Mark
Copyright © 2008 Darroll Evans
CHAPTER 10
Mark 10:1-12
1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther
side of
2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put
away his wife? tempting him.
3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her
away.
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he
wrote you this precept.
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his
wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one
flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry
another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she
committeth adultery.
Jesus and His disciples then
went into the Judean area. And again, the people assembled around Him and he
taught (Gr. edidasken-edidasken) them.
Matthew tells the same story,
but says in Matthew 19:2 that Jesus “healed” (Gr. etherapeusen-eqerapeusen/relieved them
from disease) them.
As was normal, the Pharisees came
to question Him. They asked, “Is it
lawful for a man to put away (divorce) his wife?”
It was a loaded question,
another attempt to trick Him!
They knew the history of
divorce within Judaism, and the answer had been well taught for centuries.
Jesus answered their question
with a question, “What did Moses command you?”
They were forced to answer,
“Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.”
So, Jesus went to the heart
of the situation and answered said, “It was due to the hardness of your heart
he wrote that precept for you. But, from the beginning of the creation God made
them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
and cleave to his wife. And the two shall be one flesh! So then, they are no
more two, but one. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put
asunder.”
Shortly after that His
disciples asked him about the same matter.
Jesus told them, “Whoever
divorces his wife, and marries another woman has committed adultery against his
wife. And if a woman divorces her husband, and marries another man, she commits
adultery against her husband.”
Mark 10:13-16
13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his
disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer
the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
The people brought young
children to Christ so that he could touch them in a form of blessing. However, Jesus disciples rebuked the parents
that brought them.
But, when Jesus saw what the
disciples did, He was very displeased, and told them, “Allow the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
And, He took them into his
arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.
Many Churches baptize
children due to fear of death. They are
afraid that any child that dies without a public profession of faith will
automatically go into hell or the
Matt 18:10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,
That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven.
That was said about children,
but it is never said about adults!
Children are safe!
Mark 10:17-31
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled
to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but
one, that is, God.
19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not
steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my
youth.
21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou
lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great
possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the
24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again,
and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to
enter into the
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich
man to enter into the
26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then
can be saved?
27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with
God: for with God all things are possible.
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed
thee.
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that
hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren,
and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in
the world to come eternal life.
31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
As Christ Jesus and His
disciples traveled on, one young man came running to Him, and kneeling down
asked, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
As was His custom, Jesus
responded with a question, “Why do you call Me good? None is good except God!
You know the commandments; Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal,
Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor your father and mother.”
At that the young man said,
“Master, I have observed all those since my youth.”
Then, Jesus looking at him
with love said, “You lack one thing. Go home, sell whatever you have, and give
it to the poor. Then you shall have treasure in heaven. After that come, take
up the cross, and follow me.”
Many prophets of profit have
no need for “treasures in heaven.”
Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Mike Murdock, Oral and
Richard Roberts, and their followers want financial riches here and now! They are immersed in carnality!
Hearing Jesus response, the
young man became sad, and went away grieved, because he had “great
possessions.”
At that, Jesus looked at His
disciples and said, “How shall they that have riches enter into the
The disciples were
flabbergasted, but Jesus told them, “Children, how hard is it for those that
trust in riches to enter into the
He continued, “It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter
into the
Many have abused that
Scripture by assuming that He was comparing it to an ancient gate used at night
to allow friends of the city to enter while keeping out enemies.
The fact is that Christ was
being literal!
The Apostles were astonished,
because they knew Jesus was being literal!
Those who depend on their
human wealth to indicate their relationship to God have missed the boat! They are being deceived. If you are one of the deceived, turn to
Christ now! Ask that your sins be
forgiven and you be allowed to come into a proper relationship with Him!
Acts 8:22
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought
of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
The disciples were a bit
embarrassed. They did not understand. So
they asked, “Who then can be saved?”
So, Jesus further expounded,
“With men it is impossible, but not with God, because with God all things are
possible.”
If you are a “give it to me
here and now” christian
(lower case “c”), or perhaps one who attends a Church without being a saved
Christian, I again tell you to repent!
Good old Peter spoke up, “We
have left all, and have followed You.”
In our relationship to God,
Christ Jesus must come first! Then we
may take up the matters of family, but without placing Christ first, we have
missed to point.
When flying on a plane, we
are told to, in an emergency, put the oxygen mask of ourselves first. It is only when we are safe that we can help those
we love. It is only when we have Christ
that we can share Christ!
Jesus replied “Truthfully,
none has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel's, but that he shall receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal
life. However, many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”
The rewards of following
Christ far outweigh the cost!
Mark 10:32-45
32 And they were in the way going up to
33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered
unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to
death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and
shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we
would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand,
and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup
that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed
drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized
withal shall ye be baptized:
40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and
John.
