Marriage is a divine institution and therefore to be religiously observed. The bond which God has tied is not to be lightly untied.
The kingdom of God can be received into the heart only with humble resignation like that of a little child, to Jesus. Those who put their affections in the wealth of the world cannot put a right value on Christ and His grace and will therefore come short of His kingdom. Those who having received Christ, would be greatly honored hereafter and honorable now, are those who are the most useful to men.
Mark 10
1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
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.
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 kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
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 kingdom of God!
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 kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
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.
32 ¶ And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,
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.
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 Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
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.
Mark 10:1-2 – J. Vernon McGee
Mark 10:3-9 – J. Vernon McGee
Mark 10:10-16 – J. Vernon McGee
Mark 10:17-31 – J. Vernon McGee
Mark 10:32-52 – J. Vernon McGee
Mark 10:1-22 – The Divine Law of Marriage
God made one man for one woman; therefore divorce is not permissible, unless the one act be committed which severs the nuptial tie. Then only is the bond broken by which husband and wife are one. There should be no compulsory celibacy. Some can live the single life; others cannot. Each must work out his own possibilities, and none may judge another.
It would appear that the fathers brought the little ones. They had a truer perception of the heart of Jesus than the disciples. All through the ages men have supposed that strength, wisdom, and wealth have the greatest attractions for our Lord, whereas it is precisely the reverse. Of such is His Kingdom.
Youth, with all its fervor and impetuosity, is very beautiful to the Lord Jesus. In this case it was combined with station, high standing, and wealth. It is not necessary that all should sell their goods, and give away the proceeds; indeed, it is often harder to retain and administer them rightly for God. But it was necessary for Christ to prove to this young man that he was not living the life of love, as he seemed to suppose. That alone can fulfill the law, and secure the highest and most perfect blessedness of which we are capable. It was a severe but necessary test for this young man. —Through the Bible Day by Day
Mark 10:21 – The want of one thing may make void the presence of all things else. Lacking its mainspring – which is but one thing – a watch with jewels, wheels, pinions, and beautiful mechanism, the finest watch, indeed, that was ever made, is of no more use than a stone. A sundial without its gnomen, – as it is called, Time’s iron finger that throws its shadow on the circling hours, – but one thing also, is as useless in broad day as in the blackest night. A ship may be built of the strongest oak, with masts of the stoutest pine, and manned by the best officers and crew, but I sail not in her if she lacks one thing – that trembling needle which the child running about the deck might fancy a toy; on that plaything, as it looks, the safety of all on board depends – laking that, but one thing, the ship shall be their coffin, and the deep sea their grave. It is thus with true piety, with living faith. (Guthrie)
Mark 10:23-52 – True Riches and Real Greatness
Wealth brings many temptations. It is not said that rich men cannot get through the gate, but they will have to stoop very low and be stripped of the love of wealth, though not necessarily of wealth itself. In Christ’s kingdom to give all is to get all. The surrendered life needs no pity, for what it loses on the material side is more than compensated by its enormous spiritual gains, Mark 10:30-31. Perhaps the request of the two brethren was dictated rather by the desire to be near the Master than by ambition; but in any case there is only one price to be paid. We must know the fellowship of His sufferings, if we are to share His glory, II Timothy 2:11, etc. It is easy to say, “We are able;” but had they not experienced the day of Pentecost, these two aspirants had certainly failed, Philippians 4:13. If you are not called to suffer with Him, then serve. Service like Christ’s will bring you near His throne, as will also a share in His suffering. With us as with Bartimaeus, obstacles and difficulties should not daunt, but rather incite to more eager prayers. Christ is ever saying to men–Courage! Only faith could make a blind man cast away his garment, but he knew that he would be able to find it again with the sight that Jesus would certainly bestow. —Through the Bible Day by Day
Mark 10:25 – In Oriental cities there are in the large gates small and very low apertures, called metaphorically “needles’ eyes,” just as we talk of windows on shipboard as “bulls’ eyes.” These entrances are too narrow for a camel to pass through them in the ordinary manner, even if unloaded. When a loaded camel has to pass through one of these entrances, it kneels down, its load is removed, and then it shuffles through on its knees. “Yesterday,” writes Lady Duff Gordon from Cairo, “I saw a camel go through the eye of a needle, that is, the low, arched door of an enclosure. He must kneel and bow his head to creep through; and thus the rich man must humble himself.”
Mark 10:27 – Unbelief says, “How can such and such things be?” It is full of “Hows”; but faith has one great answer to ten thousand “Hows,” and that answer is, – God. (C.H. McIntosh)
Mark 10:32—And Jesus went before them.
The radiant vision of the Transfiguration was deliberately forsaken, as the Lord took the way of the cross, going to Jerusalem to die. The shadow of his awful exodus had already fallen upon the little group. Behold that resolute figure—the wan face lit up with the fire of an invincible resolve—going in front, climbing the difficult ascent. The apostles cannot keep step with his eager steps, and they fear as an instinctive dread of corning events caste its chilling mantle around them. There was something in their Master they could not understand.
Such moments come to all lives, when Jesus leads us to the cross. How often He asks for a deeper consecration; a more complete crossing of natural inclination for the sake of his Gospel; an intenser purpose. At his bidding we must tear ourselves away from ambitions which had fascinated, and dreams which had allured. We must no longer live on the lower level, however pleasant to flesh and blood, but gird ourselves to go up to Jerusalem.
At such moments He always goes before us. We may not see Him until we begin to follow in the direction of his voice; but so soon as we set ourselves to obey, we become aware of his prevenient grace. He is just in front. He never puts forth his own sheep without going before them. He never asks us to tread a path which has not been trodden by his footsteps. Happy are they who follow Him!
In the first effort to follow Jesus, there may be amazement and not a little fear. The unaccustomed path, the strange look on his face, the shadow of the cross—all dissuade us. But as He dilates on the joy set before Him and us, we learn to think lightly of the difficulties in comparison with the goal. —Our Daily Homily
Mark 10:38 – In every true prayer there are two hearts in exercise. The one is your heart, with its little, dark, human thoughts of what you need and God can do. The other is God’s great heart, with its infinite, its divine purposes of blessing. What think you? to which of these two ought the larger place to be given in your approach to Him? Undoubtedly, to the heart of God: everything depends upon knowing and being occupied with that. But how little this is done. This is what waiting on God is meant to teach you. Just think of God’s wonderful love and redemption, of the meaning these words must have to Him. Confess how little you understand what God is willing to do for you, and say each time as you pray: “And now, Lord, what wait I for?” (Psalm 39:7). My heart cannot say. God’s heart knows and waits to give. “My hope is in thee.” Wait on God to do for you more than you can ask or think. (Andrew Murray)