Marriage and Divorce(A)

10 Then (B)He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.

(C)The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.

And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”

They said, (D)“Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this [a]precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God (E)‘made them male and female.’ (F)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, (G)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children(H)

13 (I)Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for (J)of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, (K)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will (L)by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler(M)

17 (N)Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I (O)do that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, (P)God. 19 You know the commandments: (Q)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’

20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have (R)kept from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, (S)sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have (T)treasure in heaven; and come, (U)take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible(V)

23 (W)Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is [b]for those (X)who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a (Y)rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not (Z)with God; for with God all things are possible.”

28 (AA)Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother [c]or wife or children or [d]lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 (AB)who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with (AC)persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 (AD)But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection(AE)

32 (AF)Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. (AG)Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock Him, and [e]scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Greatness Is Serving(AH)

35 (AI)Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the (AJ)cup that I drink, and be baptized with the (AK)baptism that I am baptized with?”

39 They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, (AL)“You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those (AM)for whom it is prepared.”

41 (AN)And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, (AO)“You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 (AP)Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even (AQ)the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and (AR)to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus(AS)

46 (AT)Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, (AU)Son of David, (AV)have mercy on me!”

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, [f]“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; (AW)your faith has [g]made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 10:5 command
  2. Mark 10:24 NU omits for those who trust in riches
  3. Mark 10:29 NU omits or wife
  4. Mark 10:29 Lit. fields
  5. Mark 10:34 flog Him with a Roman scourge
  6. Mark 10:51 Lit. My Great One
  7. Mark 10:52 Lit. saved you

Jesus’ Teaching about Divorce

10 Getting up, He left there (Capernaum) and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; and crowds gathered around Him again and accompanied Him, and as was His custom, He once more began to teach them.

Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him [intending to trick Him into saying something wrong], and asked Him, “Is it lawful [according to Scripture] for a man to divorce his wife and send her away?” He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.”(A) But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of hearts [your callousness and insensitivity toward your wives and the [a]provision of God] he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.(B) For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother [to establish a home with his wife],(C) and the two shall become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but [are united as] one flesh.(D) Therefore, what God has united and joined together, man must not separate [by divorce].”

10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him again about this. 11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 People were bringing children to Him so that He would touch and bless them, but the disciples reprimanded them and discouraged them [from coming]. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and He said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took the children [one by one] in His arms and [b]blessed them [with kind, encouraging words], placing His hands on them.

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”(E) 18 Jesus said to him, [c]Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”(F) 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my [d]youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were [e]amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord].” 29 Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Jesus’ Sufferings Foretold

32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were perplexed [at what Jesus had said], and those who were following were alarmed and afraid. And again He took the twelve [disciples] aside and began telling them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Listen very carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles (Romans). 34 They will mock and ridicule Him and spit on Him, and whip (scourge) Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise [from the dead].”

35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”(G) 36 And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” 39 And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].”

41 Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 43 But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a [f]ransom for many.”

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

46 Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road [as was his custom].(H) 47 When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, [g]Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.(I)

Footnotes

  1. Mark 10:5 God provided for divorce under certain circumstances, but the Pharisees expanded the reasons for divorce and abused God’s provision.
  2. Mark 10:16 The basic meaning of the Greek word found here for “blessed” is to speak kindly of someone. Jesus was probably giving the children encouragement as only He could, with His infallible knowledge of each child’s future.
  3. Mark 10:18 Jesus was affirming His deity by challenging the man to recognize Him as Messiah.
  4. Mark 10:20 After reaching the age of thirteen a Jewish boy was personally responsible for keeping the Law.
  5. Mark 10:24 What Jesus said ran contrary to the conventional wisdom among the Jews (and other ancient peoples). It was commonly thought that wealthy people who did their duty financially to the poor and their community were assured entry into the kingdom of God.
  6. Mark 10:45 I.e. to die so that believers may be freed from the power of sin and death.
  7. Mark 10:47 A common Messianic title recognizing the Messiah as a descendant of David.