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Read Mark Chapter 10

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1And 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.

2And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

3And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

5And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

6But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

8And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

10And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

11And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

12And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

13And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

14But 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.

15Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

16And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

17And 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?

18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

19Thou 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.

20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

21Then 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.

22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

24And 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!

25It 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.

26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

28Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

29And 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,

30But 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.

31But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

32And 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,

33Saying, 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:

34And 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.

35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

36And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

37They 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.

38But 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?

39And 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:

40But 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.

41And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

42But 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.

43But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:

44And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

45For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

46And 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.

47And 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.

48And 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.

49And 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.

50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

51And 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.

52And 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.

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Explanation

Mark 10

In short

Jesus teaches his followers about marriage, money, and what it means to follow him. He shows that greatness in God's kingdom comes through serving others, not through power or wealth. He heals a blind beggar whose faith leads him to become a follower.

What the text says

Jesus travels to Judaea and teaches crowds. Pharisees test him by asking if divorce is lawful (verses 1-2). Jesus points them back to God's original design: God made humans male and female to become "one flesh" through marriage (verses 6-8). What God joins, humans should not separate (verse 9). Later he tells his disciples that remarriage after divorce is adultery (verses 11-12).

Children are brought to Jesus; his disciples try to stop them, but Jesus welcomes the children and says the kingdom belongs to people like them (verses 13-15). A rich man asks how to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, then adds: sell everything and give to the poor (verses 17-21). The man leaves sad because he has great wealth (verse 22). Jesus tells his disciples that the rich struggle to enter God's kingdom; it is "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" (verse 25). Salvation comes through God, not human effort (verses 26-27). Peter notes they left everything to follow Jesus; Jesus promises them reward in this age and eternal life (verses 28-30), but adds that first and last will be reversed (verse 31).

Jesus predicts his death in Jerusalem: he will be handed over, condemned, mocked, and killed, then rise on the third day (verses 32-34). James and John ask to sit at his right and left hand in his glory (verses 35-37). Jesus says they do not know what they ask and asks if they can drink his cup or be baptized with his baptism (verse 38). They say yes, and Jesus says they will indeed suffer as he does, but those positions are not his to give (verses 39-40). Jesus teaches the ten disciples that greatness comes through being a servant; the chief must be servant of all (verses 43-44). The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (verse 45).

At Jericho, blind Bartimaeus sits begging. He hears Jesus is passing and cries out repeatedly despite others telling him to be silent (verses 46-48). Jesus calls him; Bartimaeus comes and asks for his sight (verses 49-51). Jesus tells him his faith has made him whole, and Bartimaeus immediately sees and follows Jesus (verse 52).

Takeaways

  • Marriage is presented as a permanent joining; divorce occurs because of human hardness of heart, not God's intention.
  • The chapter shows a repeated pattern: entrance into God's kingdom requires letting go of what the world values, whether possessions, status, or self-protection.
  • True greatness in God's kingdom is measured by willingness to serve and sacrifice, as Jesus himself does.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.