Mark-Lesson 14

Lesson 14

Jesus Teaches about…

Mark 10:1-31

Knowing the Scriptures:

Studies in Mark’s Gospel

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

In Lesson 13 we discussed the amazing transfiguration of Jesus, appearing in His glory with Moses and Elijah.  This blew the minds of Peter, James and John who witnessed this sight, and of course Peter couldn’t keep from saying something about it.  We can’t blame him though, for this transfiguration prefigured the coming Kingdom in which the glory of Christ will be revealed to all.  When they returned from this mountaintop experience, they found opposition awaited them in the form of a demon-possessed boy.  The nine failed disciples had cast some doubts in the heart of a desperate father.  When Jesus came on the scene, He was able to meet the needs of both this severely tormented boy and his father, who admitted that he needed help with his unbelief, but trusted Jesus none the less.  As a result the boy was set free, possibly raised from the dead, and the disciples had been taught a lesson.  But then unbelievably the disciples argued among themselves which would be the greatest in God’s kingdom!  Jesus used a little child as an example of the way they should seek to follow Him, not walking in pride or excluding others that may not have been of their own little group but still were being used by God.  At the close of Mark 9 Jesus gave some extreme exhortations about the things that could keep people from the kingdom, and about being “salty” with one another, not losing our savor and not being able to be salty again.  Rather we are to have the impact of salt in others’ lives, walking in peace and unity, and saving many from the horrors of hell that await all who reject Him. 

Over the next two lessons we wrap up the brief middle section of Mark.  We can see a definite difference in the way Jesus ministered after the events at Caesarea Philippi.  He has now set his face like flint toward Jerusalem and the fulfillment of the reason He came:  His horrible hour of suffering but through it accomplishing our salvation.[i]  The first half of Mark 10 addresses five teachings of Jesus that are important for us to know and to practice in our lives.  Let’s hear what Jesus said about these topics.

DAY ONE:  Marriage

Please carefully read Mark 10:1-12 and answer the following questions.

1.  As we can see, the crowds were still surrounding Jesus at this point, and He continued to teach and minister to them.  What question did the Pharisees interrupt this ministry with, and what did they respond to Him in turn (v. 2-4)?

It is important to understand the background of these questions about marriage and divorce and how Mark recorded Jesus’ response to them.  Among the Jews there were different schools of thought regarding divorce, but not of remarriage; in fact among the Jews the question was not, “May a divorced person marry again?” because remarriage was permitted and even expected. Their biggest concern was, “What are the legal grounds for a man to divorce his wife?” Rabbi Hillel was very liberal in his interpretation, allowing a man to divorce his wife for any reason, even burning his dinner! Rabbi Shimmai was stricter, teaching that the critical words some uncleanness (Deuteronomy 24) referred only to premarital sin. If a newly married husband discovered that his wife was not a virgin, then he could put her away.  The Jewish religious leaders tried to use this questioning of Jesus to put him in the difficult position of siding with one of these sides against another, or worse yet turning from the Law of Moses.   Also remember that this district was ruled by Herod Antipas, which may explain their actions because John the Baptist had been slain for preaching against Herod’s adulterous marriage (Mark 6:14–29). Further, it appears from this that God does not accept divorce as valid; any man who divorces his wife is not really divorced, and if he marries someone else, he commits adultery. No one else in antiquity spoke of divorce in such strong terms. Most Jewish teachers allowed polygamy, and would not have seen marrying a second wife as adultery, even if they had agreed that the man was still married to the first wife. But Jesus eliminates the double standard; a man consorting with two women is as adulterous as a woman consorting with two men. Jesus’ point is to advocate faithfulness to one’s first wife, not to break up existing polygamous unions. Unlike Roman law, Palestinian Jewish law did not allow a woman to divorce her husband (although under extreme circumstances she could request that the court force him to divorce her). The only Jewish women who flouted this law were aristocrats like Herodias (6:17) who paid more attention to Greek custom than to Jewish custom. Mark, who writes for readers living where wives could divorce their husbands, brings out the implications of Jesus’ teaching for them too. Craig Keener well said, “Like modern preachers, ancient writers had the liberty to paraphrase sayings to bring out their meanings.”[ii]  Matthew’s version of this will be discussed below.

2.  How did Jesus respond to these leaders, and point them back farther even than the Law of Moses (v. 5-9)?

3.  Later when the crowds had left and Jesus was alone with His disciples, how did He further explain what He was trying to teach about this (v. 10-12)?

4.  Matthew recorded Jesus’ exception to this rule, which Mark omitted, as his point was addressing the free practices of Greco-Roman culture with the teaching of Jesus about this.  What exception did Jesus mention in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:31-32) and Matthew’s version of this same incident (Matthew 19:7-9)?  Also, what did Paul also say about this in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16?

NOTES: The word fornication in Greek is porneía, meaning fornication, lewdness, or any type of sexual sin.[iii]  In general it refers to every kind of illegal sexual intercourse outside the bond of marriage; it also has a more limited sense of immoral sexual activity between unmarried people.[iv] To commit adultery in Greek in Matthew 19:9 is moichátai, a verb literally meaning to commit adultery against one’s self.  Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines it as “conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin.”[v]

Scripture Memory:  This week we will be memorizing Mark 10:27.  Review the passage several times throughout the day each day this week, and by the end of the week, you should have it memorized completely.

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27, nkjv).