In our study of Mark chapter ten, we travel with Jesus on His final walk to Jerusalem as He shares about love. On His way to demonstrate the meaning of God's love for us, He shares about our love for each other.
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Then Yeshua left that place and went into the regions of Y'hudah and the territory beyond the Yarden. Again crowds gathered around him; and again, as usual, he taught them.
At the end of Chapter 9, Jesus was teaching the disciples in Capernaum. Now, He has left there and is traveling on the east side of the Jordan as He makes His way towards Jerusalem. Even as He must have felt the growing weight of what would take place there, He still took the time to teach anyone that would come to meet Him.
Some P'rushim came up and tried to trap him by asking him, "Does the Torah permit a man to divorce his wife?"
Jesus was now in the area known as Perea where Herod Antipas ruled for the Romans. This same Herod Antipas is the one that had John the Baptist beheaded for condemning his unlawful divorce and marriage to Herodias. In asking this question, they were hoping to get Jesus to say the wrong thing. They wanted Him to condemn divorce and in effect do the same thing that John the Baptist did in hopes that He would share the same fate. They simply did not want to kill Jesus with their own hands but were totally willing to let the Roman authority do so.
He replied, "What did Moshe command you?" They said, "Moshe allowed a man to hand his wife a get and divorce her." But Yeshua said to them, "He wrote this commandment for you because of your hardheartedness.
Jesus answered their question with a question of His own. When the Pharisees answered that divorce was permitted under the Law, Jesus explained that their sinful hearts was the reason for that rule. The Hebrew term for this is parashat devarim and it speaks of a heart that is unfeeling when it comes to the needs of others. Jesus was in effect saying that divorce was allowed by Moses because of their own selfish desires and lack of love for others.
However, at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man should leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two are to become one flesh. Thus they are no longer two, but one. So then, no one should break apart what God has joined together."
Jesus schooled the Pharisees on the topic of marriage by quoting and explaining Genesis 2:24. In the Jewish mindset, two becoming one flesh is an intimate relationship so close that the other person's desires are more important than your own. This is also what John described in his first letter. Jesus reminds them that a real marriage is one in which God has brought the couple together. If God has done that, then He has given them the ability to put the other first. If that is the case, then nobody will be able to tear them apart. It is interesting to note that Jesus is not talking about a piece of paper from a government binding two people together like a contract. He is talking about the hand of God at work in the hearts of a man and a woman.
When they were indoors once more, the talmidim asked him about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against his wife; and if a wife divorces her husband and marries another man, she too commits adultery."
In Jewish practice, it was the man who could give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away. Jesus explained that, if this was the wife that God had sent him and he put her away, it would be adultery to be with any other woman. Jesus went on to extend it to the woman as well knowing that there would be a time when either one could send the other away. Under Jewish law, adultery was all about the physical relationship between a man and a woman. Jesus extended it to the heart and simply looking on a woman with lust in what is known as the sermon on the mount (see Matt. 5:28). The heart is the center of the soul and so Jesus was, in fact, extending adultery into the spiritual realm.
People were bringing children to him so that he might touch them, but the talmidim rebuked those people.
At this time, there were many people coming to Jesus for physical healing and for blessing. People were bringing their kids for this as any good parent wants the best for their child. The disciples tried to stop this as they were beginning to understand that the ministry was more about the spiritual things than the physical.
However, when Yeshua saw it, he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me, don't stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Yes! I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it!"
The disciples did not understand the law of love which was demonstrated by the children. True love cannot be earned and cannot be kept to yourself. The children did not think that they could bring anything to Jesus except themselves and Jesus explained that it was the same with salvation. Any attempt to bring our actions (other than accepting Jesus like a child), denies the fact that salvation is by grace. The simplest definition of grace is that it is a gift and, if and when you try to pay for a gift it no longer is a gift. The phrase "kingdom of God" refers both to the reign of God in the hearts of men on this earth as well as the physical dwelling of God with men in the future on the new earth.
And he took them in his arms, laid his hands on them, and made a b'rakhah over them.
esus gave a physical demonstration of His love and the fact that it was freely given. It reminds us that, if we accept Him like the children, we are blessed (do not have to worry about anything). A child simply has faith (trust) that their needs will be taken care of and that is the same type of confidence that we need to have. Our need for a Savior was taken care of by Jesus as well as our need for His guidance in our daily lives.
