The Pharisees came to trap Jesus into either forbidding divorce and appearing hard to the people or condoning it and appearing lax to the people. Jesus, simply refers to the law of Moses which the people knew about, to resolve the difficulty.

As he did this, Jesus emphasised that it was a case of Moses PERMITTING it because, he said, people were hard-hearted. That is they refused to let God into their relationship to restore it and remove differences, or they refused to be sensitive and gentle to the one being put away. Either way it was hard heartedness.

Jesus clearly believed in one man for one woman for the length of their lives, because that was how God had designed it to be! Adultery is simply the act of living with a second man or second woman. As a Christian we should do all we can to avoid divorce. We should look for God's grace, which is available, to restore the relationship with the help of the church. Pre-Christian experience needs confessing and leaving at the Cross. God is a God of great grace.

D. Application?

1. If you are a married person with problems in your marriage, give them

to Jesus.

2. If you are unmarried but contemplate marrying one day, give the choice

of permanent partner to God.

Chapter: Mark 10

Passage: Mark 10:13-23

A. Find Out:

1. Who were brought to Jesus? v.13

2. What did Jesus say about them? v.14

3. How were they to be an example? v.15

4. What did the young man say he had done? v.19,20

5. What did Jesus ask him to do? v.21

6. Why was this a problem to him? v.22

B. Think :

1. What was the point of what Jesus said about children?

2. What sort of man was the man who came to Jesus with the question?

3. How does his action contrast with what Jesus had just been saying

previously?

C. Comment :

Jesus' next teaching is prompted by the arrival of some children who were being brought to him to be blessed. The disciples were indignant by what they considered to be a waste of time, but Jesus uses the children to teach an important truth.

Jesus says it is necessary to be childlike if we are to enter his kingdom. He doesn't mean we are to be "childish", which infers irresponsible immaturity, but that we are to be simple and straight forward in the way we respond to Him.

Immediately after this a young man comes to Jesus seeking to receive eternal life. He calls Jesus good and Jesus points out that only God is good, maybe pointing to himself, maybe reminding the young man that he himself isn't good. The young man declares he has kept all the commandments and so Jesus, seeing the hold that wealth had on him, tells him to get rid of it to the poor and then come and follow him. The hold it has is too great for the young man and he went away sad - and Jesus let him go! What a contrast with the little children!

D. Application?

1. Do I receive the things Jesus says like a little child, simply and easily?

2. Do possessions have a hold on my life that prevents me being a true follower of Jesus?

Chapter: Mark 10

Passage: Mark 10:24-31

A. Find Out:

1. What effect did Jesus' teaching have on the disciples? v.24a, 26

2. For whom was it very difficult to enter God's kingdom? v.25

3. What did Jesus say about salvation? v.27

4. What was Peter's response? v.28

5. So what did Jesus promise for NOW? v.30

6. What was his closing enigma? v.31

B. Think :

1. What do you think the disciples' reaction to Jesus' words showed?

2. What was their big concern?

3. What is Jesus trying to show them?

C. Comment :

When Jesus speaks about the difficulty a rich person has in letting go their reliance on wealth to rely upon God, the disciples' reaction shows that they have never realised what the heart of the Gospel is all about, that without God it is impossible!

The Gospel, to be quite clear, is about letting go of self reliance and self determination and giving our lives over completely to Jesus and placing our full trust in him, not on possessions or money or status or position, but in Him alone.

The disciples wonder if anyone can truly be saved and Jesus replies that they are right in one sense. From a human standpoint, no one can save themselves, but God can do it, God can release faith in us to let go of materialistic and humanistic reliance.

As the disciples wonder about this, Jesus promises them that they will never have to feel they have lost out by it. He promises that He will provide more than enough as they serve him BUT, he warns, they will have to share ALL He goes through, the blessings and the persecutions!

D. Application?

1. Ask the Lord today to search you to reveal self-reliance as against

reliance in Him.

