Region of Judea - Mark 10:1
Jesus moved on from Galilee to
Judea, closer to his Messianic destiny in Jerusalem. The phrase
beyond the Jordan indicated the portion of Judea that was on the opposite side of the river from Jerusalem. That area on the western bank was ruled by Herod Antipas.
They were trying to trap Jesus. - Mark 10:2
In 9:14-29 Jesus was forced to turn from training his disciples to face the opposition of Satan. Here the same thing happens again. This time the satanic opposition came from the
Pharisees. They intended to
test him. (See note on 8:11.) They were not seeking to learn anything. They were trying to trap Jesus. Their question is surprising because almost all Jews agreed that under certain circumstances divorce was permissible. (The debates were only about what those circumstances might be.) Most likely, since they were in the territory of Herod Antipas, their question on divorce was intended to lead Jesus into the same kind of answer that led to the death of John the Baptist (6:14-28).
Certificate of divorce - Mark 10:4
In Deut. 24:1-4 Moses allowed a husband to divorce his wife with the use of a
certificate of divorce. Hard hearts - Mark 10:5-9
Jesus affirmed that divorce was not God's intention. God allowed it, not because it was his first choice for marriages, but because of the
hard hearts of His people. Jesus did not answer the Pharisees by quoting their traditions. Instead he referred back to the
beginning in Gen. 1:27 and 2:24. God's intention when He created Adam and Eve was for the permanent union of one
male and one
female.Sexual immorality - Mark 10:10-11
Mark did not include the additional explanation that was included by Matthew (5:32; 19:9). Matthew reported Jesus' words, "except for sexual immorality". (In 1 Cor. 7:15 Paul added an exception for desertion.) Mark probably did not mention these exceptions to the prohibition of divorce because of the immediate context. The Jewish leaders challenged Jesus. All of those leaders believed that divorce was permissible for
adultery. That was not being debated at all. It required no comment at that moment.
Children and the Kingdom of God - Mark 10:13
Probably the parents brought their
little children to Jesus. Mark used the same Greek word for
little children here as he did in 9:36. Luke (18:15) used a more specific word saying that these little children were "infants."
Jesus was very displeased - Mark 10:14
When Mark reported that Jesus
was very displeased he used a very strong word to indicate Jesus' displeasure.
As a little child - Mark 10:15-16
Jesus insisted that the only way to
receive the kingdom of God was to receive it with the same mindset as a little child. We are all God's children and therefore should embrace the wonder and amazement for God's creation that is embodied by children. Then Jesus, God's messianic King,
blessed them.
What must I do to inherit eternal life? - Mark 10:17-31
This paragraph makes the same point as the preceding one. Entering the kingdom of God is a gift. The preceding paragraph said it is given to a helpless child. This paragraph says that it cannot be bought by the rich man.
Young ruler - Mark 10:17
Matthew (19:22) called the man a young
man. Luke (18:18) added that he was a
ruler of some kind, probably a ruler in the synagogue. It would have been unusual for a young man to be a ruler. That probably indicates that he had either prominent family connections or extraordinary personal giftedness. The fact that he was looking for something to
do revealed his view of religion. For him it was something people had to do to earn God's blessing.
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