As he was starting on his way, a man ran up, kneeled down in front of him and asked, "Good rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?" Yeshua said to him, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good except God!
Luke tells us that this man was a part of the ruling class (see Luke 18:18). He ran up to Jesus without acknowledging who Jesus was and hoped to gain salvation. Jesus' answer points him to the fact that the standard for "good" is very high and in fact no man can achieve it. The same type of thing happens even in the churches of today as many run to Jesus but do not acknowledge who He is. Without recognizing Him as the Son of God, there is no ability to be saved because only God is "good". His sacrifice would not have been perfect if He was not the Son of God. A perfect sacrifice was required to replace the animal sacrifices of Judaism.
You know the mitzvot -- `Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't give false testimony, don't defraud, honor your father and mother, . .'" "Rabbi," he said, "I have kept all these since I was a boy."
Jesus answered the man by listing the six commandments that deal with man's relationships with their fellow men. The rich man responded with the assertion that he had fully kept the law of loving his fellow man since the "age of accountability". This age is thirteen according to Jewish tradition and is when a child becomes a man and it is celebrated with a bar mitzvah.
Yeshua, looking at him, felt love for him and said to him, "You're missing one thing. Go, sell whatever you own, give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me!"
Jesus loved the man and did not contest his assertion that he had kept the law of love dealing with his fellow man. Instead, Jesus gently pointed out the fact that he was trusting in his earthly wealth and actions instead of having faith in Jesus. He was not trusting God for his daily needs and that was a sign that he did not trust God for his eternal need of salvation.
Shocked by this word, he went away sad; because he was a wealthy man.
When faced with the decision to trust in his material wealth or to trust in Jesus, the man chose his wealth. This is what Jesus was talking about when He described the cost of being a disciple (see Luke 14). If you put your hope and trust in anything but the finished work of Jesus Christ, then, you do not have faith in Jesus. Without faith, it is impossible to please God and you are lost.
Yeshua looked around and said to his talmidim, "How hard it is going to be for people with wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!" The talmidim were astounded at these words; but Yeshua said to them again, "My friends, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It's easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
Jesus repeated Himself and explained how difficult it was for the rich to give up their self reliance and to trust in Him. He calls them "children" as they were still at the beginning of their understanding of the ways of God. The camel was the largest animal in the land and the eye of the needle was the smallest of openings. He used this contrast in sizes to see how it was impossible under human strength. No matter how hard you tried or how much time you spent in it, you were not going to be able to push a camel through that opening.
They were utterly amazed and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Yeshua looked at them and said, "Humanly, it is impossible, but not with God; with God, every thing is possible."
The disciples were puzzled because they were all from humble beginnings. They were not used to the fact that it was easier for them to do something than a rich man who could easily hire someone to do his work. Jesus went on to explain that it is faith that saves and not the works of men.
Kefa began saying to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."
Peter was a man that was quick with his words and was not quite sure in his faith. He questioned whether he and the other disciples were even saved after they had given up their way of life to follow Jesus. If we are all completely honest with ourselves, we can admit that we probably have the same type of struggle at times. We must recognize that this is an attack by the devil as he does not want us to remain confident in our faith.
Yeshua said, "Yes! I tell you that there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, who will not receive a hundred times over, now, in the `olam hazeh, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands -- with persecutions! -- and in the `olam haba, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first!"
Jesus' answer to Peter's doubts was a reassurance of blessing. His answer would have called to mind the Parable of the Sower that he had shared with them (see chapter 4). But, what of Jesus' answer? I have seen many that have struggled all their lives to serve the Lord even when it cost them family, etc. Where is the hundred times crop? Many times it is not visible until their death and the funeral service. I have seen where servants of the Lord have thousands of people show up to say goodbye to them. Would not many of them consider that servant their family and open their home to them? This is the same thing that Jesus had taught the disciples just a short time before (see Mark 3:34). He went on to explain that persecution will come with the blessing but the end result will be eternal life. He also went on to warn Peter about pride and comparing our Christian walk with that of others. We can get so focused on what we have "given up for the Lord" or what we have "done for the Lord" that it can be an issue of pride.
