Mark 10

10:1-12.  See notes, Mt.19:1-12.

     10:13-17.  See notes, Mt.19:13-15.  Mk.10:15 is a key verse.  A child is born helpless and with nothing of his own.  So must all be who are born (again) into the kingdom of God.  Jesus calls his disciples children (24).   This is not entirely a compliment, nor meant to be a permanent state (Heb.5:13-14).  However, it is said in contrast to the rich man (17-22) who wanted to enter into life as a man, bringing his works and his things with him.

     10:18.  Jesus’ question both probed who the man thought Jesus was, and also began to dismantle the man’s own hopes of achieving worthiness by doing good.  “Children, how hard it is….!”  (24).  Of course as the eternal Word, the 2nd person of the trinity, Christ was always good in himself.  But in his human nature, all that he had flowed to him from the Father as a gift.  Both as God and as man, his goodness was divine.  Since the man did not recognize the divine nature of his goodness, Jesus refused the false honor.

     10:19.  This is the second table of the commandments, except for the 10th, “Do not covet”.  It is not included because it is not an outward observable doable act, but an inward state of the heart.  That is exactly what Jesus is probing.  (Mt.19:19 adds at this point, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.)  Why does Jesus add “do not defraud”?  Because this summarizes the others.  Do not defraud others of their lives, their spouses, their property, or their good name, nor of the honor due them.

     10:20-31.  Perhaps, like Nicodemus, the rich young man eventually was saved.  We don’t know.  It is possible with God (27).  (Cf. Barnabas, Acts 4:34-37.)  It is better to obey reluctantly (Mt.21:30) than to refuse with grief (22).  Perhaps he did later repent of it and obey.  After all, Jesus did love him (21).

     Jesus makes it clear that it is not only the rich who find it difficult to give up the things of the world.  The rich carry a heavy load of the world’s goods, but a poor thin camel with no load can in no way pass through the needle’s eye apart from God (25-27).  Jesus does not call for the same sacrifice from all.  Giving all your goods away is not the point.  Doing whatever it takes to follow Christ is.  He may call for even our nearest and dearest, and we must give them into his hands.  Matthew Henry says, “…he doth not call us to our prejudice, but unspeakably to our advantage” (30).  The priorities and honors of the world are often opposite of the eternal kingdom (31).

     10:32-34.  (Cf. Ezk.21:2).  What the Jews did (33).  What the Gentiles did (34).

     10:35-45.  What a discouragement the dullness of the disciples must have been.  They could neither understand what Jesus had just said, nor understand the servant nature of Christian leadership.  It wasn’t just James and John who disappointed.  The indignation of the ten (41) proved they were equally ambitious for power.

     James and John did not know for what they asked.  Jesus saw the entrance to his glory (37) as his death!  (John 12:23).  This was the cup he must drink, and the baptism with which he must be baptized (38).  All these men of his must someday share it (39).  But the place on his right and left was predestined for two more worthy of death, on the day when Christ was crowned “King of the Jews” by Pilate (15:26-27).  And, in a miracle of God’s grace, one of those malefactors was first into paradise with Christ (cf.31). 

     10:42-45 expresses what many see as the great theme of Mark’s gospel, the Son of Man as servant.  But his disciples had a terrible struggle with this idea.  He enters his glory in utter humility and service to sinners, even to giving his life as a ransom for many.  See Heb.2:9-10.

     10:46-52.  The blind beggar did not share the grief of the rich young ruler.  At Christ’s call, without a thought he cast aside every encumbrance, even his necessary cloak, in order to beg mercy from Rabboni (My Master, margin), and began to follow him.  What a difference there can be between calling Jesus “Good Teacher” (17), and calling him “My Master”, though the difference was far more in the men than in the meaning of the words they used.