Mark 10

v1-12

The pharisees always try to trap Jesus with really tricky questions. They're always prepared with a way to discredit him, no matter which side he takes on the issue. But they underestimate him. Because they think he's just a man and not the Saviour of the world who not only can see them coming from miles away with their little "trap" but also knows all the answers to all the questions of the world. Funny to me to think of these men hiding away, being all secretive, and having meetings to try and find a way to bring him down.

The pharisees are expecting Jesus to either condemn divorce, at which point they pull out this law that Moses gave (who the Jewish community reveres highly) and if he approves then they would have pulled out some law that condemns divorce. But Jesus does neither...or rather he does both. He acknowledges the law that Moses gave but shows that it was not because it was right or because that's how God had originally planned it, but it was created because of the hardness of hearts of the Israelites. He then goes on to say that marriage is sacred and what God has joined together let no man tear asunder. No matter what the marriage is, between whichever man and woman, God has blessed it and brought it together. No matter how unequally yoked the couple may be, God's plan is that they remain together for life. The cool thing is, no matter what the problem between the couple, God is all powerful to rectify it. Whether its abuse, missionary marriage, pride, finances, what have you, God's plan is to heal the hurt and bring the two into more love for each other and for Him. God does not just condemn someone to marriage for life and say "you chose him/her, now live with it." He does however urge us to seek counsel and be very careful who we marry, for our own sakes. Because if we marry someone that complements us well, there is less pain and strife later on in the marriage. When the marriage is not mutual love and respect for each other, there will be a lot of misery over the years as the two try to work through their issues with each other.

v13-16

Why do the disciples keep the children from Jesus? This thought is so strange to me, maybe because the picture of Jesus surrounded by children is such a beautiful picture to me. In a lot of ways, children are revered in our culture. We model our lives around them. When a child is born, it changes everything. Goodbye school, goodbye career, we've got a kid now! Some people love it, some people hate it. But I believe the culture back then was a lot different and children were kind of like half-people until they hit 13 and became adults.

So it's a huge thing that Jesus stopped everything to specifically minister to and love on these children. Of course, Jesus did this all through out his ministry. He was always stopping and investing time and heart into those that his culture sneered at. Prostitutes, tax collectors, drug dealers, the lame, the dying, the lepers, the homeless, the gross, the unlean, the socially inept, the possessed, the weirdos, and of course the children. I imagine Christ surrounded by children, women barely clothed with lots of makeup, young men in black with tattoos and piercings and crazy haircuts, old men dressed in rags with long nasty beards, those awkward people we all know and avoid from school or work, the tax collectors in their armani suits and cell phone ear pieces.

I love that last verse. "And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them."

v17-31

My heart breaks for this guy. He's lived his entire life focusing on doing the right thing. I bet he was the best boyfriend and the best son. I bet he always told the truth no matter what the circumstance and never once took advantage of someone. I bet everyone in his town trusted him and I bet he became rich simply because he was such a good guy and people opened doors for him. He's a regular Clark Kent.

But he based his life on being good. So when the opportunity to be great is offered to him, and he realizes he has to sacrifice everything that he has done his entire life, he can't do it. His entire focus has been on doing the right thing, which has then accumulated him many relationships and material possessions. To follow Christ, he has to surrender everything he has and everything he is in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But after 30 years of being consumed by good works, he found that he couldn't get free.

Jesus brings in a new era. He takes everything and flips it around to its true nature, away from the perversions of the world. It is not the man who is the most good or the most blessed that will inherit the kingdom of God but rather the man who gives up everything he has and does not worry about appearing good in man's eyes.

v35-45

This absolutely cracks me up. These two guys, James and John, think they can sit at the right hand and left hand of God. They're brothers, maybe even twins, and I have a feeling everything has been a competition for them. So they're bantering back and forth about who Jesus loves more and who is more important and who could sit on whichever side of Jesus throne.

Retards.

Jesus tries to hint to them that they're asking an impossible question. "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" meaning be crucified and take on the sins of the world. And of course, the two dummies say "We are able." If they only knew what they were saying! They have all this bravado and think they are indestructible. I bet Jesus chuckled and shook his head and just walked away from them, to let them figure it out the hard way.

Imagine how much of a shock it would be after the crucifixion when they realize that Jesus had asked if they were ready to die for the sins of the world...when they finally realized, really realized, what Jesus had meant. Imagine their horror at their presumption at their own abilities. What a humbling experience.

v46-52

Oh that we were all like Bartimaeus. To cry out for God without regard to cultural norms or what's socially acceptable.

Imagine people actually telling someone to shut up, because they heard Jesus nearby and they are desperate to be healed of an affliction they've had their whole life. How hard are their hearts? How focused on the WRONG thing!

I love how Jesus would always heal them of their physical afflictions...but also of their spiritual afflictions. He doesn't just give him his sight back...he heals his heart. Because that's why Jesus came! He's not simply a miracle worker or a carnival performer. It's not just about the flash and the bang. It's not about doing the impossible, casting out demons or healing the blind. It's about saving their souls...saving their lives. Because they are so far gone, they don't even know they need to be saved.