They were on the road going up to Yerushalayim. Yeshua was walking ahead of them, and they were amazed -- and those following were afraid. So again taking the Twelve along with him, he began telling them what was about to happen to him.
The final trip to Jerusalem continues and we see that the disciples were amazed by the fact that Jesus did not sway from His purpose. He had already told them twice what was going to happen when they got there and, now, He tells them again. This would have been the third time and we remember that the number three is associated with the earthly display of God's will.
"We are now going up to Yerushalayim, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers. They will sentence him to death and turn him over to the Goyim, who will jeer at him, spit on him, beat him and kill him; but after three days, he will rise."
For the third time, Jesus tells them exactly what is going to happen when they get to Jerusalem. It is important to note that God's plan was carried out by both Jew and Gentile. Both groups took part in His death and both groups can take part in salvation through Him.
Ya`akov and Yochanan, the sons of Zavdai, came up to him and said, "Rabbi, we would like you to do us a favor." He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" They replied, "When you are in your glory, let us sit with you, one on your right and the other on your left."
We notice that the disciples addressed Jesus as Teacher even though He had explained how He was much more than that. Once again, it shows that they were really unaware of the spiritual aspect of Jesus' ministry. The same type of thing had happened when Jesus had shared God's plan with them the second time. They were still focused on earthly position and power. The positions that they desired were positions of honor and would have been a symbol of their closeness to Him.
But Yeshua answered, "You don't know what you're asking! Can you drink the cup that I am drinking? or be immersed with the immersion that I must undergo?"
Jesus answered the men with a question and that question is basically can you share my fate? He was, in a way, asking them to count the cost.
They said to him, "We can." Yeshua replied, "The cup that I am drinking, you will drink; and the immersion I am being immersed with, you will undergo. But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
The men answered that they had counted the cost of following Jesus and that they would continue to follow Him all the way. Jesus agreed with them that they would endure to the end but He went on to explain that their wish was not up to Him. That had already been decided from the beginning as the Father knew the end from the beginning.
When the other ten heard about this, they became outraged at Ya`akov and Yochanan. But Yeshua called them to him and said to them, "You know that among the Goyim, those who are supposed to rule them become tyrants, and their superiors become dictators. But among you, it must not be like that! On the contrary, whoever among you wants to be a leader must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must become everyone's slave! For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve -- and to give his life as a ransom for many."
When the other apostles heard about their request, they became upset. They were bothered by the fact that the two had went to Jesus in private and asked for this. They were probably all wanting the same thing. Seeing this, Jesus called them together and reminded them that they were acting like the rest of the world. He went on to remind them that even He did not come to be a King (this time) but to be a servant. That service was to pay the price to set men free from the grip of sin and death.
They came to Yericho; and as Yeshua was leaving Yericho with his talmidim and a great crowd, a blind beggar, Bar-Timai (son of Timai), was sitting by the side of the road.
As the procession to Jerusalem continued, they left Jericho. Along the road was a blind man begging and we see that he was the son of Timaeus which means "highly prized".
When he heard that it was Yeshua from Natzeret, he started shouting, "Yeshua! Son of David! Have pity on me!" Many people scolded him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the louder, "Son of David! Have pity on me!" Yeshua stopped and said, "Call him over!"
The blind man cried out for Jesus to help him but the crowd wanted him to be quiet. Bartimaeus would not be denied and cried out even more. Jesus stopped and had the disciples get him. This was a chance for Jesus to physically demonstrate the relationship between the law and love. According to the Law, the people were legally required to help the man to get food. In love, Jesus stopped to give him much more than money or a bite to eat.
They called to the blind man, "Courage! Get up! He's calling for you!" Throwing down his blanket, he jumped up and came over to Yeshua. "What do you want me to do for you?" asked Yeshua. The blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me be able to see again." Yeshua said to him, "Go! Your trust has healed you." Instantly he received his sight and followed him on the road.
When called, the blind man immediately jumped up and approached the Lord. When asked what he wanted, Bartimaeus boldly stated that he wanted his sight back. Like Bartimaeus, we are also "highly prized" and can boldly ask the Lord for what we require. He did not give any reasons for his deserving the help but instead simply trusted in the love and mercy of Jesus. By the words of Jesus, it was granted to him and he followed Jesus. In this, we see that the law of love involves action.
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