Commentary in Simple English on the Gospel that Mark wrote

Verses 1-12 Divorce

(See Matthew 5: 31 and 32 and Matthew 19: 1-9; Luke 16: 18.)

The family is important. So this passage about marriage comes close to verses about children (9: 36- 42; 10: 13-16).

Jesus has travelled south from Galilee into Judea. Then he turned east across the Jordan into Perea (verse 1). Herod Antipas ruled this area (6:14). Here John the Baptist had spoken against divorce. Herod had put him in prison and had cut his head off. Perhaps the Pharisees hoped that Jesus would speak out on the question of marriage. Then Herod might also put Jesus to death.

So they come and ask Jesus a question about divorce (verse 2). But Jesus does not want to talk about divorce. He wants to talk about marriage and love (verses 6-8). Afterwards He goes into a house and talks to His followers (verse 10). There he gives them answers about divorce (verses 11 and 12). As in other places, Jesus gives public teaching first. Then He gives private teaching that is plainer. (See 4: 10, for example.) [10.1]

Malachi 3:10-16 is most important if we are to understand what Jesus says here. God wants love and faithfulness between husband and wife. If one partner is not faithful, then there should be forgiveness and a new start before they think about divorce.

The Jews were not agreed among themselves about the grounds for divorce [10.2]. In reply to Jesus' question (verse 3) they say that Moses allowed divorce (verse 4). The Bill of Divorce was to allow time for thought. More important, the divorced woman had proof that her husband had no more rights over her. It was to protect her, not to make it easy for her husband. (See Deuteronomy 24: 1-4.) God is not pleased with hard hearts. He is not pleased with men who look for excuses to divorce their wives. We should not look for ways to make it easy to do so.

Jesus teaches that there are truths that are far older than the Law which God gave to Moses. They go back to Creation, so they apply to all of us not only to the Jews.

We can see these truths in the first few chapters of Genesis: -

What God has done and what He said is even more important than what Moses wrote.

'The more holy married people are, the more happy' (Bishop Ryle). He also says that too few young people invite Christ to their wedding. He gives three rules. We should only marry another Christian and then only after we have prayed about it. We should not expect too much from the coming together of two sinners. We should help each other to become more holy.

It is not only our holiness and happiness that depend on pure sex behaviour. More than ever before, the health of our bodies depends on pure lives as well.

Verses 13-16 Jesus and the children

(See Matthew 19: 13-15 and Luke 18: 15-17.)

Here we find the two subjects, which run through this part of the Gospel. The first is the needs of children. (See 9: 17-27, 36, 37 and 42.) The second is the Kingdom of God. We want to enter the Kingdom. But Jesus says it must enter us. We must receive it (verse 15). 'The Kingdom is that which God gives and that which a man receives'. (W.L.Lane).

It was probably fathers who brought their children to Jesus at this time. Sadly it is so often left to mothers to train their children in the ways of God. There is a great need for fathers to teach their own children and to pray for them. Jesus did as He was asked and laid His hands on the children.

Verses 17-31 The cost of following Jesus

(See also Matthew 19: 16-30; Luke 18: 18-30.) [10.3]

Jesus and His followers (verse 23) are ready to move on. This may be from Perea to Jericho. A young man runs up to Him and falls down on his knees. He honours Jesus when he calls Him 'Good Teacher'. No one has found an example of any other Jewish teacher who was spoken to like that.

We ' inherit' from our parents because we are their sons and daughters. To 'inherit' eternal life we must become children of God (verse 17). Yet Jesus does not make that point. His reply is plain. Jesus does not honour the young man. He wanted to be called 'Noble Ruler'. This was what the young man hoped for from Jesus.

We cannot be sure that Jesus means to say: 'Only God is good. You say I am good. So I must be God'. This would be true but it may not be the meaning (verse 18). We shall see that the young man thinks that he too is good!

Jesus now repeats to him some of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 12-16; Deuteronomy 5: 16-20). Jesus does not say anything about the first four. These have to do with our duty to God. The order is strange. Jesus leaves out the last of the ten. This tells us we must not desire what belongs to our neighbour. Instead Jesus puts in: 'Do not cheat' (verse 19).

The young man would notice that Jesus had left out the tenth Commandment. He knew that Jesus could tell what his weakness was. But he boldly claimed to have obeyed the Law (verse 20). The Jews believed only three men had kept the Law: Abraham, Moses and Aaron. This man says that he thinks he is every bit as good as them. (See Paul's claim in Philippians 3: 6.)

He says that he has done the work that the Law calls him to do. Yet the Law has not done its work in him. He thinks that there is something more that he can do. He does not see that eternal life must be freely given to him by God's grace.

