Mark Chapter 10

(Tap footnote to read it.  Old Testament quotations are underlined.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.¹"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )

Marriage and Separation

1. And having arisen from there, He goes into the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan.  And the crowds assemble to Him again, and as He had been accustomed, He was teaching them again.
2. And having approached intent on testing Him, the Pharisees were questioning Him about if it’s lawful for a husband to send away¹“send away” is literal here.  It’s typically translated “divorce” in this verse, though properly translated as “send away” in verse 4. The same word is used of Jesus “sending away” crowds and Pilate “sending away” (releasing) Barabbas. Paul uses a different Greek word when talking about divorce in 1 Corinthians. The Hebrew divorce procedure is found in Deut 24:1 and had three parts: (1) write a divorce certificate. (2) Give it to your wife. (3) Send her away from your house. However, if a man “sent her away” (kicked her out of his house) without a divorce certificate, in that culture she was destitute. She was still legally married because she didn’t have a divorce certificate, so she couldn’t marry anyone else without being an adulteress. Often, her only resort to feed herself was prostitution.  There was a debate as to whether this was lawful according to the Mosaic Law. This was one of the two great 1st century Jewish debates centering on divorce. (See note on Matthew 19:3 for the other debate) a wife.
3. And answering, He said to them: “What did Moses instruct you?”
4. And they said: “Moses allowed us to write a scroll of divorce and to send her away.”²quotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 24:1
5. And Jesus told them: “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart.”
6. “But from the beginning of creation He made them male and female.³quotation/allusion to Genesis 1:27
7. “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother [and will be joined to his wife],
8. “And the two will be⁴Most translations use the word “become” here, but the Greek word for “become” isn’t in this passage despite Mark using it with great latitude elsewhere.  In this verse, it’s simply the Greek word that means is/are/am/be/being/etc. in one flesh.⁵quotation/allusion to Genesis 2:24  Jesus appears to be talking solely about a physical union here (not a spiritual one). Paul makes this clearer in 1 Corinthians 6:16, where Genesis 2:24 is also applied to sex with prostitutes.  So then they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9. “Therefore what God joined together, man must not separate.”
10. And when in the house again, the disciples were asking Him about this.
11. And He tells them: “Whoever sent away his wife and married another woman of the same kind,⁶“another woman of the same kind” is one word in Greek with that exact definition.  The “of the same kind” part is often omitted in translation for readability, but is essential in this passage.  The “of the same kind” part likely refers to a woman who is merely “sent away” and not properly divorced. See note on “send away” in verse 2. He is guilty of sex with another man’s wife⁷“is guilty of sex with another man’s wife” is one word in the Greek, typically translated “commits adultery”. However, the Greek word (and Hebrew too) is more limited in scope than our English word adultery. In English, “adultery” means illicit sex between a married person – man or woman – and someone who isn’t their spouse. In Greek (and Hebrew also), it meant “a man having sex with another man’s wife”. A married man having sex with an unmarried woman was still a serious sin, but the not the specific sin of adultery. on account of her.
12. “And if a wife sent away her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.⁸“commits adultery” the Greek word here specifies that she was still married to someone other than the new husband, presumably to the husband she “sent away”; see notes on previous verse and also verse 2.

Jesus and the little children

13. And they were bringing little children to Him so He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
14. But having seen this, Jesus was indignant and told them: “Allow the little children to come to Me.  Don’t hinder them, for the kingdom of God is of such a kind as this.
15. “Amen I tell you: whoever doesn’t welcome the kingdom of God like a little child definitely won’t enter into it.”
16. And having embraced them, He was blessing them, laying hands on them.

