2.
Mk 10 — BLIND, BLINDER, AND BLINDEST
"The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve — to
give His life in ransom for the many." —Mark 10:45
Jesus tried one more time to communicate the message of the
cross. He began by shocking His disciples with new revelations
on marriage, celibacy, children, and money. Then He spoke of
His passion, death, and resurrection. The disciples, blinded by
ambition and jealousy, missed it again. In conclusion, Jesus
healed blind Bartimaeus as a sign that one day His disciples
would be healed of spiritual blindness.
Prayer: Lord, "I want to see" (10:51).
Promise: "Jesus fixed His gaze on them and said, 'For man it is
impossible but not for God. With God all things are possible.' "
—10:27
3. Jesus’ Travels
Mark 10:1
“ In rising up from there, he went
into the territory of Judah”
“Crowds traveled together with
him and he was accustomed again
he kept teaching them”
4. Marriage and
Divorce
Mark 10:1-9
The Pharisees wanted to Jesus
to give a self-incriminating
answer that would provoke
opposition to Him.
According to the Laws of
Moses, the Pharisees believed
this Old Testament passage
permitted divorce, that only a
husband could initiate it, and
divorce implied the right to
remarry.
They disagreed on the grounds
of divorce.
If Jesus took sides in this
dispute He would divide his
followers.
Even today people are arguing
over this same issue.
6.
Mark 10:12
And in the house the Disciples asked Him about this
matter and He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife
and marries another, committs adultery against her; and if
she divorces her husband and marries another she
committs adultery”
7.
Jesus and the Children
Mark 10:13-16
“Let the children come to me
and do not hinder them; for
such belongs to the kingdom
of God”
“Truly ; I say to you, whoever
does not receive the kingdom
of God like a child shall not
enter it”
“Whoever receives one such
child in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but him who
sent me:
8. God give me the heart of a child and the
awesome courage to live it out”
Kathryn Daugherty
15. Mark 10:46-52
The Blind
Bartimaeus
• They came to Jericho
• Just like the woman Tyre,
Bartimaeus persisted
• Bartimaeus may have
been blind but he was the
only one in the crowd
that truly saw Jesus as his
Savior
22. Mark 12:1-12
The Parable of
the Tenants
The rejection of the owner’s son
looks to the certification of Jesus &
the reaction of the owner.
This points to the resurrection,
when God vindicates Jesus’ death
23. Have you not read the Scripture:
'The Stone rejected by the builders has become
the head of the corner; This was the Lord’s
doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes:”
—Mark 12:10-11
24.
Mark 12:13-17
On Tribute to Ceaser
”Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s
and to God the thing that are God’s”
25.
Mark 12:18-27
The Resurrection of the Dead
When Jesus was asked by the Sadducees whose wife would
the woman be after marrying the seven siblings when she
was still alive He makes them realize that they are wrong by
pointing out they did not know-
• Scripture
• Power of God
• God is of the living, not of the dead
28.
Mark 12:38-40
Jesus Censures the Scribes
“Beware of the scribes!
• That go about in long robes
• Who crave salutations in the market places
• That need to have best seats in the synagogues
• Require places of honor at Feasts
• Who devour widows houses
• For a pretense make long prayers
29.
Mark 12:41-44
The Widow’s Mite
“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than
all those who are contributing to the treasury”
Editor's Notes
In Mark 10 there are profound messages that address teachings on family, children and on wealth. All of these matters which so concerned discipleship are brought into the light of the prediction of the Lord.
In Mark 10:1 “In rising up from there, he went into the territory of Judah” This is important in Mark’s gospel, as it is the first time Jesus heads south. The emphasis on the location of Jesus’ travels tells us something important about where he went in His ministry. Jesus leaves Galilee; starts to leave the north and heads south going to the Jordan and crosses near Jericho. Crowds travel along side of Him listening to Christ’s teachings.
In approaching Jesus the Pharisees ask him, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They did this tempting him. By using this analogy Mark points out that the Pharisees are now doing to Jesus what Satan does.
In answering them he asked, “What did Moses command you?” They pointed out that Moses allowed it.
In response to the question, Jesus replied. “because of the hardness of your heart, he wrote that command for you, but from the beginning of creation, male and female he made them and because of this a man shall leave his father and his mother and will be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh. So that they are no longer two but one flesh” Then we have this citation from Genesis concluded by a statement of our Lord himself, “ What then what God has joined a human being must not be separate” Marriage therefore is a work of God.
Jesus further states that “whoever divorces his wife and marries another, committs adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another she committs adultery”
In verse 13-16 Mark now tells us about children. “And they were bringing the children to him that he might touch them; and then the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this he was indignant, and said to them, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God” Here Mark reminds us that the secret of entering into the kingdom is to have the heart of a child. Jesus embraced these children and sent them back to their mothers. Mark tells us that Jesus went on to instruct the disciples and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying hands upon them.
This Gospel account is one of the few occasions when the Gospels tell us that Christ became angry. What provoked his anger was the disciples: intolerance, they felt that bringing the children to Jesus was a waste of time. Yes, Christ had important things to do. The disciples had good intentions there were applying the wrong criteria. What Christ had told them previously in Mark 3:37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me” had not even registered in their minds.
Being a preschool teacher for over 30 years has allowed me to understand the aspect of receiving a child. First, as a disciple, when are we to receive Christ? When are we willing to entrust our whole life to him? Certainly the image of a child is not given to us because of their innocence, it the capacity which is born of a necessity of a child to look to others, to trust and look up. And when we are adults we find this hard to do.
As I read this I wondered why Jesus told the disciples that they had to be like a child. There must be something very special about having the heart of a child that our Lord is trying to teach us here. Life may be difficult at times and we don’t trust that easy. God may still be a stranger to some of us. And we don’t trust. And yet a heart of a child is precisely that ability to be trusting and to be vulnerable in regards to God. The strength to be vulnerable, broken, humble, comes from the living, life changing experience of the love of God the Father has for us.
God is our Father and we are his children, the whole of religion is summed up in the relationship of a son with his good Father. This awareness involves a sense of dependence on our Father and trusting abandonment to his loving providence- in the same way a child trusts it Father and Mother; the humility of recognize that we can do nothing by ourselves. Kathryn Daugherty, who founded the Madonna House, use to say, ‘God give me the heart of a child and the awesome courage to live it out” When we are truly like that, then Jesus dwells in us and we are truly in the full understanding of what God is calling us to do.
In these verses as Jesus was setting out on his journey, a man ran up to him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” This man did not know that Jesus was divine. Jesus continued on and told him about the commandments. The young man said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth” Jesus then tells him to sell all that he has and give it to the poor and then you will have treasure in heaven, come follow me” The young man walked away sorrowful.
Our Lord knew that this young man had a generous heart, Jesus treats him affectionately and invites him to a greater intimacy with God. But Jesus requires that he leaves his wealth behind so as to give his heart to him.
Pope John Paul II points out that this event expresses a great lesson in a few words. What must I do to share in everlasting life? To each of you I say therefore: heed the call of Christ when you hear him saying to you, Follow me! Walk my path! Stand by my side! Remain in my love! There is a choice to be made: a choice for Christ had his way of life and commandment of love. (Homily Boston Common)
The sadness of this young man makes us reflect. We could be tempted to think that many possessions brings us happiness but in this Gospel having too many possessions become obstacles to accepting Christ’s call to follow him.
To all of you I extend-in the name of Christ-the call, the invitation, the plea: “Come and follow me”