Jesus tells him to sell everything that he has (verse 21). In fact, his land and money has power over him. Jesus tells this man to sell all that he has and to give to the poor. Jesus does not say this to everyone. He does say to everyone: 'Come, follow Me'. He does not say: 'I will show you God's way'. Jesus is the Way. [10.4]

This young man had a love for riches, which was greater than his love for life. If we have money it will not ruin us. If we love money and trust it, it will ruin us.

The Jews believed that wealth was a sign of God's blessing on a person's life. So the followers of Jesus found it hard to understand what He said (verses 23 and 25). In God's Kingdom, faith is riches and holiness is honour. When Jesus speaks about a camel that tries to go through the eye of a needle, He just means that something cannot be done. 'Blessed be God, we have seen camels go through the needle's eye, humps and all' (C.H.Spurgeon). Our salvation is not possible with man. It is only possible by God's grace (verse 27).

In verses 29-31, Jesus teaches us that God will not be in debt to any one. It can cost us a great deal when we leave the things and the people that we love. Our reason must be right and pure when we do it. It must be 'for Me and the Gospel' as Jesus says. Jesus tells us that God will give us a great reward in this life. To all this He adds the promise that God will give us eternal life (verse 30).

We have one Father, God. In verse 29, Jesus speaks about His followers who leave their fathers for His sake. In verse 30, He says nothing about fathers who leave their families. That would not be right.

Verses 32-34 Jesus tells of His sufferings for the third time

(See Matthew 20: 17-19; Luke 18: 31-33.)

Jesus sets out towards Jerusalem. The Twelve and other people who listen to His teaching follow Him. They are all frightened (verse 32). Jesus for the third time tells the Twelve that He will suffer and rise from the dead (verses 33 and 34). He had not said before that He would be cruelly beaten (flogged). Nor had He said anything before about the Romans (the Gentiles).

(See Matthew 20: 20-27.)

James and John try to trick Jesus (verse 35). He is too wise for them. Jesus asks them what they want. (Verse 36; see also verse 51.) They should have learnt from Jesus by this time that His way to honour is through shame and suffering. Yet they had not learnt this. It is still true for us. The question which Jesus asks in verse 38 expects the reply 'No'. Instead James and John say: 'Yes' (verse 39). Jesus does not say 'No, you cannot'.

We know that they were both to suffer for the sake of Christ (Acts 12: 2; Revelation 1: 9). Nothing is left to chance in the Kingdom of God (verse 40). We shall have all the glory we could want in God's eternity. 'The Lord will give grace and glory' (Psalm 84: 11). He will not give one without the other. Christ's 'cup' and 'baptism' are His sufferings. We should not worry if we lose a little honour from men in this life. Christ promises us much greater glory in the life to come (2 Corinthians 4: 17).

(See Matthew 20: 28.)

There is no more important verse in the Gospel of Mark. To understand it well we need to look at Isaiah 52: 13 to 53: 12.

The passage in Isaiah will tell us much more about what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. It uses several words for 'sin' We. can look at our sin in several different ways. However we look at it, Christ has dealt with it. He has borne our sin (Isaiah53: 12). The Lord laid on Him our 'iniquity'. That means the twisted nature of our hearts (53: 6). We have broken God's Law: that is ' transgression'. He was pierced because we had broken the Law (verse 5). For all of us there is peace and healing when we come to Jesus (verse 5). There is righteousness (verse 11) and much more.

So our verse, Mark 10: 45, teaches us that Jesus was the Servant of Men. But He was also the Servant of God. We were not free. We were sinners, but Jesus paid the price when He gave up His own life. He has set us free. We are now free to be God's servants and His sons too. Jesus gave Himself not just for one race but for many from every nation. Blessed be God!

(See Matthew 20: 29-34; Luke 18: 35-4.)

Jericho was an important place long before Joshua and Israel captured it. (See Joshua 2-6.) A great spring of water flowed out from the foot of the mountains of Judea. This made the area green and fertile. All around was hot and dry and nothing would grow. The Jordan River was about 8km to the east.

Herod had built the new town of Jericho. This was a little way away from the old position of the town. Mark may just mean (verse 46) that Jesus was between the old and the new towns. The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-10) might fit in here. The story of Bartimaeus is the last healing in Mark's Gospel. It rounds off this part of the gospel, (which began at 8: 22).

Jesus and His followers were now with a large crowd. They would be people on their way to the Passover in Jerusalem. The roadside was a good place for a blind man to beg (verse 46). Bartimaeus could hear people who talked about Jesus of Nazareth. But he called him: 'Son of David'! This suggests that Bartimaeus believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah (verses 47 and 48). When Jesus called him the people who had tried to keep him quiet now told him to go to Jesus.

The question in verse 51 is important. In John 5: 7 there is a man who says a lot but does not ask Jesus to heal him. Bartimaeus knows what he wants. We need to know what we want when we pray. Jesus recognises his faith and heals him with a word.