Mark 10

Chapter 10.

10 ¹He left there for the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered to him again, and as usual he taught them once more.

²Some Pharisees came to test him, asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

³He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"

⁴They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

⁵Jesus told them, "He wrote you this command because your hearts were hard. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, our Father made them male and female. ⁷'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what our Father has joined together, let no one separate."

¹⁰Back in the house, the disciples asked him about this again.

¹¹He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹²and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

The Father Welcomes Children

¹³People were bringing children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said, "Let the children come to me; don't stop them, for the kingdom of our Father belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever doesn't receive our Father's kingdom like a child will never enter it."

¹⁶And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The Man Who Had Much but Lacked One Thing

¹⁷As he started down the road, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

¹⁸Jesus asked, "Why call me good? No one is good except our Father alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: 'don't murder, commit adultery, steal, or give false testimony; don't defraud; honor your father and mother.'"

²⁰He said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth."

²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack: go, sell everything you own, give to the poor—you'll have treasure in heaven—then come follow me."

²²At this word his face fell, and he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³Jesus looked around and told his disciples, "How hard it will be for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of our Father!"

²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of our Father! ²⁵A camel goes through a needle's eye easier than a rich person enters our Father's kingdom."

²⁶They were even more astonished and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, "With man, impossible; but not with our Father, for all things are possible with our Father."

²⁸Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."

²⁹Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, no one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the gospel,

³⁰"who won't receive a hundredfold now, in this time—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

³²On the road up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them. They were amazed, and those following were afraid. Taking the twelve aside again, he began telling them what was about to happen to him:

³³"Look, we're going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, who will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him; after three days he will rise."

Greatness Through Serving

³⁵James and John, Zebedee's sons, came to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

³⁶He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³⁷They said to him, "Let us sit in your glory, one at your right, one at your left."

³⁸Jesus said to them, "You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with?"

³⁹"We can," they said. Jesus said to them, "The cup I drink, you will drink; the baptism I'm baptized with, you will be baptized with, ⁴⁰but sitting at my right or left isn't mine to give - that's for those it's prepared for."

⁴¹Hearing this, the ten grew indignant at James and John.

⁴²Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their great ones wield power over them. ⁴³But it isn't so among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples were leaving with a large crowd, blind Bartimaeus son of Timaeus sat begging by the road. ⁴⁷Hearing it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" ⁴⁸Many scolded him to be silent, but he shouted even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man: "Courage! Get up—he's calling you."

⁵⁰Throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.

⁵¹Jesus told him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man told him, "Rabboni, let me see again." ^a a v51 "Rabboni" is a heartfelt, personal way of addressing Jesus — "my teacher," spoken with deep trust.

⁵²Jesus told him, "Go; your faith has healed you." At once he regained his sight and followed Jesus on the road.