2. Today declare that you will let him rule over every area of your life.

Chapter: Mark 10

Passage: Mark 10:32-34

A. Find Out:

1. Where was Jesus taking them? v.32a

2. What did the disciples feel about this? v.32b

3. What did other followers feel about this? v.32b

4. Who did Jesus share with? v.32c

5. What did he say the chief priests would do? v.33

6. What did he say the Gentiles would do? v.34

B. Think :

1. What are the three different feelings that can be seen in verse 32?

2. Why do you think the different people feel in these different ways?

3. How are Jew and Gentile going to be jointly responsible for Jesus' death?

C. Comment :

These few verses show us some remarkable things. First of all they show us the variety of feelings among the people concerned. Jesus is confidently making the way towards Jerusalem . The disciples are surprised at this and other followers are afraid. Why?

Well Jesus, first of all, knows His Father's will and so boldly steps out to do it. The disciples are surprised perhaps that Jesus is leaving his successful ministry in the north to go south to Jerusalem where he is bound to meet up with and have conflict with the religious leaders. Others following have a sense of doom about the whole thing. They also, perhaps, realise that this is likely to mean confrontation with the religious leaders but they haven't the confidence of Jesus to believe that it can have a good outcome.

A second thing to note in these verses is Jesus' revelation about who will hold the joint responsibility for his death. It was NOT going to be just the Jews who would cause it. It would be Jew AND Gentile, the whole human race represented, who would cause it, for Jesus was dying for the sins of the whole world.

D. Application?

1. When Jesus' instructions lead us into a place of difficulty are we

confident in Him, surprised or even fearful?

2. Ask the Lord to strengthen your faith today.

Chapter: Mark 10

Passage: Mark 10:35-45

A. Find Out:

1. What did James & John ask of Jesus? v.37

2. What did Jesus ask in return? v.38

3. What did Jesus say about those places? v.40

4. What did the others feel about James & John? v.41

5. How did Jesus say you become great? v.43,44

6. Why did he say he had come? v.45

B. Think :

1. What did James and John obviously feel about their relationship with

Jesus?

2. How did Jesus partly agree to what they were saying and partly reject

it?

3. How does Jesus make himself an example for them (and us) to follow?

C. Comment :

James and John obviously feel very secure with Jesus to be able to go to him and ask what they did. In one sense it's a good request: they want to be near to Jesus for ever! In that it has an element of perhaps wanting to be above others, it is not so good.

Jesus' response to their request is interesting. He asks if they can share in all that he has gone through and will be going through. They say they can and he agrees that they will. Jesus wants his disciples to share in his life, in all ways!

Next he says that it is not his place to go allocating positions in heaven and in this he acknowledges that it is His Father's place alone to do that. Again and again Jesus lifts up His Father as the one over him. Finally he points out that true leadership comes from having a servant heart, a heart that is willing and available to serve others. Jesus emphasises that that is how he came, to serve others and give his life for others, and so that is to be their example (and ours too).

D. Application?

1. Is it our desire to be with Jesus always?

2. Are we servant hearted so that all we do comes from our desire to serve

the Lord and others.

Chapter: Mark 10

Passage: Mark 10:46-52

A. Find Out:

1. Where was Bartimaeus? v.46

2. What did he cry out? v.47,48

3. How did the crowd react to him? v.48

4. What did Jesus instruct? v.49

5. What did he ask? v.51

6. How did he heal him? v.52

B. Think :

1. What sort of lifestyle had Bartimaeus had up until then?

2. What was it about him that brought about his healing?

3. Why do you think Jesus asked what he did of him?

C. Comment :

A blind beggar has a miserable life. It would be understandable if he sunk into despair with a sense of hopelessness, but that is not evident in Bartimaeus. When he hears that Jesus is coming at last, perhaps having heard all the stories about him that had come from the north, hope rises in him and he cries out for Jesus to have mercy on him, to come down to him and save him for no other reason than mercy. What an example this man is!

The uncaring crowd tell him to be quiet but Jesus' attention has been obtained by him. Note the order of events that Jesus follows. First he calls Bartimaeus to himself. Jesus wants closer contact with us. Then he questions Bartimaeus to see if he really has faith, if he is really sure that he wants to be healed and believes he can be healed. Finally Jesus simply speaks a word and the man receives his sight.

Very often that same order of events is the way for us: we need to draw near to the Lord, probably in prayer, stepping out in the faith of obedience, and affirming our faith and strong desire - and keep on affirming it until he speaks the needed word to bring the change of circumstances that only He can bring.

D. Application?

1. Do we persevere in seeking the Lord for the things we believe He can

deal with?

