10:1 was nearing its end. Jericho was the last major city in the Jordan River Valley before Jerusalem. It may be the oldest continuously occupied city in the world.

  In the time of Jesus, it was no longer located on the much smaller site of Old Testament times (Tell es-Sultan). It had been moved and become much larger. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was steep, with an elevation change of about 1,000 meters (3,000 feet).

• The large crowd following Jesus might have been fellow travelers going to Jerusalem for Passover. But the crowd also showed how popular and influential Jesus had become.

• A blind beggar … was sitting beside the road: This was a good place to collect gifts of money from religious travelers going to Jerusalem.

• When he heard: News of Jesus had reached Jericho, just as it had spread into Gentile regions (3:8).

• Jesus, Son of David: Mark does not explain how Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was a descendant of David. He may have believed that Jesus was the Messiah. However, Bartimaeus did not connect this title with political or military hopes, as many people in that time did.

  Instead, he understood that Jesus cared for the poor, disabled, lame, and blind. So he asked Jesus for mercy and healing (10:51). This matched how Jesus understood his own mission (compare Luke 4:18–19).

Bartimaeus probably threw off his coat because he was so happy. It could also be a symbolic act of leaving his old life or leaving all to follow Jesus.

"let me see again.": Bartimaeus's request showed his faith. Without faith, he might have just asked for charity. The stories he heard about Jesus encouraged him to cry out for the miracle of sight.

Christ rewarded the man's faith and healed him (literally saved; see 5:23, 28, 34; 6:56; Matthew 9:22; Luke 8:48). The healing was performed without touch, in contrast to the healing of the blind man in Mark 8:22–26. Bartimaeus followed Jesus (see also 1:18; 2:14–15; 6:1; 8:34; 10:21, 28, 32) down the road (compare 1:2–3; 10:32).