42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which
are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their
great ones exercise authority upon them.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you,
shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and
to give his life a ransom for many.
Things seemed to change as
they went toward
So, Jesus began to be
explicit in His teaching. He told them, “We are going to
By Jesus’ very words,
Gentiles would “kill him!”
James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, came to Christ asking, “Master, we want you to do with us whatever
‘we’ desire.”
At this point, the Apostles
were still in a “what’s-in-it-for-me” state of mind.
But Jesus, being selfless,
asked, “What is it that you want?”
Now, we get to the heart of
the matter.
They were blunt! “Grant to us that we may sit, one on Your
right hand, and the other on Your left hand, in Your glory.”
In other words, make us
extremely important!
Even after the resurrection
the Apostles had no idea what they had been called to,
Acts 1:6
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
They had seen the death and
resurrection, but had no understanding of an age of grace for the
Gentiles. That would be left to Paul!
When they asked for
preferential treatment, Jesus said, “You don’t know what you are asking! Can
you drink of the cup that I drink of? And, be baptized with the baptism that I
am baptized with?”
Ignorantly, they responded,
“We can!”
At that Jesus said, “You
shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and by immersed with my baptism.
However, for you to sit at my right and left is not my decision. It shall be
given to those for whom it is prepared.”
“Prepared” (Gr. heetoimastai-htoimastai) indicates the
pre-preparation of a plan that shall be carried to fruition!
That seeming rejection was
more than those spiritual giants could tolerate. The fact remains that God has decided who
will sit beside Christ. We who have been
baptized into Him shall sit with Him!
Gal 3:27 For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on (Gr. enedusasthe-enedusasqe) Christ.
“Have put on” comes into
English as past tense! It has been
accomplished!
Have you put on Christ? If you have, you are a new creature in
Him! Old things have passed away, and
all things have become new! However, you
will still need to “put off the old man!”
That is a matter of
maturity. The more we mature, the less
the “old man” will influence us.
The Greek text of Colossian
3:9 tells us that as we have come into fellowship with Christ we have renounced
the “old man.”
Then Mark writes, “When the
ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.”
Ten of the twelve were upset
with their attempted power play. That is
100% dissatisfaction among the other Apostles.
James and John asked first before the other could ask.
Jesus used the event to
teach. He told them all, “You all know
that they which are rulers over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. Their
leaders exercise authority upon them! However, that shall not be so among you
all. Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister! And, whoever
will be leaders among you all, shall be servant of all. For, even the Son of
man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a
ransom for many.”
Among today’s church-called (lower case “c”)
pastors and Apostles, that is a lost teaching.
Many who have assumed the titles, without God’s calling, are in the
process of abusing the flock, with only a craving for wealth to guide them.
Mark 10:46-52
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples
and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the
highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a
great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the
blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto
thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And
immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Now, we come to the story of
blind Bartimaeus. “Bartimaeus” means
“unclean.” He was a blind Jew.
At this point, all Jews and
Gentiles who have not acknowledged Christ Jesus as Lord are unclean!
Also, at this point in
history, most Jews are blind!
Bartimaeus’ father was
Timaeus meaning “highly prized.” Most
Jews today are blind, but highly prized in God’s plan for the ages!
Acts 13:9-11
9 Then Saul, (who also is called
Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the
devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the
right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be
blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a
mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Most Jews have denied Christ
and that has blinded them to the truth that He is our Savior and theirs!
Blind Bartimaeus sat by the
roadside begging. As today, he was asking
for the wealth of the world.
But then, Bartimaeus had an
epiphany, a revelation that Jesus had come near to him. Without that revelation we to would still be
spiritually blind!
He began to cry out, “Jesus,
You Son of David, have mercy on me.”
As Bartimaeus cried out, the
Apostles attempted to keep him quiet. But, they efforts caused him to shout
louder, “You, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered
that Bartimaeus should be brought closer. So, they called to him, ‘Be of good comfort,
rise. Jesus is calling you.”
We may call to Jesus, but
until He calls us, we will not find Him due to our spiritual blindness.
Bartimaeus was brought to
Jesus.
Jesus asked, “What do you
want Me to do for you?”
The may seem obvious.
Bartimaeus was blind and he wanted to see.
However, Christ asks each of
us what may seem obvious.
The blind man said, “Lord,
that I want to receive my sight.
Until Christ acts on our
behalf, none of us see clearly. Without
Christ, we are all spiritually blind!
Jesus responded immediately,
“Go your way. Your faith has made you whole.”
Immediately Bartimaeus
received his sight, and followed Jesus.
Earlier, the Gentile in the
tombs was sent home, but here a Jew was allowed to follow more closely. The
Gentile age had not yet come.
In this day and age, when we
“see” Christ, we follow Him!