2. Again today seek Him in prayer with thanksgiving.

RECAP: "Different Attitudes" - Mark 10

SUMMARY :

In these last 6 studies we have seen:

  - Pharisees testing Jesus with divorce

  - Jesus receiving little children

  - A rich young man coming to question Jesus

  - The difficulty for the rich to enter God's kingdom

  - Jesus setting out for Jerusalem

  - Jesus speaking of his death there

  - James & John seeking position

  - Jesus teaching about servant-hood

  - Blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight

COMMENT :

A chapter largely about attitudes and the kingdom of God . Hard attitudes are seen in marriage breakdown. Childlike attitudes are needed to enter the kingdom. Materialistic attitudes make it difficult to enter the kingdom. Servant attitudes are needed in the kingdom.

At the end of the chapter is a graphic illustration: a blind man who recognises his blindness and cries out to Jesus for deliverance from it. Remembering a previous chapter it is perhaps a subtle reminder by Mark that all are blind to these truths until Jesus opens the eyes of our hearts to bring us true understanding. We see from it that we need to cry out for it first. Do we?

LESSONS :

1. God wants permanence in marriage - with His help

2. We are to be childlike in receiving Jesus' words

3. Materialism can block our receiving the kingdom

4. Jesus sometimes leads us into the hard places

5. Jesus wants us to be servant hearted

6. We need to persevere in seeking the Lord

PRAY :

1. Ask the Lord to help you have childlike, persevering faith that is servant hearted.

2. Ask Him to free you from any hints of a hard materialistic heart.

SECTION SUMMARY – Mark 6-10

As we conclude these second five chapters of Mark's Gospel we note that we have seen:

Jesus performing the miraculous:

  - feeding the five thousand    6:30 -

  - walking on the water    6:45 -

  - delivering Gentile woman's daughter    7:24 -

  - healing a deaf mute    7:31 -

  - feeding four thousand   8:1-

  - healing a blind man    8:22 -

  - delivering possessed boy    9:25 -

  - healing blind Bartimaeus    10:46 -

Jesus speaking on:

  - clean & unclean     7:1-

  - his disciples' blindness    8:15 -

  - his coming death      8:31 - / 10:32 -

  - the requirements of discipleship      8:34 - / 10:23 -

  - servanthood      9:36 - / 10:42 -

  - being childlike      9:42 - / 10:13 -

  - divorce     10:1-

  - riches and the kingdom    10:21 -

Other miscellaneous matters:

  - Jesus not accepted at home   6:1-

  - Jesus sending out the 12   6:7-

  - John the Baptist's death    6:14 -

  - Peter confessing Jesus as the Christ    8:27 -

  - Jesus transfigured     9:2-

We have watched Jesus' ministry develop, despite being rejected at home, so that large numbers of people follow him wherever he goes. His ministry is at its peak with a combination of teaching and the miraculous as he declares the truth and sets people free.

Again we have seen the religious people come to try to trap him with clever questions. Each time he speaks with authority as he answers their questions. Spiritual blindness is clearly seen at the root of their difficulties. Finally we have seen Jesus turning towards Jerusalem for the end of his ministry.

CONCLUSION – Mark 6-10

In these chapters in this second series of studies in Mark's Gospel, what lessons have perhaps stood out to us?

1. About "Religion":

  - it is man centred, legalism

  - it produces hard heartedness

  - it produces resistance to Jesus

  - it produces spiritual blindness

  - is more concerned with outward acts than inner holiness

  - is more concerned with ritual than relationship with God

  - looks for signs in the face of miracles.

2. About Jesus' Disciples:

  - often were blind to who Jesus was

  - frequently misunderstood what he said

  - were slow to learn

  - were just like us!

3. About Jesus:

  - persisted in the face of opposition

  - expanded his ministry despite opposition

  - patiently, tolerated his disciples foolishness

  - patiently taught them again and again

  - had power to

    - feed multitudes

    - walk on water

    - heal the sick & cast out demons

  - was revealed as the glorious Son of God

  - declared his death and resurrection.

4. About Ourselves?

  - that we need Jesus to teach us constantly

  - that we need to ensure Jesus is at the centre of our lives and

     that we put our complete trust in Him

  - that Jesus can enable us to do His works today

  - that we are called to give up all to follow Him

  - that we are promised immense blessings if we do

  - that He is worthy of our worship and adoration.