The rich young ruler

17. And while traveling on His journey, one man ran up and having fallen on his knees before Him was questioning Him: “Good teacher, what should I do so I might inherit the life of ages?”
18. But Jesus told him: “Why call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.
19. “You *know the commandments: you should not murder, you should not have sex with another man’s wife,⁹quotation/allusion to Exodus 20:14  “have of sex with another man’s wife” is one word in the Greek, typically translated “commits adultery”. However, the Greek word (and Hebrew too) is more limited in scope than our English word adultery. In English, “adultery” means illicit sex between a married person – man or woman – and someone who isn’t their spouse. In Greek (and Hebrew also), it meant “a man having sex with another man’s wife”. A married man having sex with an unmarried woman was still a serious sin, but the not the specific sin of adultery. you should not steal, you should not commit perjury, you should not defraud,¹⁰“you shall not defraud” this statement is unique to Mark’s gospel.  It’s possible that this was an expansion of “you shall not commit perjury”, in the sense of swearing to do something and then not doing it, which would be fraud. you must honor your father and mother.¹¹quotation/allusion to Exodus 20:12-16
20. And he was telling Him: “Teacher, I kept all these commandments from my youth.”
21. And having looked at him, Jesus ^loved him and told him: “You fall short in one thing.  Go sell whatever you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me.”
22. But his face having fallen at this word, he departed grieving, for he was a man having many properties.
23. And having looked around, Jesus tells His disciples: “Oh, how the men having riches will enter into the kingdom of God with difficulty.”
24. And the disciples were dumbfounded at His words.  But answering again, Jesus tells them: “Children, how difficult it is [for the men who have trusted in riches] to enter into the kingdom of God.
25. “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
26. And the men were exceedingly stunned, saying to themselves: “And who then is able to be saved?”
27. Having looked at them, Jesus says: “It’s impossible with men, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
28. Peter began to tell Him: “Behold, we left all things and have followed you.”
29. Jesus was saying: “Amen I tell you, there’s no man who left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, [or wife,] or children, or fields for My sake and the sake of the good news,
30. “unless he receives a hundred times more now in this season: houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and fields, with persecutions; and in the coming age, the life of ages.
31. “But many of the first will be last; and the last, first.”

Jesus predicts His death again

32. And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them and they were dumbfounded, and the men following were frightened.  And having taken the twelve alongside again, He began to tell them the things about to 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 sentence Him to death, and they will hand Him over to the gentiles.
34. “And they will ridicule Him, and will spit on Him, and will flog Him, and will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.

Christian leadership

35. And James and John (the two sons of Zebedee) approach Him, saying to Him: “Teacher, we want that whatever we ask of you, you would do it for us.”
36. And He said to them: “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37. And they told Him: “Grant to us that one of us would sit at your right hand and one at your left hand in your glory.”
38. But Jesus told them: “You don’t *know what you’re asking.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized in the baptism which I am baptized in?”
39. And they told Him: “We are able.”  And Jesus told them: “You will drink the cup which I drink, and you will be baptized in the baptism with which I am baptized.
40. “But to sit at My right hand or at My left hand isn’t Mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared.”
41. And having heard this, the ten began to be indignant about James and John.
42. And having summoned them, Jesus tells them: “You *know that the men seeming to rule the gentiles exercise authority over them and their great men dominate them.
43. “But it isn’t this way among you, but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant.
44. “And whoever wants to become first among you will be a slave of all.
45. “For even the Son of Man¹²quotation/allusion to Daniel 7:13 didn’t come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a purchase price¹³“purchase price” this Greek word often referred to the price required to buy a slave’s freedom. in exchange for many.”

Healing Bartimaeus the blind beggar

46. And they come to Jericho.  And while He and His disciples and a large crowd are departing from Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus (a blind beggar) was sitting along the road.
47. And having heard that it’s Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and to say: “Son of David¹⁴“Son of David” was a title of the promised messiah in Jewish eyes. This stems from 2 Samuel 7:12-13, in which God promised that David would have a descendant who would sit on the throne forever. This could be construed as an act of faith by Bartimaeus., Jesus; have mercy on me.”
48. And many were rebuking him so he might be silent, but he was crying out much more: “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
49. And having stood, Jesus commanded:  “Invite him to Me.”  And they invite the blind man, telling him: “Have courage, get up; He is inviting you.”
50. And having thrown off his cloak, he leapt up and went to Jesus.
51. And answering him, Jesus said: “What do you want Me to do for you?”  And the blind man told Him: “Rabbi, I ask that I might recover my sight.”
52. And Jesus told him: “Go, your faith has healed you.”  And immediately he recovered his sight, and he was following Him on the road.

 

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