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The Gospel of Mark
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BIBLE STUDY MARK 10:1-52 REVIEW: Chapter 9 began with an account of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. Reminiscent of Moses on Mt. Sinai, Jesus is revealed to Peter, James and John in “dazzling white” talking with Elijah and Moses. In this vision we may discover insight regarding the character of Jesus. He is the one who stands in unity with, the Prophets and the Law which are respectively represented by Elijah (the greatest Prophet) and Moses (the law giver) on the mountain top. Beginning with the transfiguration story, where Peter apparently reacts wrongly to the mountain-top revelation wanting to build “three booths,” there is an underlying theme of Chapter 9 which tells of the disciples’ folly. This theme is both characteristic of and distinctive of Mark’s Gospel. The disciples are portrayed as “questioning what this rising from the dead could mean,” unable to heal a demon-possessed boy, arguing among themselves about “being the greatest,” and acting jealously about another man who was “casting out demons in [Jesus’] name.” Jesus’ remark in Mark 9:19 emphasizes this point when he reacts to their failure by saying, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you?” Another theme of chapter nine is the continuing discussion and prediction about Jesus’ betrayal, passion, and resurrection. First, Jesus and his disciples discuss the significance of Elijah’s return prior to the coming of the Messiah. In regard to this, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the Prophet Elijah, the precursor to the Messiah. Although it seems to fall on deaf ears, Jesus explains that the Messiah “is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt.” And for the second time in Mark, he tells his disciples that he will be “’betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But [the disciples] did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” Finally, Chapter 9 ends with Jesus giving warning about being a stumbling block to the faith of others, stressing that it is a very serious offense to do harm to another person’s faith. Finally he asks his disciples to “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” CHAPTER 10:1-12 “Teaching about Marriage” "He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” This point is emphasized…Jesus was a teacher. This can be deduced clearly by the language used…“And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.” In Judea the issue of the grounds for divorce was a controversial topic of the day. Divorce, in and of itself however, was likely not that controversial to most people. Deut 24:1-4 is the only passage in the Torah that mentions divorce and in it the man’s right to divorce is assumed. The thing that remains unclear in the Torah is the grounds for divorce—what can be considered “objectionable” enough to warrant a divorce? This was generally the debated question, not divorce per se. When Jesus asks, “What did Moses command you?” it seems that he is making the subtle point that Moses never gave a command that instituted divorce as a practice. Rather, Moses “allowed” divorce. Now, if Moses never commanded divorce as a practice, the question arises, “where should God’s faithful people turn for understanding about divorce?” Using Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, Jesus takes the creation account as an expression of God’s original design for humankind. Jesus uses the familiar story of Genesis 2:4-25 in which Adam was created first and then the woman Eve was formed form his rib. In the context of Jesus’ argument, marriage between man and woman is representative of a kind of reunification of the original humanity…”no longer two but one flesh.” Moreover, by attaching marriage to the creation, Jesus seems to define marriage as an unalterable union created by God. In effect, divorce (which becomes “allowable” due to human hard-heartedness) does not and cannot dissolve the created reality of marriage. That is to say, divorce does not make the marriage disappear. The relationship, the unity, the history of marriage will forever shape the future of the people involved in it, whether directly (the couple) or indirectly (the community). When his disciples again broach the topic of divorce, Jesus summarizes, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” According to Jesus, there is no getting around this one…to divorce and remarry is to commit adultery. That being said, we should always remember that we are not called, as Christians, to be sinless apart form Christ. For Christ is our righteousness. It is always more important and helpful to be honest about our brokenness and the pain caused by our actions, than to pretend that we are righteous on our own. For, as we state together in our Brief Order of Confession Sunday mornings, “If we say we have no sin (if we say our sin is not sin), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:8-10). CHAPTER 10:13-16 "Children and the Kingdom""People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. What does it mean to “receive the kingdom of God as (or like) a little child?” Much insight can be gained here by looking at the historical reality of the day. Childhood in antiquity was a time of terror marked by extreme vulnerability. According to Malina and Rohrbaugh’s Socio-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, infant mortality sometimes reached 30 percent. “Another 60 percent were gone by age sixteen.” Reaching adulthood in antiquity was a cause for celebration…a relief. Life was not something that could be counted upon or taken for granted, especially for children. In this reality we see what Jesus is saying about the Kingdom of God. It is only to be entered by those who accepted it for what it was…a blessing from God and a gift. The kingdom of God is not something that can be grasped through human endeavor. People were bringing little children to him, they were not approaching him on their own. The kingdom is something only realized by those who experience the reality of their own vulnerability. That is, those who have need for God, those who are at God’s mercy, are welcomed into God’s kingdom. Those who find no need will never enter it.Considering the gracious nature of God’s kingdom, it is no wonder that the disciples aroused Jesus’ “indignation” (aganaktein. indignation, anger) by turning away or “putting a stumbling block” before those otherwise able to receive Jesus’ blessing, for Jesus’ blessing is nothing other than the kingdom of God. Children, in their weakness and vulnerability, although considered least on the social ladder, are also most able to accept grace. They know no other way. Here again we catch the disciples misbehaving. During this time period children held little social status and were considered by society to be unimportant. Perhaps the disciples felt that Jesus was too important to “waist time” on children. Time spent with people entering the kingdom of God, as far as Jesus is concerned however, is always time well used. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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